 Immigration
News Weekly
Updated (June 30, 2008)
DATELINE for
US Green Card
Program Year 2008
!
Register now before it is
too late!
Dateline
July 2008!
The US Senate voted to change the existing visa
lottery program to ensure that at least 33,000 of the
50,000 visas issued annually under the program go to
highly educated people with advanced degrees.
Take your Chance today it is the last one forever!
click here
NEWS:
last update:
June 30, 2008
June 30, 2008
Sen. Hillary Clinton
officially suspended her
campaign in a speech today
and endorsed Sen. Barack
Obama for president. "I
endorse him and throw my
full support behind him. And
I ask all of you to join me
in working as hard for
Barack Obama as you have for
me," Clinton said to a
cheering crowd in
Washington.
full story
Campaign Notebook
Senator
Hillary Rodham Clinton likened
this stage of the campaign to
the final quarter of a close
basketball game.
Senator
Barack Obama had a few words of
advice Saturday for his rival,
Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton:
Do not drop out on my account.
An
endorsement of Senator Barack
Obama by Senator Bob Casey of
Pennsylvania underlined the
ferment in the Democratic race.
Presidential candidate Sen.
Barack Obama won the Wyoming
Democratic caucus, CNN projected
Saturday. Obama led rival Sen.
Hillary Clinton at 58 percent to
41 percent, with 91 percent of
precincts reporting.
The close race between Obama and
Clinton thrusts the state into the
spotlight
Wyoming has only 12 delegates
The candidates had been
separated by fewer than 100
delegates, CNN estimates
Clinton's campaign manager: "We
are thrilled with this near split in
delegates"
Clinton and McCain Win in
California; Obama Stays Close as
G.O.P. Rivals Lag
 
February 5, 2008
Senator
Hillary Rodham Clinton won
primaries in New York, New
Jersey and Arizona and captured
the biggest prize of all,
California, while Senator
Barack Obama strung together
nearly a dozen victories from
Georgia to Idaho as the two
Democratic candidates were
locked in an intense struggle
for convention delegates on
Tuesday.
NEW: McCain met by
crowd shouting, "Mac is back"
Women, older voters give
Clinton boost, exit polls show
.
 |
 |
|
Jan 01. 2008:
Happy New Year 2008! |
DATELINE for US Green Card
Program Year 2008 is approaching
Register now before it is too
late!
December 2007:
US announces Green Card Lottery
The US Department of State has
announced that registration for
the Green Card Lottery, or
Diversity Visa (DV) Lottery.
The Green Card Lottery makes
available 50,000 permanent
resident visas annually to
persons from countries with low
rates of immigration to the
United States. The Immigration
Lottery makes permanent
residence visas available to
persons meeting simple, but
strict, eligibility
requirements.
Pair arrested in
greencard
marriage scam on Internet
San Jose
Mercury News - CA, USA/ Dec 10,
2007
AP "Green Card Marriage
-- Will pay $300/month. Total
$15000," the Russian national
wrote in an ad placed on the
Craigslist website. ...
LIVE VIDEO: Rockefeller Center
Christmas Tree New York City
, NYC, Dec 2007
The tree will be lit through
Jan 8, 2008.
Hours are daily from 5:30am to
11:30pm.
Millions
of New Yorkers and tourists come
to see the tree while many get
to ice skate on the rink below.
Will You Accept This
Green
Card? Dec. 01, 2007
TMZ.com -
Glendale,CA,USA
Reality shows are bringing
people together for "love" all
the time -- now there's one
that's doing it for a real
reason: citizenship. ...
Skilled immigrants face 10-year
wait to get green cards
August 22, 2007
San Jose Mercury News - CA, USA
They estimated that the total
number of green card
applicants and family members in
the US waiting for legal
permanent residence in September
2006 was ...
Dominica National Convicted In
Green Card Marriage Scam
Hardbeatnews.com - Jackson
Heughts,NY,USA
... marriage for green
card scam. Peter Absolam was
found guilty in an immigration scam that
arranged sham marriages with US
citizens for immigrants seeking
...
US Seeks to Curb Illegal
Immigration
Forbes - NY,USA
By SUZANNE GAMBOA 08.10.07, 2:00
PM ET A crackdown on illegal immigration will have to go
forward without help from
Congress, the Bush
administration said ...
US Immigration Authorities Step
up Deportations of Illegal
Immigrants Aug
08, 2007
Voice of America - USA
By Steve Mort Authorities in the
United States are stepping up
efforts to return illegal
immigrants to their home
countries. ...
Immigration reform bill
in US Senate appears to be dead
July 08 2007
53 of 100 Senators voted against
limiting further debate on the
immigration reform bill,
effectively keeping it from
being finalized and voted on. ...
US senators agree on
immigration reform -
May 18, 2007
|
WASHINGTON, May 18:
Leading US senators
reached an agreement on
Thursday on immigration reform
that would strengthen US
borders and grant lawful
status to ...payment
$5000.- fine... |
Bush
asks Congress to help with
immigration reform (Associated
Press Saturday, April 28, 2007 -
Updated:
10:22
AM EST)
WASHINGTON
- President Bush urged lawmakers on
Saturday to come together on the
complex and emotional issue of
immigration, calling it "a critical
challenge" now before the nation.
"We need a system where our laws are
respected. We need a system that
meets the legitimate needs of our
economy. And we need a system that
treats people with dignity and helps
newcomers assimilate into our
society," he said in his weekly
radio address. "We must address all
elements of this problem together,
or none of them will be solved at
all."
San Francisco Bay Area Reacts
Angrily to Series of Immigration
Raids
New York Times - New York,NY,USA
April 27, 2007
Before dawn on
March 6, dozens of federal
immigration agents conducted
surprise raids in San Rafael and
nearby Novato, two comfortable Marin
County suburbs ...
Illegal Immigrants
Paying Taxes, Too
KTTC - Rochester,MN,USA
Last year alone she aided around
32-hundred illegal immigrants.
