ADOPTIONS FROM VIETNAM TO THE U.S. WILL NOT RESUME WITHOUT A NEW BILATERAL AGREEMENT

October 17, 2008 by Bradley Maged.

According to a USCIS Press Release:  “United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and the Department of State (DOS) issued a joint statement with the government of

Vietnam announcing that the processing of new adoption cases will not resume until both countries sign a new bilateral agreement.”The agency has also released a related FAQ.

Please visit our law firm’s new website, www.immigrantconnect.com.

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LIFE AFTER THE POSTVILLE RAID

October 15, 2008 by Bradley Maged.

According to an article about the Postville, Iowa raid that appears on cnn.com:  “Of the 389 captured that day in May, nearly 300 of them were charged with felony counts of aggravated identity theft and fraudulent use of Social Security numbers. Those slaughterhouse workers were tried and convicted in less than two days on a cattle fairground where Iowans typically come to cheer cowboys who lasso raging bulls. Most were sentenced to five months in prison.”  CNN also has a video of the effect the raid has had on the community and a local church.  An article on chicagotribune.com states that the cost of the Postville raid topped $5.2 million. 

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USCIS INCREASES PERIOD OF STAY FOR TN PROFESSIONAL WORKERS

October 14, 2008 by Bradley Maged.

According to a USCIS Press Release:  “USCIS has increased the maximum period of time a TN professional worker from Canada or Mexico may remain in the United States before seeking readmission or obtaining an extension of stay.  The final rule changes the initial period of admission for TN workers from one year to three years, making it equal to the initial period of admission given to H-1B professional workers.  Eligible TN nonimmigrants may now be allowed to receive extensions of stay of up to three years instead of the prior maximum period of stay of one year.”

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NOVEMBER 2008 VISA BULLETIN

October 14, 2008 by Bradley Maged.

The DOS has released the Visa Bulletin for November 2008.

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OBAMA AND MCCAIN ON IMMIGRATION: SIX OF ONE, HALF-DOZEN OF THE OTHER

October 14, 2008 by Bradley Maged.

Senators Obama and McCain both seem to support similar immigration reform packages.  It would be great if the issue were to be brought up in tomorrow’s final Presidential debate.  Although Obama has been consistent in his position, McCain has had to alter his position to appease the far right of his party while simultaneously running commercials on Spanish-language television touting his support for CIR. 

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MOST AMERICANS SUPPORT IMMIGRATION REFORM

October 13, 2008 by Bradley Maged.

According to an article on statesman.com:  “In advocating broad immigration reforms that combine more enforcement with opportunities for illegal immigrants already here to become legal residents, Sens. John McCain and Barack Obama favor a course supported by a majority of Americans, said Luis Fraga, a political science professor at the University of Washington.”

Americans have supported CIR for some time.  However, those who opposed any benefits or opportunity for legalization for the undocunented have been the most vocal.  Considering that both presidential candidates, probably the majority of the incoming Congress and most Americans support CIR, one would expect that a new set of laws would be enacted by 2010.  If Congress was able to pass a $700 billion + bailout of the financial industry into law in such short order - there is hope for serious immigration reform.

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WELCOME TO THE NEW AND IMPROVED IMMIGRANTCONNECT.COM!

October 12, 2008 by Bradley Maged.

As promised, Maged Rost’s new website is now www.immigrantconnect.com and this blog wil be at the URL www.blog.immigrantconnect.com.  We welcome new subscribers to the blog and look forward to keeping you updated on changes and developments in U.S. immigration laws and policies. 

Our firm’s site is more interactive and we will be regularly updating content to keep it relevant and interesting.  Enjoy!

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ALL USCIS OFFICES WILL BE CLOSED ON MONDAY, OCOBER 13, 2008

October 11, 2008 by Bradley Maged.

According to a USCIS Press Release:  “All USCIS Offices will be closed Monday, October 13, 2008 in observance of the national holiday - Columbus Day.”

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USCIS DELAYS IMPLEMENTATION OF DIRECT MAILING PROGRAM FOR N-400 - APPLICATION FOR NATURALIZATION

October 10, 2008 by Bradley Maged.

According to a USCIS Press Release:  “U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced today it will delay implementation of the Direct Mail Program for the N-400, Application for Naturalization.  A Federal Register notice is scheduled to be published Oct. 10, 2008, announcing this delay.”

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HIGH RATE OF H-1B VISA FRAUD

October 9, 2008 by Bradley Maged.

According to an artcle on businessweek.com:  “A report released Oct. 8 by the U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS) reveals that 13% of petitions filed for H-1B visas on behalf of employers are fraudulent. Another 8% contain some sort of technical violations.”

Although the technical violations are not a surprise and even seem somewhat low given the complexity of the regs, the fact that 13% of H-1B petitions are fraudulent needs to be addressed.  However, in addressing the issue we can only hope the government does not paralyze the program for the 87% of legitimate cases.  In January 2009, the Department of Labor is expected to more closely scrutinize labor condition applications that are filed and certification of the applications is expected to take much longer than the current 5 seconds.

As you can see, there has been a delay in releasing our firm’s new website that will be located at this URL.  If not tomorrow, our web designers expect it to be released by early next week.

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