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Change in Congress brings new hope for Immigration Reform
 WASHINGTON, DC
- The results of the past November elections brought about a renewed sense of
hope for many immigrants. The majority in Congress has shifted from the
Republicans to the Democrats. Many Democratic congress members along with their
Republican supporters will be pushing for the passage of a new immigration bill.
During the last session, the Senate and House of Representatives presented
immigration bills that widely differed. A compromise was not reached and no
immigration bill was signed into law. Among some of the requirements for
citizenship in the old Senate immigration bill was to classify
illegal
immigrants into three distinctive categories: (1) those living in the United
States for more than five years, (2) those living for more than two years but
less than five, and (3) those living less than two years in the United States.
Another requirement was to have immigrants leave the U.S. temporarily. With the
new session, the Senate will introduce an improved immigration bill and are
hoping to gain approval by April or May. The House of Representatives will also
introduce another bill later in the year. President Bush who has advocated a
temporary guest worker program would like to sign an immigration bill into law
this year. |
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U.S. Tech Companies would benefit from increased visas
 SAN JOSE, CA
- During 2004 and 2005, approximately 200,000 H-1B visas were granted annually
to American companies. As immigration laws have become stricter, the number of
H-1B visas granted has been tightened as well. Currently about 60,000 H-1B visas
are made available annually and the effect has been felt by many American
high-tech companies. A limited number of H-1B visas are offered after the quota
has been met, but these are available for specific purposes such as advanced
degrees like Ph.D’s. Certain professionals are in shortage in the United States
such as engineers and computer programmers. Even after hiring American college
graduates, the high-tech companies find themselves facing a shortage of
qualified individuals. They argue that educated immigrants bring
entrepreneurship and innovation. American companies refer to recent studies that
show significant contributions made on behalf of immigrants and are lobbying
Congress to increase the number of H-1B visas granted annually. Due to the
number of limited visas, many educated immigrants are finding the competitors
more attractive. Some European countries are taking steps to maintain educated
foreigners in their country after attaining their degree. |
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Senator Hillary Clinton calling for studies on proposed Passport Card
 NEW YORK, NY
- Currently United States immigration officers accept a variety of identification
documents. Among some of the problems with the current documents are
counterfeits and documents that do not reflect an individual’s status in the
country. To simplify the border-crossing process and integrate new security
measures, the government has made it a requirement for both Canadian and United
States citizens to present a passport or similar document when crossing the
border. This requirement will not become effective until June 2009
(tentatively). However, in terms of air travel into the United States the
passport requirement will become effective January 23, 2007. The Department of
Homeland Security and Department of State in a joint effort have proposed a new
identification called the Pass card. The People Access Security Service card
would be an alternative to the passport and be available to Canadians, Mexicans
and U. S. citizens who cross the border frequently. The cost of the card is
proposed to be $35 for children and $45 for adults. Senator Clinton has
expressed her concern to the Department of State about a cost-benefit analysis
of the card not being performed as the project moves on. She believes there are
issues with the card such as privacy, data security, and the effect on tourism
and border communities that need to be looked into. |
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DV-2008 (2006 Green Card Lottery) Statistics
 LEXINGTON, KY
- Millions of foreigners apply annually for the opportunity to win one of the
highly coveted visas in the United States Diversity Visa Lottery or
Green Card
Lottery. The number of permanent resident visas awarded through the lottery is
50,000. The United States has a two month filing period in which the applicant
must register electronically. The Department of State has taken extra measures
to filter out fraudulent and duplicate entries. The lottery is only open to
individuals who meet specific requirements and come from countries who have low
immigration rates to the United States. Last year more than six million
individuals from around the world applied for the 2008 Visa Lottery. When
dependents of the applicants are taken into account, the number rises to over 10
million entries. Nearly 80% of the entries came from Africa (41%) and Asia
(38%). Europe followed with 19% and the remaining came from the Caribbean, South
America and Central America. The top three countries with the highest number of applicants were Bangladesh,
Nigeria and Ukraine. The Kentucky Consular Center is the only organization
authorized to notify the visa lottery winners. Winners will be notified by mail
sometime during April and July 2007 and will be given additional information at
that time. |
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Immigration Sweeps Continue Throughout the Country
 DENVER, CO
- Carefully executed immigration raids took place throughout the United States
last month. The result was an apprehension of nearly 1,300
illegal immigrants
who had used counterfeit documents to obtain work at six Swift & Co. meatpacking
plants. The Immigration and Customs Enforcement or ICE agency had requested
records from the company and carried on a 10 month investigation before acting.
ICE officials arrived early at the meatpacking plants for “Operation Wagon
Train.” The immigrants apprehended in Utah, Iowa, Texas, Colorado, Minnesota and
Nebraska were presented with immigration charges and some with criminal charges
that included identity theft. The detainees were from a wide range of countries
including Guatemala, El Salvador, Laos, Ethiopia, Mexico, Honduras and Peru. The detainees were loaded onto buses and taken to undisclosed locations.
Family, friends, immigration lawyers and human rights activists shared stories
that ranged from being denied access to the detainees to not knowing their
whereabouts. They fear that many were pressured to sign
deportation documents
because immigrants many times are not aware of their rights. Some have the right
to challenge their deportation in front of an immigration judge. Unannounced
immigration raids continue to cause fear in many Hispanic communities. |
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USCIS to Test New Citizenship Exam
 BOSTON, MA
-The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will be introducing its
pilot test early this year. Emilio Gonzalez, the USCIS director, has released
the new study guide. The pilot test will be administered to approximately 5,000
volunteers in 10 U.S. cities. The cities selected were Boston, Massachusetts;
Charleston, South Carolina; El Paso, Texas; Miami, Florida; Tucson, Arizona;
Albany, New York; Denver, Colorado; Kansas City, Missouri; Yakima, Washington
and San Antonio, Texas. The pilot test was developed with the assistance of
English as a Second Language specialists, test development companies and U.S.
history and government scholars. Others such as citizenship instructors and
immigrant advocates were able to give feedback. The new questions concentrate on
certain democratic concepts, rights and responsibilities rather than
memorization of facts and numbers. The law requires future U.S. citizens to
demonstrate a satisfactory level of understanding and knowledge about democratic
concepts upon which our nation was built on and its history. Any needed changes
will be made to the pilot test, and the new exam will be administered nationwide
starting spring 2008. The updated
US
Citizenship Test Study Guide is now available for download. |
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