Stellick says undocumented workers
are required to file taxes, so by
receiving a nine digit ...
Feds arrest 49 illegal immigrants in Willmar
Pioneer Press - St. Paul,MN,USA
Federal agents arrested 49
illegal immigrants in Willmar
last week during a four-day
enforcement investigation there.
Operation Cross Check, which began
...
When any region of the United States
has required workers for large
building projects, immigrant workers
have historically been relied upon.
A recent increase in construction in
New York City has resulted in a
shortage of construction workers
and, once again, America is looking
for immigrants to help.
more »
|
 Hillary Clinton: I'm in for 2008Democratic Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton launched
her run for the White House Saturday by setting up
an exploratory committee to test opinions and raise
money. "I'm in. And I'm in to win," she wrote on her
Web site. "I believe that together we can bring the
leadership that this country needs." Her move came
days after Sen. Barack Obama began his run.
Dec 24/25, 2006: Merry Christmas/Happy
Holidays !
Christmas in America: We all join in
Illegal Immigrants at Center of New Identity
Theft Crackdown Dec 17,2006
New York Times
- United States
... 13 — Homeland Security Secretary Michael
Chertoff on Wednesday announced a broad new plan to
crack down on illegal immigrants who steal
the identities of ...
Meat plant raids may spur reform / Immigration
agents pick up 1,282 workers suspected of being in
the U.S. illegally
San Francisco Chronicle
Sun, 17 Dec 2006 4:21 AM PST
The Tuesday predawn sweep by 1,000 Immigration and
Customs Enforcement agents at six rural meatpacking
plants, in which authorities detained 1,282 workers
suspected of illegal immigration, so far has had
only a minor impact on the cattle industry. But
it...
Facts
About USCIS Naturalization Test Redesign Nov
2006
USCIS is revising the naturalization test to create
a test and testing process that is standardized,
fair and meaningful. A revised test, with an
emphasis on the fundamental concepts of American
democracy and the rights and responsibilities of
citizenship, will help to encourage citizenship
applicants to learn and identify with the basic
values we all share as Americans.
Questions and Answers for New Pilot Naturalization
Exam
Read the 144 questions and answers.
Democratic control of the U.S. Congress in the
wake of recent elections may very well result in
more humane immigration policies. There may be a
guest-worker program and new opportunities to gain
citizenship. 2007 immigration reform is expected to
be along similar lines to the Senate immigration
reform bill from May of this year.
More than one million legal immigrants have
experienced long delays in obtaining a U.S. green
card. Many are highly skilled, with science,
electrical engineering and medical degrees, and are
hired by U.S. companies, universities and research
laboratories under the H-1B visa system. Some people
have experienced waits of up to 12 years for an
employment-based green card. The process has always
been long and complex, but recently introduced
background checks by the FBI can add two to three
years.
A joint study released this month analyses
businesses founded or co-founded by immigrants in
the U.S. It found that about half a trillion dollars
in wealth had been generated by such companies over
the past 35 years. These are successful, profitable
businesses that currently employ over 400,000 people
around the world.
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)
is updating the U.S. naturalization exam. The
voluntary program will continue through 2007, and
will become the basis for the new mandatory test in
2008. A substantial hike in the $400 citizenship
application fees is also planned.
There has been a significant loss in value of
the U.S. dollar in the past several months, with
a new 5-month low against the euro this month.
The dollar has lost approximately 10-12% of its
value against most world currencies in the past
two years, most of it this year. The trend is
expected to continue.
A new record of nearly 5,000 deportations was
set earlier this year, for the latest
three-month period for which figures are
available. The budget to fund
deportation-related activities is being doubled,
and a new Crimestoppers telephone line will be
available from January first 2007 for citizens
to report illegal immigration activities.
The "Technology Czar" for the United States
government, Undersecretary of Commerce for
Technology Robert Cresanti, recently said that
there are not enough engineers, IT workers and,
students in these related fields, to fulfil the
needs of technology industries. According to
Cresanti, the IT industry is experienceing
skills shortages in some areas. He urged that
more foreign workers be allowed in, including an
increase in H-1B visas.
Beginning on 23 January 2007, all persons
entering or leaving the United States by air
will be required to show a passport.
Previously, people travelling between Canada
and the U.S., and various other countries in
the immediate Western Hemisphere such as
Jamaica and Bermuda, could enter and leave
the U.S. with other methods of
identification.
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
2006, Nov 23,2006
CNN Oct 16, 2006:The population of the United States
will reach 300 million early Tuesday, the U.S. Census
Bureau says. The United States has become a "supersize,
metro-nation with a fast-growing population, and
supersize appetites for housing, land and resource
consumption," one expert says. The U.S. is now a vastly
different nation from the one where the Baby Boomers
were born.
Improve America Oct 15, 2006
ProgressiveU.org -
San Mateo,CA,USA
... My answer to illegal immigration is
this we offer this to the "guest workers" register with
... to pay back what you owe, and we'll give you
a green card, and in 7 ...
Senate bill on doubling H1B visas may have to wait
Sep 28, 2006
Daily News &
Analysis - Mumbai,India
... permanent residency or "green card"
applications. What made the process very difficult was
the fact that the House version of Immigration
legislation passed ...
US citizenship vs US nationality Sep 27, 2006
Philippine News
Online - Philippines
... In an effort to curb illegal immigration
to the US, several proposals to amend ... at
least one parent were a US citizen or permanent resident
(“green card holder ...
Feds crack down on Pennsylvania
illegal
immigrants
Sep 25, 2006
Pocono Record -
Stroudsburg,PA,USA
... Trimi was one of 115 illegal
immigrants arrested over the past several days in
Pennsylvania and Delaware as part of nationwide
crackdown on those living here ...
More than 200 residents become US citizens Sep 20,
2006
South Bend Tribune
- South Bend,IN,USA
... percent from India, according to the United
States Citizenship and Immigration Services
... He held his green card and a Notice of
Naturalization Oath Ceremony form ...
