Visas
Visa Bulletin “Do-Over” Undercuts Visa Modernization
Earlier this month, the immigration agencies took a positive step forward in implementing the executive action promise to reform the visa system when they issued the October Visa Bulletin, informing the public about who would be eligible to apply for lawful permanent resident status in October. But now the… Read More
Bipartisan Policy Center Report Makes a Case for the EB-5 Program
In a new report, the Bipartisan Policy Center weighed in on the current discussion surrounding the immigrant investor program, known as EB-5, making a case for why the program has provided positive benefits and could continue to do so in the future. The report, EB-5 Program: Successes, Challenges, and… Read More
First Step in Visa Modernization: Making the Wait More Palatable
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has taken a positive step, together with the U.S. Department of State (DOS), to encourage noncitizens to “stay the course” as they endure long waits for permanent residence. Beginning in October, more people who are waiting in the United States for an immigrant… Read More
Restrictionists Continue to Attack H-4 Work Authorization
Save Jobs USA—an organization comprised of IT workers who claim they lost their jobs to H-1B workers—still wants to overturn the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) rule that allows certain H-4 spouses (i.e., spouses of H-1B workers) to apply for work authorization. Although Save Jobs was unsuccessful in stopping… Read More
Where GOP Candidates and the Public Part Ways on Immigration
While some politicians on the campaign trail dial-up the anti-immigrant rhetoric and rehash old debates around birthright citizenship and mass deportation, the majority of America is unmoved. According to the Pew Research Center’s recent breakdown of their extensive public polling on immigration, and even more recent Gallup… Read More
Birthright Citizenship: What It Is and Why We Need to Preserve It
There has been a media frenzy over one of the more draconian components of Republican presidential contender Donald Trump’s immigration policy platform. In his plan, released earlier this week, he writes that the U.S. should “End Birthright Citizenship.” However, despite the attention Trump is getting for this, he is… Read More
Court Issues Decision in Washtech, Case Challenging Training for U.S.-Educated Noncitizens
This week, a federal district court issued a decision in Washtech (Washington Alliance of Technology Workers v. DHS), a lawsuit brought, in part, by the Immigration Reform Law Institute, to prevent foreign students from having an opportunity to gain meaningful practical experience in the United States. The court… Read More
ICE’s Computerized Detention Decision-Maker Can’t Work Because of Mandatory Detention Laws
In January 2013, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) implemented the “Risk Classification Assessment” (RCA)—a computerized tool that analyzes evidence and recommends whether to detain or release immigrants facing deportation. Yet ICE still detained 80 percent of its arrestees in FY 2013, in a detention system that… Read More
The Fortunes of H-1B Workers and Their Native-Born Colleagues Rise and Fall Together
There is no denying that the granting of H-1B visas for highly skilled professionals from abroad is a politically charged topic. However, the recurring controversies over H-1Bs should not obscure a well-documented fact about H-1B workers: on average, they tend to create jobs and give a wage boost to… Read More
U.S. Settles With 4-Year-Old U.S. Citizen They Wrongfully Deported
Some say the wheels of justice turn slowly; however, when justice is finally delivered it is sweet. After more than two years of litigation, the U.S. government has agreed to settle a lawsuit filed by Leonel Ruiz on behalf of his minor daughter, alleging that in 2011, U.S. Customs… Read More
All gifts are matched dollar for dollar
No one should face the immigration system alone
