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Immigration Law News

Hondurans and Nicaraguans Eligible for Temporary Protected Status Must Re-Register by July 30th.

Posted Sun, 07/08/2007 - 06:36 by Phil

The USCIS recently announced that Honduran and Nicaraguan citizens who qualified for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) by virtue of Hurricane Mitch in 1998 and the earth quake in El Salvador in 2001 may re-register for continuing TPS. All eligible Honduran and Nicaraguan citizens must re-register for TPS no later than July 30, 2007. Those who do not re-register as required will lose employment authorization, exemption from removal, and all other TPS benefits.

USCIS Raises Fees for Visa Petitions

Posted Sun, 07/08/2007 - 06:03 by Phil

The USCIS recently announced the filing fees for several visa petitions will be raised again effective July 30, 2007. All petitions which are postmarked or otherwise filed on or after July 30, 2007 must include the new increased filing fee or will be rejected.

Recent Immigration Raids Effect Familes, Schools, and Businesses.

Posted Sun, 07/08/2007 - 05:20 by Phil

The recent increase in raids by immigration officers and other law enforcement agents have augmented the urgency for comprehensive immigration reform. The almost daily occurrence of "sweeps" and "roundups" has made clear the underlying problem that America's current immigration system is severely broken.

GOP Kickstarts the Political Nonsense.

Posted Wed, 06/27/2007 - 04:34 by Phil

The news today from Capitol Hill was encouraging. The immigration reform bill that was very near death was resuscitated with a Senate vote of 64-35 in favor of reopening debate on the bill. Proponents of the bill were prepared to call for a vote on a series of amendments which would lay the ground work for an up-down vote on the entire legislative package. Fortunately, the GOP, armed with the Senate rules and intending to delay a vote, insisted that the entire 373 page legislation package be read aloud. The delay tactic was successful and the vote was postponed until tomorrow. It is truly amazing that our legislature is not able to accomplish more with such sensible and efficient rules--they are worth every penny.

What is the Fiance Visa?

Posted Sat, 06/23/2007 - 06:21 by Phil

The fiance visa or K-1 visa is a non-immigrant visa which is available to the fiances of U.S. Citizens. if approved the visa will allow the foreign national fiance to enter the U.S. for a period of 90 days for the purpose of marrying the U.S. Citizen who filed the fiance visa petition. The fiance visa has become a very important visa as the world as become a smaller place because of the internet and other information and communication technology improvements.

Why Completely Scrap an Immigration System that is Not Broken?

Posted Fri, 06/22/2007 - 23:51 by Phil

Most of the provisions of the "Grand Bargain," the proposed immigration reform bill and its myriad proposed amendments, completely change our current immigration system which is not that bad. It is instructive to examine the most controversial provisions of the proposed bill and the focus of the public debate.

Illegal Immigrants and Taxes: Refuting the Myth

Posted Wed, 06/20/2007 - 03:15 by Phil

One popular mantra of the anti-immigration contingent is that illegal immigrants are a financial drain on our country. Opponents of immigration reform claim that illegal immigrants take more than they give--that they don't pay taxes but benefit from our public services. Anyone who has taken the time to actually analyze this claim would realize that it is nothing more than inflammatory propaganda. It's great because it makes sense to the average Joe who may not investigate the source of the claim and it will incite and anger most people.

Immigration Reform Bill Needs to Address Visa Backlog.

Posted Tue, 06/19/2007 - 01:29 by Phil

One of the largest problems with our current immigration law system is that U.S. Citizens and legal residents often have to wait several years before they can be united with their family. For example, currently if you are a U.S. Citizen and you want to petition for your unmarried adult son or daughter the current waiting period is 6 years for most countries. However, in the case of the Philippines and Mexico the waiting period is 15 years or more. Using another example, if you are a lawful permanent resident and you file an immigrant visa petition for your spouse or child the wait will be 5 years or more. A U.S. Citizen filing an immigrant visa petition for his or her brother or sister will have to wait 20 years. (To see an entire list of all of the current waiting times visit the Department of State website and check the visa bulletin.)

Immigration Reform Bill Could Hurt Immigrant Families.

Posted Mon, 06/18/2007 - 02:05 by Phil

It seems that the immigration reform bill may be back on the table. Once of the significant differences between the proposed immigration reform bill and the current framework of our immigration system is that the current system gives preference to close relatives of U.S. Citizens and Lawful Permanent Residents. The new system, in comparison, would shift the preference to a "merit" based system that would give preference to certain groups of people who hold or acquire whatever traits our law makers determine are meritorious.

Where Was Bush Last Week?

Posted Tue, 06/12/2007 - 03:22 by Phil

Last week while the U.S Senate fumbled a proposed immigration reform bill that would have afforded much needed relief to our nation's immigrant families, George W. Bush, a proclaimed advocate of immigration reform, was out of the country. Many political analysts believe that Bush's proposed immigration reform initiative may be his last opportunity to make a name for himself in the history books. If this is the case, why wasn't he on Capitol Hill last week encouraging support for this bill?