Immigration reform still on Bush's agenda (August
24, 2006)
 WASHINGTON,
DC - President Bush continues to push for comprehensive
immigration reform. He discussed how the United States
is seen as the land of opportunity and freedom. Miami
has been the first destination for many who had been
oppressed in their homeland or were fleeing poverty.
Bush welcomed the influence of other cultures in the
United States and their contributions, but he also
brought up that border enforcement needs to be addressed
in a reasonable manner.
The president made reference to the Border Patrol agents
and the U.S. Coast guard who are responsible for border
enforcement and commended their efforts. While he
recognizes that the border must be enforced, it must be
done in a way that is rational. Since many immigrants
enter the United States on a temporary basis to take on
jobs that Americans are not taking, Bush suggested the
introduction of a guest worker program. This type of
program would give immigrants a way to achieve their
dreams. Due to the millions of illegal immigrants that
reside in the United States, Bush said it would not be
realistic to grant them amnesty or deport them in
masses. However, Bush said there should be a process
that gives illegal immigrants the opportunity to
eventually become a United States citizen. The process
would include a fine, learning English, proving one has
been a law abiding citizen and then patiently waiting at
the end of the citizenship line.
Possible expansion of
fingerprinting at U.S. port of entries (August 22,
2006)
 WASHINGTON,
DC - The Department of Homeland Security has proposed
having to require United States permanent residents to
get fingerprinted on each occasion that they re-enter
the country. Some Canadian visitors could also be
included. The security checks would take place at port
of entries such as international airports, land borders,
seaports, and would be an expansion of the US-Visit
Program. Under the US-Visit Program most foreign
visitors must have biographic and biometric information
recorded when entering the United States or when
obtaining visas at posts abroad. The U.S. government is
then able to verify the identity of the foreign visitor.
During this process officials are also able to check for
criminal records, terrorist suspects and the validity of
the visa. As of January 2004, 61 million foreign
visitors have had a digital photograph taken along with
being fingerprinted.
The expansion is seen as a safety measure needed to
intercept those using fraudulent or stolen Green Cards.
In addition, it would allow the Department of Homeland
Security to comply with the requirement of having to use
biometrics to verify the validity of travel documents
issued by the government. The expansion will not take
place immediately and there will be a 30 day comment
period before any changes can take place. Critics of the
expansion claim that there are already enough security
measures to obtain United States permanent residency and
that introducing unnecessary measures sends the wrong
message to those trying to become United States
citizens.
U.S. Eases Immigration Rules for Some Cubans
Los Angeles Times
Sat, 12 Aug 2006 0:14 AM PDT
The Bush administration said it would relax immigration
rules for some Cubans, focusing largely on reuniting
families who have relatives in the U.S.
Many states, federal government working on
immigration reform laws
Ridgecrest Daily
Independent - Ridgecrest,CA,USA
The immigration debate isn't limited to
California, as 2006 has seen dozens of states across the
country passing legislation to crack down on illegal
...
Legal residents to be fingerprinted at airports
The News-Review
Sat, 29 Jul 2006 5:15 AM PDT
WASHINGTON (AP) The federal government wants U.S.
residents with green cards, parolees and some Canadians
to l have their fingerprints checked every time they
re-enter the U.S. by air or sea.
Immigration Officials Using New Tactics
CBS 11 -
Dallas/Fort Worth,TX,USA
(CBS 11 News) DALLAS The US Immigration and
Customs Enforcement arm of Homeland Security is going
after employers who hire illegal immigrants, and they're
...
Supremes On Removal
According to a Los Angeles Times news report,
"[Undocumented] immigrants who return to the US after
being deported are "continuous lawbreakers" and are
subject to automatic removal from this country, the
Supreme Court ruled Thursday, even if they have lived
here more than 20 years and have jobs and families."
For the full news story, see here.
Senate approves sweeping immigration reform bill
San Jose Mercury
News, USA - May 26, 2006
WASHINGTON - The Senate's bipartisan
passage Thursday of sweeping changes in the nation's
immigration laws could lead to citizenship for
millions of illegal ...
Senate approves major immigration reform bill
San Jose Mercury
News
Senate, in Bipartisan Act, Passes an Immigration
Bill New York
Times
Senate committee OKs ag
immigration plan (Mar 30, 2006)
Central Valley Business
Times - Stockton,CA,USA
... undocumented agricultural workers to legalize
their immigration status in ... After a “blue
card” holder shows ... they will then be eligible
for a green card. ...
More H1B visas on the cards? (Mar 29, 2006)
-> H1B-Visa
Moneycontrol.com -
Mumbai,India
The US Immigration Bill proposes an increase in H1B
visas from a cap of 65,000 to 115,000 ... The new
quota will not include family members of the Green
Card holder
People power wins hope for US
illegal
immigrants
(Mar 29, 2006)
Sydney Morning Herald
- Sydney,New South Wales,Australia
... A US immigration reform bill that would allow
12 million illegal immigrants to become citizens
eventually and would create a guest worker program for up
to ...
McCain/Kennedy leads to 30 million new
illegal
immigrants
Town Hall - Washington,DC,USA
According to Alabama Senator Jeff Sessions, passing the
McCain/Kennedy immigration plan will result in 30 million
new illegal immigrants entering the US over
11 million illegals? Thank the economy (Mar 29, 2006)
Seattle Post Intelligencer
- USA
... It gave green card status to 3
million illegal immigrants (and eventually their wives
... Europeans can only look at our immigration
"problem" and drool with envy.
Employers of Illegal Workers in a Catch-22 (Mar 06,
2006)
ktla 5 - Los Angeles,CA,USA
... The foreign worker can then apply for a green
card through US Citizenship and Immigration
Services. But workers here illegally must ...
Employment Agencies Targeting Immigrants Often Offer 'False'
Hope (Mar 06, 2006)
New York Sun - New
York,NY,USA
... the agencies - generally run by immigrants -
break wage laws or scam the newcomers ...
job for $1,000." The truth, he said, is that without a
green card they cannot ...
