The Washington Post writes about the trends of how quickly and easily foreign nationals who immigrate to the U.S. are able to assimilate. The article is based on a research conducted by the Manhattan Institute (note: they are famous for their advocacy of free market-based solutions to policy issues) where researchers measured the degree [...]
Although, as we wrote recently, there is a procedure for expediting the fingerprinting appointment in connection with a re-entry permit for green card holders, such requests are not always honored in a timely manner. Our law firm now offers a second alternative to have the fingerprinting appointment expedited by USCIS. If you have a re-entry permit pending with USCIS or if you plan to file one, we can, as an attorney on your behalf, call the USCIS and request that your fingerprinting appointment be expedited. Having an attorney call the USCIS and explain the situation warranting expedited processing has advantages and recent experience shows that, given the circumstances, can significantly expedite the biometric appointment and the issuance of re-entry permit. Please read the full article or contact us directly for more information on this option.
The USCIS announced yesterday that it is publishing a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) to increase the maximum amount of time a TN visa holder can remain in the U.S. before seeking readmission or extension of stay from one year to three years. The goal behind the proposed rule is to provide TN visa holders similar visa terms as other skilled worker visas, such as H-1B. Please read the full article on details regarding the proposed rule and TN visas.
USCIS just announced a couple of significant enhancements to the E-Verify program which should increase its accuracy and appeal to employers. One of the main concerns of E-Verify is that a fair number of legitimately authorized workers receive a non-confirmation which has consequences, ranging from embarrassment to potentially losing their employment. Please read the full article for details on the E-Verify enhancements.
The U.S. Department of Justice announced May 1, 2008, that it has imposed a civil fine of $45,000 to iGate Mastech, Inc., a Pittsburgh computer consulting company in connection with the company's alleged discrimination against United States citizens in its employment practices and advertisements. Please read the full article for details on this civil fine settlement.
The Department of State has published a final rule which, effectively April 29, 2008, eliminates the paper visa application and requires that all non-immigrant visa applications to be submitted electronically. Please read the full article for details on the new visa application.
We are in the peak of the Democratic Party primary season and we are very close to have the general Presidential election campaign under way. Some of the candidates have expressed opinions on immigration, in connection with the campaign, or previously, and it is natural for some foreign citizens, both living in the U.S. and abroad, to be interested in contributing money and/or services to a candidate's campaign. However, there are strict rules that govern what a foreign citizen can do during an election campaign. Please read the full article on analysis on what can foreign nationals do in connection with U.S. election campaigns.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has released a report about the green cards obtained by foreign nationals during 2007. The report provides breakdown by preference category and sub-category, by type of petition, by country of origin, and by U.S. state of residence. Please open the full article to read the report.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has proposed a new rule which would require airlines and certain ships to collect biometric information from departing non-U.S. citizens. This proposed rule comes to supplement the already established entry biometric procedures. The main difference would be that while the current entry biometrics are taken by the U.S. border agents, the departure biometrics would be taken by the airlines and then transmitted within 24 hours to DHS. Read the full article for more details on this new rule.
Today, April 22nd, is Earth Day. It may be interesting to note that offices in United States consume enough paper every year to build a 10-foot high, 6,815 mile-long wall of paper (this is enough to build a paper fence between New York and Tokyo). We, at the Capitol Immigration Law Group, are committed to being environmentally friendly office and are working on eliminating unnecessary paper from our practice. Please read the full article to learn what we do to be a "green" law office.