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Looking to the near future, foreign healthcare professionals may be able to more easily work in the U.S. More about this should be known in June. As of now, the immigration bill has been passed by the Senate Judiciary Committee.
In total there are 212 amendments in this immigration bill to be considered. The one related to foreign healthcare professionals is just one small piece of the bill.
In response to the Boston bombings last month, the Senate Judiciary Committee passed an amendment to the comprehensive immigration bill that is still being negotiated on. The idea behind this amendment is for the borders to be more strongly enforced when it comes to students entering the country.
When looking at what happened prompted this amendment, Azamat Tazhayakov, one of the students facing charges related to the Boston bombings, had a nullified visa. When he had returned to the U.S. from Kazhakstan, he had not registered for classes and his visa had been pulled.
US Congresswoman Grace Meng is concerned about changes to family reunification in the proposed immigration reform bill. In a letter to one of the senators who authorized the proposal, Meng expressed concern that the proposed legislation would be disadvantageous to immigrants -- particularly Asian Americans -- and the U.S. economy as a whole.
Under the proposed comprehensive immigration reform bill, the US lawmaker said, US citizens would no longer be able to sponsor married adult children or adult siblings for permanent residency. This would make family reunification more difficult. Instead of making changes to this portion of the bill, her request is for the family-based immigration system to stay the way it currently is.
About 11 million people live in the United States illegally. However, many of those people hope that changes to current immigration laws could allow for a pathway to citizenship. As the debate over immigration reform continued, many people in cities across the country gathered yesterday in support of new immigration policies.
May Day rallies have been a yearly tradition for the last 13 years. However, this year, just weeks after the so-called "gang of eight" introduced an 844-page immigration reform bill, there is greater demand for changes to the current immigration system.
People who are arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials are often placed in detention facilities. It is best for immigrants and their families to work with a legal professional who understands the immigration system.
Up until now, immigrants who could not afford a lawyer were not given legal representation in immigration courts. That's because immigration proceedings are considered civil matters. Recently, though, the federal government announced a new policy which will give detained immigrants with mental disabilities the right to legal representation.
As Boston readers may already be aware, a bipartisan group of senators, referred to as the "gang of eight," recently presented an 844-page bill intended to fix the broken immigration system in the United States. The group of senators noted that while they don't all agree on the bill, they will fight for its passage.
The proposed bill would give undocumented immigrants the chance to eventually become citizens of this country. If passed, the bill would also improve the visa system and increase security at the borders.
Last week, we discussed the huge demand for the H-1B visa. The temporary visa is particularly important for high-tech companies looking for highly-skilled workers. Only 65,000 visas are issued each year.
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services office began accepting applications for the 2014 budget year last week. Officials anticipated that demand would quickly outpace supply. After just five days, it was announced that the cap had been reached and that no more H-1B visa applications would be accepted. A lottery system will be used for the selection process.
http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/menuitem.5af9bb95919f35e66f614176543f6d1a/?vgnextoid=5051f359827dd310VgnVCM100000082ca60aRCRD&vgnextchannel=e7801c2c9be44210VgnVCM100000082ca60aRCRD
Last month, Boston readers may recall that we wrote about the scarcity of the H-1B visas, which are temporary visas given to highly-skilled workers. Earlier this week, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services began accepting applications for the much-wanted visas for the 2014 budget year.
In total, 65,000 visas will be issued to companies looking to secure talent from around the globe. Additional visas will be granted to people who obtained an advanced degree in the United States.
This week, the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments on the constitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act. While it could be some time before a ruling is made, that ruling could have a profound effect on same-sex couples living in Massachusetts when it comes to immigration issues.
Under DOMA, same-sex couples are not granted the same federal benefits that opposite-sex couples currently enjoy, even in states in which gay marriage is recognized. That means that immigrant spouses cannot obtain green cards even if the state they are living in recognizes same-sex marriage.
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