US laws apply to 'bad guys' and
illegal
immigrants
(Mar 02, 2006)
USA Today - USA
... Marisa Treviño is highly critical of the US Border
Patrol and other law enforcement agencies for picking on
illegal Mexican and other immigrants trying
to ...
Senate to start debate on compromise
immigration bill (Feb 28, 2006)
AZ Central.com - AZ,USA
... With immigration now a nationwide issue,
how Congress deals with those questions could ...
six years expired and could not apply for a green
card without applying ...
States Want Action on
Illegal
Immigrants
Los Angeles Times
- CA,USA
... number got through. Nationally there are an estimated
11 million illegal immigrants draining government
resources. "We're absorbing ...
Immigration loophole leads to spread of fake-ID mills
(Feb 20, 2006)
San Diego Union Tribune
- United States
... and airport, hoping to sell phony immigration
papers and ... Security card and resident-alien
card, commonly referred to as a green card,
averages between ...
Wanna do biz in US? Get a EB-5
visa now (Feb 19, 2006)
Economic Times - India
For entrepreneurs, one of the best routes to US is the EB-5
or investor visa. The USCIS has a 10,000 immigrant
visas per year available ...
Hundreds gather in opposition to federal
immigration legislation (Feb 18, 2006)
The Grand Rapids Press
- Grand Rapids,MI,USA
... Advocates of tough immigration measures
say it is time to seal the borders and crack down on undocumented
workers and companies who employ them. ...
Real 'reform' must end illegal
immigration
(Feb 17, 2006)
Jackson Clarion Ledger
- Jackson,MS,USA
By Rodney Hunt. Why do 75 percent of Americans want illegal
immigration stopped? ... Illegal immigration
places a great burden on our working citizens. ...
 Ending
of protected status to hit Central Americans
(Feb 08, 2006)
WASHINGTON, DC - As the U.S.
Senate gears up to deal with immigration reform, hundreds
of thousands of immigrants from El Salvador, Honduras and
Nicaragua are facing a deadline...
 Border
police on alert for illegal immigrants (Feb 06,
2006)
DETROIT, MI - Robert Johnson
was down on his luck and short on cash last month when a
man named Hunt offered him $800 to smuggle two Chinese immigrants
in the trunk of his car
December 05, 2005:
Registration Green Card
Program 2006 DV-2008 started
November 24, 2005
:
HAPPY THANKSGIVING
30 Mio eCard
US embassy alert for
visa waiver nations
Gulf Times - Doha,Qatar
02 November 2005
ALL travellers, to the US from any of the 27 Visa
Waiver Programme (VWP) countries, with passports issued
on or after October 26 this year must have a machine
...
US Senate to Take Up Immigration Reform Issues in November
Voice of America
- USA Washington DC
26 October 2005
... to work for 6 years and then be eligible for
a green card and get ... which represents
more than 10,000 border patrol agents wants all illegal
immigration halted. ...
When immigrants overstay visas, US does little
The US Department of Homeland Security frequently fails
to follow up on leads that foreign visitors have overstayed
their visas, the agency's inspector general says in a new
report.
Bush Says U.S. Will Tighten Borders, Fight Illegal Immigration
Oct. 22 , 2005 (Bloomberg) --
President George W. Bush said the U.S. will boost efforts
to catch and expel people entering the country illegally,
and said he will work with Congress to create a program
that gives immigrants legal access to jobs.
Report Details Growth in Illegal Migration
Source: WASHINGTON POST
WASHINGTON, DC - More immigrants came to the United
States illegally from 2000 through 2004 than the number
who were granted legal status in those years, according
to a study released yesterday that attributed much of the
historic shift to visa slowdowns since 2001 and to the nation's
strong job market before that. The study by the Pew Hispanic
Center said that immigration to the United States -- legal
and illegal, from all regions of the world -- totaled about
1.1 million each year during the 1990s, peaked in 2000 at
1.5 million and declined substantially since 2001 to earlier
levels. The number of new arrivals increased in 2004, the
study said, though it is too early to say that the rise
will last.
New Faces
of Amerika /
More than 2000 new Americans neutralized
October 10, 2005
Test your Knowledge
with
Civics Flash Cards
Fourteen arrested on
green
card violations
Brownsville Herald
- TX United States
October 5, 2005 -- Federal agents on Wednesday arrested
14 green card holders who ... Agents
with US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)
arrested the 14 ...
Green
card marriage business alleged
St. Petersburg Times
- St. Petersburg,FL,USA Oct 05, 2005
... paying thousands of dollars to marry US citizens
to obtain green cards, which ... said Evan
M. Grose, supervisory special agent with US Immigration
and Customs ...
Green-card
quota seen as undercutting security
World Peace Herald
- Washington,DC,USA Oct 04, 2005
... She said all applications are put through law-enforcement
checks, and those checks must be completed before a green
card or other immigration benefit is granted
...
No more Business-sponsored Visas!
U.S. imposes limits on business-sponsored visas (Sep 17,
2005, Herald)
As of this week, it's almost impossible
for skilled workers from certain countries to get an immigrant
visa. To understand an extraordinary shift this week in
the awarding of visas for business-sponsored immigrants,
imagine you're a talented engineer from India ready to move
to South Florida where a job is waiting.If you applied for
the visa last year, you'll likely get your travel papers
soon. But if you are applying now, you may have to wait
at least four to six years -- if not longer -- to get your
visa.
California Advances Bill to issue Driver's Licenses to Illegal
Immigrants (Sep 19, 2005)
SACRAMENTO, CA - After a late-night debate on the politically
sensitive issue of immigration, the California Assembly
on Wednesday passed a bill to extend driver's licenses to
illegal immigrants. The measure would clear the way for
California to create a distinct driver's license, with a
unique design and color, for people who cannot prove legal
citizenship in the United States. The license could be used
only for driving and would not be valid identification for
other purposes such as opening a bank account or boarding
an airplane. The bill, SB 60 by Sen. Gil Cedillo (D-Los
Angeles), would also allow roughly 800,000 people in California
who have applied to federal immigration officials for legal
residency to get a California driver's license starting
as soon as March 2006. The bill passed 42 to 34.
