The Visa Bulletin is a monthly publication put out by the Bureau of Consular Affairs, that is a part of the United States Department of State. The main purpose of this bulletin is to provide an updated waiting list (also known as Priority Date) for immigrants that are subject to the quota system. Immigrants to the United States are essentially classified under two categories: 1. those that need a waiting list, such as those seeking admission…
Read MorePosted onThe Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is a cabinet department of the United States government first proposed by the U.S. Commission on National Security in January of 2001 and expedited in response to the September 11th attacks. DHS is charged with the primary responsibilities of protecting the United States and its territories. On March 1, 2003, DHS absorbed the Immigration and Naturalization Service (Formerly "INS") and assumed its duties. In doing so, it divided the enforcement…
Read MorePosted onDejando a un lado los prejuicios polÍticos contra la reforma de la inmigración, y no obstante la retención temporal por motivos polÍticos en acciones ejecutivas Inmigración del presidente Obama, los beneficios económicos de la acción diferida (DACA y DAPA) son imposibles de ignorar. Mientras implicaciones económicas están en el centro de las controversias, economistas e investigadores de polÍticas públicas han sido capaces de hacer un caso fuerte para el impacto positivo a largo plazo previsto de…
Read MorePosted onSetting aside political biases against immigration reform and notwithstanding the politically-motivated temporary hold on President Obama's Immigration Executive Actions, the economic benefits of deferred action (DACA and DAPA) are impossible to ignore. While economic implications are at the center of the controversies, economists and public policy researchers have been able to make a strong case for the predicted long-term positive impact of both comprehensive immigration reform and the President's executive actions. According to a thorough analysis…
Read MorePosted onAmid the flurry and hype over the regular quota for H-1B petitions, it is important to note that there are certain circumstances in which H-1B petitions are not subject to the annual statutory quota or cap. "Cap-exempt" means that there is no annual numerical limit, no set filing dates, and no set employment start dates. The cap exempt provision of the H-1B visa program allows certain United States companies and organizations to employ an unlimited number…
Read MorePosted onI would like to inform clients interested in obtaining an H-1B visa that USCIS (United States Citizenship and Immigration Services) will begin accepting new H-1B quota-based applications starting on April 1, 2015. The earliest start work date will be October 1, 2015. USCIS experts are predicting that they will receive more petitions than the H-1B cap during the first few business days of April, suggesting that a lottery is likely. The H-1B visa is a non-immigrant…
Read MorePosted onMany of our current and prospective immigration clients, eligible for the extended DACA and new DAPA programs, have been asking about the status of President Obama's Immigration Executive Order. These new programs to which I am referring are among a series of immigration executive actions initiated by Obama on November 20, 2014 which would essentially spare from deportation as many as 5 million people living in the United States illegally and allow them to obtain employment…
Read MorePosted onLast year Microsoft chose as its third Chief Executive Officer (CEO), an immigrant, Satya Nadella, who grew up in Mangalore in India. Before being named, he worked for Microsoft for 22 years after being previously employed by Sun Microsystem. He originally came to the United States to study engineering at Wisconsin University in Madison. He is hardly the first immigrant to lead a major technology company. Andrew Grove, the former head of Intel Corporation, emigrated to…
Read MorePosted onIt did not take long after President Obama made his announcement in November rolling out his executive order concerning before his political opponents began to threaten to stop it. A few wanted to shut down the government. Others wanted to add conditions to a needed budget deal that would invalidate the President’s order. Eventually the budget did pass but it only funded the department charged with overseeing the immigration order for two months instead of a…
Read MorePosted onOver the last few years approximately ten states have begun to issue driver’s licenses to undocumented immigrants residing in those states. Having a driver’s license provides the ability and security for these new licensees to travel to work and maintain their employment so they can provide adequately for their families. But in at least one state, this capacity to drive legally may soon be undermined. Since it started issuing driver’s licenses in August of last year,…
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