Month: November 2007

According to an article on suntimes.com:  “Instead of bashing Republicans, who won’t change their hard line on immigration, immigrant advocates are now going after U.S. Rep. Rahm Emanuel, Democratic chief strategist, who they say has betrayed the immigrant community.”

Strategically, I think Democrats should steer clear of the immigration issue or take a middle ground for now.  It is a lose-lose proposition to take a strong stand on either side of such an emotional issue with elections around the corner.

It has become the new gay marriage or pro-life wedge issue for the Republicans.  However, the risks associated with taking a hard-line anti-immigrant approach has not been well- calculated.   The politicians are hearing only the loudest voices who do not necessarily represent the majority.

According to an interesting opinion piece by Barry Goldwater Jr. that appears on azcentral.com: “Illegal immigration has, like so much of our political system, become so polarized – left and right. Politicians on both sides of the aisle have painted themselves into a narrow corridor in the political spectrum, unwilling to breach the middle ground and seek the reasonable and compromising actions the people of this great nation and state so desperately crave and deserve.”

According to the latest weekly USCIS Application and receipting Update, the agency has caught up on receipting most petitions and applications. In fact, I-140 and I-485 receipts are current for both the Texas and Nebraska Service Centers.

According to Boston.com:  “A new Massachusetts policy makes it clear that State Troopers should not enforce federal immigration laws, but troopers may ask a person’s immigration status.”

The following is not legal advice. Please contact a qualified immigration lawyer for assistance with your particular case.

The law requires the USCIS to adjudicate Naturalization applications within 120 days of examination. Many applicants whose cases are taking substantially longer than that are suing the Federal Government.

According to the Tennesean.com: “Lawsuits filed against the U.S. government by immigrants trying to live in the country permanently quadrupled in three years, the plaintiffs frustrated by years-long background checks and threat of deportation.”

The following is not legal advice. Please contact a competent lawyer to discuss your particular situation.

Given the strength of other currencies relative to the US dollar, now may be a good time for foreign nationals who wish to invest in and immigrate to the United States to avail themselves of the opportunity.

For a synopsis of the EB-5 Investor Visa, have a look at a recent article that appeared in the Wall Street Journal Online, according to the article: “In recent years, a growing list of enterprises — in agriculture, tourism, renewable energy, education and transportation — have benefited from a little-known federal program known as EB-5, or the immigrant-investor visa.”

If you would like more information on the EB-5 category and whether it would be a suitable option, please contact our office, Maged Rost.

According to the Associated Press:  “A doctor and his wife who face deportation to the Philippines because of decades-old inconsistencies in their citizenship applications were granted a brief delay Tuesday.”

According to the USCIS Website: “…average processing times for certain application types may become longer. In particular, naturalization applications filed after June 1, 2007 may take approximately 16 – 18 months to process.”

This means that naturalization applicants who filed after June 2007 may have to wait until at least September 2008 for their cases to be processed…guess who won’t be voting in the 2008 elections?

Happy Thanksgiving!

According to an article on mercurynews.com:  “San Francisco will begin issuing municipal identification cards to illegal immigrants next year, becoming the second city in the country to create such a program in the wake of stalled immigration reform efforts in Washington.”

Regardless of where one stands on the issue of immigration, the status quo is not working when municipalities are all over the map in their efforts to  either welcome or repel the undocumented.  We need a uniform policy.  Well-drafted, thoughtful comprehensive immigration reform is the solution and it will not be implemented until after the 2008 elections.

According to an AP article that appeared on boston.com:  “Millions of people who applied for naturalization and other immigration benefits to beat a midsummer fee increase are caught in a paperwork pileup that threatens the chance for some to become U.S. citizens in time to vote in next November’s presidential election.”