Cedillo's bill passed the Senate in June on a 22-16 partisan
split. Now the Senate is expected to approve recent amendments
and send it to the governor, who is under pressure from
Republicans to veto the measure. Cedillo said he included
several elements in the bill aimed at overcoming objections
from Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who last year vetoed a
Cedillo driver's license bill. But before the state Assembly
took up the new bill Wednesday, there were no indications
that the changes would satisfy the governor. The governor's
office has consistently said Schwarzenegger does not want
to take any action until the federal government finishes
deciding its requirements for state licenses - changes spawned
by concern that terrorists or other criminals could get
such documents. Congress gave states the option to create
distinct driver's licenses for illegal immigrants under
the Real ID Act passed in May. That sweeping law will require
most states to change the information they include on driver's
licenses, the documents they require to issue a license
and how they store driver's license data.
Source: LA TIMES
more
August
12, 2004
Foreign Visitor Overstays No Longer Criminal
The U.S. government will stop treating foreign visitors
harshly simply because of visa overstays from previous trips.
Foreigners who are permitted to enter the U.S. on a visa
waiver won't be handcuffed, searched or denied entry due
to an overstay of a few days on a previous visit. Previously,
such visitors were treated as criminals.
|
|
Program allows immigration
status checks
(Business News Saturday, September 10,
2005)LOS ANGELES -- Many Americans focus on the
border when they consider the fight against illegal
immigration. But some experts say the real battle
should be in the workplace to stop the hiring of
people without work visas.
Simple enough in theory, but how can you tell who's
an illegal immigrant?
Many companies now do little more than eyeball documents,
saying they lack the expertise and resources to
go any further -- and they seldom face federal sanctions.
But across the country, a small group of businesses
is quietly testing a Department of Homeland Security
program that can check immigration status with a
few clicks on the Internet.
more...
|
 Despite
Illegal Status, Buyers Get Home Loans
Mortgage lenders are designing programs aimed at
undocumented immigrants. Real estate agents also see
a huge untapped market.
LOS ANGELES - Each week, Pedro Morlet knocks on
doors in the Bay Area, looking for illegal immigrants.
Morlet isn't an immigration agent. He's a real estate
agent, and he's scouting for business. "Do you want
a house, work and pay taxes but don't have a Social
Security number?" reads his flier, written in Spanish
and tailored to his potential customers. "We can help
you LEGALLY!" Across the country, particularly
in Texas and parts of the Midwest, hundreds of illegal
immigrants have bought homes using special lending programs
that bypass the need for a Social Security number. Now,
with backing from some of the country's largest financial
institutions, this newest effort to tap customers for
the real estate market is moving to the nation's largest
concentration of illegal immigrants - California.
Source: LA TIMES
[full article]
U.S. to Begin Issuing Electronic
Passports
 WASHINGTON
- The United States will begin issuing electronic passports
in December to help tighten border and identity security,
the State Department said recently. A computer chip
will be embedded in passport covers and will hold the
same information that is written on the inside: name,
date of birth, gender, place of birth, dates of passport
issuance and expiration, passport number and a photo.
The chip will also have a unique digital signature designed
to protect the data from tampering. The chips will have
technology to prevent unauthorized reading, or "skimming,"
of the data.
Diversity Immigrant Visa Program - Green Card
Lottery
2005 Green Card Lottery (DV-2007)
Registration is already open
Every year the US government issues 50,000
permanent Green Cards through the Diversity Immigrant
Visa Program; the Green Card Lottery. Applicants are
selected randomly by a computer generated drawing. If
you are selected, you and your family will be authorized
to live and work permanently in the United States.
Changes Made To Green Card System
In Colorado
Rocky Mountain News, June 1.
Thousands of immigrants in Colorado who have either lost
or need to renew their permanent residency cards must now
mail their applications and fees totaling $255 to Southern
California. That means authorized immigrants in the state
will no longer be able to submit their forms to the U.S.
Citizenship and Immigration Services at its Denver district
office in Montbello or send their applications to the Nebraska
Service Center. The new policy took effect Tuesday. 'It's
the only way to do this, and it's by mail,' said Sharon
Rummery, spokeswoman for Citizenship and Immigration Services.
Citizenship and Immigration Services, which is under the
Department of Homeland Security, also announced that immigrants
must submit their I-90 applications for permanent resident
cards, known as 'green cards,' to the Los Angeles Lockbox,
a new processing facility that the agency hopes will speed
up the collection of applications and petitions.
[Read
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Florida Employers Support Increasing
Work Permits For Illegal Immigrants
South Florida Sun-Sentinel, June
1. Finding themselves short of qualified staff, Florida
growers, gardeners and builders said they would welcome
efforts to boost the labor market with workers from overseas
as proposed in an ambitious immigration bill unveiled last
month. The bipartisan bill, introduced May 12 by Republican
Sen. John McCain of Arizona and Democrat Sen. Edward Kennedy
of Massachusetts, would open the way for millions of undocumented
immigrants living in the United States on or before that
date to pay $2,000 in fees and obtain work permits. Another
clause would allow an additional 400,000 nonagricultural
and low-skill workers to come from abroad. All would have
the option to apply for permanent residency after six years.
[Read
More?]
Federal ID Act May Be Flawed
Los Angeles Times, May 31. A
federal law designed to make it harder to assume someone
else's identity may instead have the opposite effect, critics
of the measure say. The Real ID Act, attached to a crucial
bill for military spending and tsunami relief that was signed
by President Bush on May 11, sets new rules for issuing
driver's licenses and requires states to share electronic
access to their records. The standards are intended to weed
out impostors applying for licenses, in part by requiring
state employees to check on the validity of birth certificates
and other supporting documents. After states adopt the necessary
changes, anyone applying for or renewing a license will
get one reflecting the new standards.
