Immigration News

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IMMIGRATION REFORM PROPOSAL ANNOUNCED

Earlier today, the President announced that Senate leaders from both parties had come to a compromise on a bill that would be a MAJOR overhaul to the immigration system. Details are still emerging, but among the highlights are:

– Enhanced border security, which must be completed before any guest worker or legalization plan is implemented
– Immediate status for undocumented people here, after payment of a large fine
– Restructuring and reduction of many family based categories
– Additional workplace verification and enforcement
– A merits-based “points” system that would allow immigration based on certain factors

THIS IS NOT A LAW, but is merely a proposal. As you will recall, last year the Senate put together a compromise bill that ultimately died when no compromise could be reached with the House of Representatives. We will see what happens with this one and how it evolves, as debate in the Senate is slated to begin next week. Please see this website for updates concerning legislative progress.

Some of these provisions are very onerous and, in our opinion, unworkable. There is still an opportunity to shape this law. Please contact your congressional representatives in the Senate and the House of Representatives to urge them to pass practical, humane immigration reform that will serve America’s needs. Click on the link below for instructions on contacting your Senators and Representative.
http://capwiz.com/aila2/callalert/index.tt?alertid=9764951

by SCwpadmin SCwpadmin 615 Comments

TPS Extended

On May 2, 2007, DHS Secretary, Michael Chertoff, announced that TPS for eligible nationals of Honduras, Nicaragua, and El Salvador, has been extended for an additional 18 months.

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DOL Rule Against Labor Substitution Expected to be Published Soon

The Office of Management and Budget has finished its review of the DOL’s proposal to bar substitution of employees in labor certification applications and to prohibit employees from paying the employer’s attorneys’ fees. The proposed rule also set a time limit for the validity of a labor certification application.

Now that the OMB has concluded its review of this regulation it is expected that it will be published soon. The exact details of the rule have not yet been released.

by SCwpadmin SCwpadmin 78 Comments

Department of Homeland Security Seeks to Upgrade Employee Verification System

President Bush and the Department of Homeland Security have indicated that the system in place for verifying the status of new employees needs to be substantially revamped. “We must create a better system for employers to verify the legality of their workers” said President Bush.

It is estimated that the current system, the Basic Pilot Program, has an error rate of up to 20% and is very difficult to use. Hopefully, a more user-friendly system will be created in parallel with comprehensive immigration reform.

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Representative Flake Is Optimistic on Immigration Reform

U.S. Representative Jeff Flake had a meeting with business leaders on Wednesday and indicated his opinion that there is a greater than 50-50 chance that the bill he has introduced in the House of Representatives will pass and become law. Representative Flake is one of the sponsors of the STRIVE bill that has been introduced in the House which is similar to the comprehensive immigration bill that passed the Senate last term.

Let’s hope that Representative Flake is correct. We urge interested individuals to send e-mails to their Congresspeople and Senators urging them to support comprehensive immigration reform.

by SCwpadmin SCwpadmin 58 Comments

H-1B Master’s Cap Not Yet Reached

USCIS announced on April 10, 2007 that the cap of 20,000 H-1B visas for aliens holding a master’s degree or higher from a U.S. institution has not yet been reached. On April 2 and 3, approximately 12,989 total master’s cap cases were filed. USCIS will provide updates as the processing continues for the FY 2008 H-1B cap cases.

by SCwpadmin SCwpadmin 77 Comments

USCIS Extends Validity of Medical Exams

Generally speaking, a medical examination submitted in connection with an application for adjustment of status is valid for one year. Due to visa backlogs and expanded processing times, many adjustment of status applications are not adjudicated within one year of filing. In January of 2006, USCIS extended the validity of medical exams until January 1, 2007. Due to the continuing backlog of some adjustment of status cases, USCIS has extended the validity of all filed medical exams until January 1, 2008. In other words, medical exams will remain valid until the adjustment of status application is adjudicated or until January 1, 2008. There is an excellent possibility that this deadline will be extended again the future.

by SCwpadmin SCwpadmin 447 Comments

USCIS Releases Preliminary Count of H-1B Filings

Immigration (USCIS) issued a preliminary tally of H-1Bs received on April 2nd and 3rd. Immigration has indicated that the counting continues. Immigration initially reported that they had received 150,000 pieces of mail on April 2nd and April 3rd. They have downgraded this number to 133,000. As of Wednesday April 4th, 28,052 of the cases sorted were H-1B petitions subject to the general H-1B cap, and 4,703 cases were to be applied to the master’s degree cap. Immigration will continue to update these figures as it sorts through the mail. It is widely believed that immigration received more than the maximum number of H-1B visas allowed under both caps and that there will be a lottery to determine which applications receive a cap number.

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Immigration Testimony at Ellis Island

The House Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, Refugees, Border Security, and International Law met on March 30, 2007 at historic Ellis Island for a hearing on the Past, Present, and Future: A Historic and Personal Reflection on American Immigration.

Michael Chertoff, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, stated, “Our efforts to ensure vigorous enforcement of our laws in the interior, and especially at the worksite, are crucial to controlling the problem of illegal immigration. But they alone will not be sufficient. We must create a lawful mechanism so that in the future, foreign workers can come into the United States on a temporary basis to fill jobs that U.S. workers do not want. This regulated channel for temporary workers would dramatically reduce the pressure on our borders, aid our economy and ease the task of our law enforcement agents inside the country.”

Dowell Myers, Professor of Urban Planning and Demography and Director of the Population Dynamics Research Group University of Southern California, addressed the aging Baby Boomer crisis, “Immigrants do not arrive in a vacuum, and they may well provide at least part of the solution to a grave crisis that is about to overtake us. The rapid aging of our population creates stresses that are unprecedented, and the overall effect has enormous social, political, and economic implications for our future.”

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