[Read
More?]
Venezuela Warns US Over Judge’s Cancelled
Visa
Venezuela may stop allowing visits
by American officials after US immigration authorities cancelled
the tourist visa of the Venezuelan Supreme Court president,
the country’s vice president said.Vice President Jose Vicente
Rangel’s office issued the warning on Monday in a statement
criticising the withdrawal this month of a US visa granted
to Venezuela’s top magistrate, Omar Mora.
[Read
More?]
TV, Radio Give Legal Advice to Immigrants
Los Angeles Times, May 31. When
Juan Antonio Sigala was arrested in Puerto Rico by U.S.
immigration agents in 1998 and faced deportation, he knew
whom to call for help: South Pasadena attorney Enrique Arevalo.
Sigala, who had gone to San Juan for an AIDS conference,
knew of Arevalo from listening to the lawyer's Spanish-language
radio show in Los Angeles that focuses on immigration law.
'I didn't have much faith in lawyers,' said Sigala, 37,
a Mexican immigrant who was working for an HIV-prevention
organization at the time. 'But after listening to his show,
I thought I should try.'
[Read
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New Mayor Talks His Way Across Los
Angeles's Divides
New York Times, May 30. When
Antonio Villaraigosa was a teenager, an acquaintance hung
the nickname Tony Rapp on him because he never seemed to
shut up. A bright but irrepressible boy who was thrown out
of one high school and dropped out of another, Antonio had
ambitions to match his mouth, telling one disbelieving teacher
that he planned to be a lawyer, even as the school shuffled
him off to an upholstery class. The lawyer thing did not
work out - he failed the bar exam four times - but in four
weeks Mr. Villaraigosa will be sworn in as mayor of Los
Angeles.
[Read
More?]
Employers of Illegal Immigrants Face
Little Risk of Penalty
Los Angeles Times, May 29, 2005.
Nearly every day, immigrants newly arrived from Mexico pick
up job applications at Car Wash on Sunset. Owner George
Garcia insists that they provide proof, such as Social Security
or green cards, that they are authorized to work. What he
does not do is pick up the phone to see if the documents
are phony. 'I run a business,' he said. 'Why is it my job
to kick people out? It is not my responsibility to figure
out who is legal and who is not legal. It's their job to
stop them at the border.'
[Read
More?]
Scholarship May Lead To Citizenship
Eugene Register-Guard, May 28.
Machiko Shirai is almost home. The Japanese tai chi instructor
who came to Eugene to go to school and fell in love with
Oregon has been granted a waiver that will allow her to
apply for permanent residency in this country.
[Read
More?]
Groups Support Kennedy McCain Reform
Bill
Orlando Sentinel, May 28. A coalition
of community groups, trade representatives and immigrant
advocates joined Orlando Bishop Thomas Wenski on Friday
in calling for immigration reform -- lending support to
a bipartisan bill in Congress that would create a broad
visa program and open the door for the legalization of millions
of undocumented immigrants. The coalition -- brought together
by the Association of Communities for Reform Now, or ACORN,
an advocacy group for the rights of low-income people --
also called on Central Florida's congressional delegation
to back a bill that they think would improve the local economy
and working conditions.
[Read
More?]
Biotech Visa Controversy Ends, But
Suspicions Remain
FoodNavigator, May 27. Egziabher,
the director general of the Environmental Protection Authority
of Ethiopia, was finally granted a visa after intense international
pressure forced Canadian authorities to capitulate, but
the experience has left a bitter taste. “In the exchange
of information following my appeal for pressure to be applied
on Canada, I came to realize that many others have also
had their visas delayed or totally denied,” he said. “They
are all from developing countries.”
[Read
More?]
Gonzales, GOP Court Hispanics
Chicago Tribune, May 27. It's
no secret that Alberto Gonzales' appointment as attorney
general was a watershed moment for American Hispanics--and
for a yearslong effort to woo more Latino voters to the
Republican Party. Though the political strategy is long-term,
Gonzales has moved swiftly and energetically, more like
a political candidate in a campaign than a Cabinet member,
to reach out to kindred ethnic audiences and showcase his
status as the first Latino U.S. attorney general.
[Read
More?]
U.S. and Europe Turn Hopeful On Biometric-Passport
Accord
Wall Street Journal, May 25.
U.S. and European Union security officials said they are
getting closer to a deal to allow European citizens to continue
visiting the U.S. without visas beyond this fall, despite
the failure of many European countries to meet a U.S. deadline
for implementing new high-tech passports. The U.S. and Europe
have been in a diplomatic standoff over a U.S. law that
says citizens of countries that lack biometric passports
can no longer enjoy a waiver from U.S. visa rules after
October.
[Read
More?]
Amnesty Brings 600,000 In Spain From
Black Economy
Expatica News, May 24. Spain's
Socialist government said its immigrant amnesty would 'legalise'
about 600,000 foreigners and bring to the surface a large
portion of the underground economy. The secretary-general
for employment, Valeriano Gomez, was commenting on the three-month
process, completed in early May, for applying for residence
and work documents. Slightly more than 690,000 people, mostly
Latin Americans and North Africans, applied for legal status.
Those who can demonstrate they were in Spain for six straight
months last year and have an employment contract for another
six months will be allowed to stay.
[Read
More?]
New Rules Have Clever Aussies Eyeing
US
Sydney Morning Herald, May 22.
Training designer Kevin Wong can picture himself working
in America's famous high-tech Silicon Valley. Mr Wong, 23,
is one of many of Australia's best and brightest workers
who are likely to move to the US after the introduction
of 10,500 unrestricted US visas. Headhunters from major
American companies are also expected to seek out Australia's
top university students, poaching them as soon as they finish
their studies. While Mr Wong is happy in his job at Hills
Industries, he sees the boost in availability of US work
visas to Australians as 'amazing' and an exciting opportunity.
[Read
More?]
Hoping To Win The Green Card Lottery
Westchester Journal News, May
2. Sana Mulji Dutt wants to become an American citizen,
but first, the Pakistani-born Canadian needs a green card.
Dutt, 31, wants to be able to work, but the terms of her
admittance to the United States do not allow her to be employed.
She and her husband, Arijit Dutt, 36, who live in Haverstraw,
are exploring the avenues that may lead them to a coveted
green card, the colloquial term for the Alien Registration
Receipt Card, or permanent resident's card. Getting a green
card is the first step in becoming a citizen.
[Read
More?]
New Dimensions -- African Immigrants
In The US
pww.org, May 21. The election
of Barack Obama to the U.S. Senate brought national attention
to the growing presence and influence of African immigrants
in the United States. The son of a Kenyan immigrant, Obama
is only the third African American senator since Reconstruction.
The growing African presence is also manifested in the mushrooming
of African churches, mosques, fashion boutiques, hair-braiding
salons, and in emerging hip-hop icons like AKON and Shaka
Zulu. Contrasted with the majority of African Americans,
descendents of enslaved Africans brought to the U.S. centuries
ago, voluntary African immigrants are a relatively new phenomenon.
[Read
More?]
US-VISIT Shows 'Unprecedented Results'
Washington Times, May 20. A program
that collects biometric and biographic information from
visa applicants and visitors to the United States has achieved
'unprecedented results' in identifying criminals and other
potential security threats seeking to enter America, Department
of Homeland Security officials said yesterday. 'In the past,
criminals and others who were the subject of lookouts needed
only a new name to slip across our borders,' said Homeland
Security Assistant Secretary Michael J. Garcia. But the
US-VISIT program can 'reveal the true identity underneath
any alias' using fingerprints and other data.
[Read
More?]
Seasonal Workers Can Turn In Visa
Paperwork Next Week
Associated Press, May 20. Under
pressure from Congress to quickly expand the number of foreign
workers allowed in the United States, federal immigration
officials will begin accepting visa applications for returning
seasonal workers on Wednesday. Some approvals could take
up to 90 days, creating problems for parts of the summer
tourism industry. To avoid the delay, business owners —
from Cape Cod restaurateurs to Maryland crabbers — said
they will probably pay a $1,000 fee per worker for expedited
reviews, so they can get approvals in about two weeks.
[Read
More?]
As Ethiopians Prosper, A Safety Net
Is Displaced
Washington Post, May 19. Hermela
Kebede is consumed by worry. It pinches her forehead and
tugs at her throat, making her voice sound tight. She sits
in a small, airless office under a poster that shows a smiling
girl with cocoa skin. 'Ethiopia,' it says. 'Thirteen months
of sunshine.' More than 30 years ago, Kebede left Ethiopia
to study business administration in the United States. Now,
at 56, she is the leader of the Ethiopian Community Center,
which she said is the country's oldest organization of its
kind. It offers English classes and more elementary help
to the nation's largest Ethiopian community.
[Read
More?]
Canada Denies Visa For African Biosafety
Expert
AllAfrica.com, May 19. Africa's
chief negotiator for the Cartegena Protocol on Biosafety
has been denied entry into Canada to attend meetings to
finalise key provisions regarding the international movement
of genetically engineered organisms. Tewolde Berhan Gebre
Egziabher, the Ethiopian government's chief scientist, had
his passport returned without the requested Canadian visa
Wednesday despite previous visits to Canada. Tewolde is
trying to attend talks starting May 30 in the Canadian city
of Montreal.
[Read
More?]
McCain/Kennedy Reform Bill Draws Mixed
Response
Green Valley News, May 18. Last
Friday, some Republican and Democratic congressional members
introduced a comprehensive plan to help solve problems of
illegal immigrants on the Southwest border. Among other
things it calls for a guest worker program and would permit
foreign workers here illegally to apply for a visa to permit
them to stay in the United States and perhaps gain citizenship
after 11 years. It would also double the fines for U.S.
employers who knowingly hire illegal immigrants. Editor’s
Note: The full text of this bill is available in our downloads
page.
[Read
More?]
U.S. Warns Fijians Of Visa Scam
ABC, May 18. The United States
embassy in Fiji has issued a statement warning the public
of an e-mail and website scam aimed at people wanting to
win "Green Cards" which allow them to live and work in the
US. The embassy says it's become aware many people in Fiji
have received e-mails and phone calls from deceptively named
"Green Card Offices" informing them they have won the US
Green Card lottery. The winners are then asked to send money
for the processing of the visa. The embassy says the US
Government has no association with these organisations,
and it doesn't deal with third parties on visa issues. The
embassy says no processing fee is collected under the US
Diversity Visa Lottery Program until the applicant appears
in person for an interview.
[Read
More?]
Visa Law Change Buoys Firms
Chicago Tribune, May 17. Jeff
Korhan applied for 15 visas for his foreign workers this
year, but got none. Unfortunately for the Plainfield landscaping
company owner, the government-mandated cap on visas was
reached early. But like other seasonal employers, Korhan
is hopeful that a recent change by Congress regarding the
visa program will enable him to bring over the seasonal
workers he said he can't find in the U.S. The program is
called the H-2B visa program and it allows employers to
apply to bring over temporary foreign workers to fill non-agricultural
jobs they say they can't fill with Americans.
[Read
More?]
H-1B Admission Rose 2.3% In 2004
InformationWeek, May 16. The
number of foreign nationals entering the United States last
year on H-1B visas totaled 386,821, an increase of 26,325,
or 2.3%, from 2003, the Department of Homeland Security
reported Monday. About 65,000 foreign workers are first-time
H-1B visa holders. In a report on temporary admissions of
nonimmigrants to the United States, Homeland Security's
Office of Information Statistics didn't break down how many
of those visa holders work in IT, but in recent years, the
government has issued more than one-third of the H-1B visas
to those with computer-related skills. Editor’s Note: The
full text of this report is available in our downloads page.
[Read
More?]
Higher Rent, Immigration Laws Push
Away Hopeful Tenants
Daily Herald (American Fork,
UT), May 15. Housing officials are close to filling the
13-unit complex for farm workers at Spring Lake, but not
with any farm workers. When the new Spring Lake complex
opened to renters in September last year, officials from
the Housing Authority of Utah County and Rural Housing Development
Corporation hoped farm workers and their families would
rush to live in the affordable housing. But Brad Bishop,
executive director of the Rural Housing Development Corporation
in Provo, says if just one farm family moves into the complex
of two- to four-bedroom units, more will follow.
[Read
More?]
Most Green Card Requests Come From
Intel
MSNBC, May 15. Over the past
five years, companies based or active in Greater Sacramento
applied for more than 2,000 permanent worker certifications
for foreign-born employees -- known as 'green cards' --
and about 75 percent of them have been granted, according
to federal applications data obtained by the Business Journal.
Nearly three-fourths of all the applications came from a
single company, but some major employers didn't show up
at all. It's unclear whether that's because they filed their
applications from other sites, had other companies handle
their applications, or simply didn't seek green cards. The
application data covered companies that listed an address
in Sacramento, Davis, Folsom or Roseville, and a period
from Oct. 1, 1999 to Sept. 30, 2004.
[Read
More?]
Slow Immigration Rate May Cost Michigan
Cash
Detroit News, May 13. The pace
of immigration to Michigan and the rest of the United States
has slowed since 2001 as potential emigrants were confronted
by tougher security restrictions, longer delays and a sagging
national economy, according to government estimates. While
that slowdown touched nearly every corner of the country,
it poses particular obstacles for Michigan, which increasingly
relies on immigrants to maintain its already anemic population
growth -- and the federal spending and political muscle
that come with it -- and to replace well-educated workers
who have been leaving the state in droves.
[Read
More?]
Visa rules Confuse Medical Professionals
Amednews.com, May 2. The next
batch of medical residents are set to be on the job July
1, and if they are coming from another country, they'll
need a visa before then. But there's a good deal of confusion
regarding the additional 20,000 H-1B visas for fiscal year
2005 that were supposed to be released March 8. At press
time, the government had not issued the visas, and the criteria
for who will qualify for them was still unclear, immigration
lawyers said. The confusion is affecting about 300 to 400
of the roughly 9,000 IMGs who need visas annually.
[Read
More?]
Asylum-Seeker to Get Settlement
Los Angeles Times, April 29.
The U.S. government has agreed to pay $87,500 to a Kenyan
woman who was initially spurned when she pleaded with authorities
not to send her back to her homeland — a case that could
spur other asylum-seekers to sue federal authorities for
alleged mistreatment, legal experts said. Immigration officials
spurned Rosebell Munyua, 36, when she arrived at San Francisco
International Airport in March 2001 and forced her to return
to Kenya with her then 2-year-old daughter. Munyua was admitted
six months later on a tourist visa in Houston. She was granted
political asylum in September 2002 and later sued the U.S.
government, contending negligence, misconduct and discrimination
by government border agents.
[Read
More?]
Muslim Scholar Urges Halt to Extreme
Punishments
Inter Press Service, April 29.
A Muslim scholar, Tariq Ramadan, who was issued and then
denied a visa to teach in the United States because of alleged
ties to terrorists has called for an immediate moratorium
on corporal and capital punishment and dialogue aimed at
creating less repressive Muslim societies. Other scholars
of Islam gave the idea a mixed welcome.
[Read
More?]
Stricter Immigration Rules Have White
House Support
Houston Chronicle, April 28.
A bill that would enact hotly contested immigration rules,
including one that would bar illegal immigrants from getting
driver's licenses, is marching toward approval with the
backing of the White House. The provisions are attached
to an emergency spending bill that would provide $81 billion
for military efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan. A bipartisan
House-Senate conference committee is expected to agree on
a compromise version of the bill today; each chamber is
slated to vote on the measure within the next two weeks
and then send it to President Bush for his signature. The
immigration provisions, which were introduced as the Real
ID Act in January, include new identification requirements
for people seeking driver's licenses, toughened standards
for immigrants seeking asylum in the United States, and
money to complete a three-mile stretch of border fencing
near San Diego. The House version contains the immigration
provisions but the Senate's version does not. Lawmakers
from both parties, as well as civil liberties groups and
immigration advocates, decry the addition of the provisions
to the must-pass supplemental bill. Supporters of the provisions
know that it would be politically unwise to vote against
a bill that sends money to American soldiers.
[Read
More?]
Bill Gates Criticizes Visa Restrictions
Washington Post, April 28. Microsoft
Corp. Chairman Bill Gates said yesterday the software giant
is having enormous difficulty filling computer jobs in the
United States as a result of tight visa restrictions on
foreign workers and a declining interest among U.S. students
in computer science. Speaking on a technology panel at the
Library of Congress, Gates said a decline in the number
of U.S. students pursuing careers in science and technology
is hurting Microsoft in the short run, and could have serious
long-term consequences for the U.S. economy if the problem
is not addressed. 'We are very concerned that the U.S. will
lose its competitive position. For Microsoft, it means we
are having a tougher time hiring,' Gates said. 'The jobs
are there, and they are good-paying jobs, but we don't have
the same pipeline.'
[Read
More?]
U.S. To Alter Design Of Electronic
Passports
New York Times, April 27. Responding
to fears raised by privacy advocates that new electronic
passports might be vulnerable to high-tech snooping, the
State Department intends to modify the design so that an
embedded radio chip holding a digitized photograph and biographical
information is more secure.
[Read
More?]
Microsoft Wants End to Limits on Overseas
Hiring
Associated Press, April 27. Microsoft
Chairman Bill Gates urged the Bush administration and lawmakers
Wednesday to abolish immigration limits on foreign engineers
who can be hired by U.S. companies, a sensitive subject
among American technology workers watching their own jobs
increasingly move overseas.
[Read
More?]
| 
Your Ticket
to America! US Immigration News Update
June 30, 2008
