The U.S. Department of State (USDOS) announced today that the registration period for the DV-2011 Immigrant Visa Lottery is scheduled to open on October 2, 2009 at 12 noon. The congressionally mandated Diversity Immigrant Visa Program is conducted annually by the Department of State.  A quota of 55,000 Diversity Visas (DV’s) are available each fiscal year to persons from countries with low rates [...]

The Miami Herald reported recently that California’s senior senator, Diane Feinstein, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, is the Senate’s leader in introducing what are known as “private bills” as a way to obtain relief from removal (deportation) in certain special situations where the immigration laws provide no form of relief or waiver from deportation that an immigrant can pursue. A private bill [...]

The Orlando Sentinel reported this week that the federal government is considering raising filing fees on applications for immigration benefits to raise revenue. Alejandro Mayorkas, director of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), told reporters Wednesday in Los Angeles, “The agency is considering cutting costs, raising fees or reorienting revenue in the next two years to alleviate [...]

The Orlando Sentinel reported today that the U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS) has recently approved thousands of visas for victims of Domestic Violence.  This visa classification is known as the “U” visa. Created in 2000 when the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) was reauthorized, the “U” visa program was held in abeyance until 2007 when rules for its implementation [...]

The Orlando Sentinel reported that a group of about 200 high school students will take part in a one-mile march at 1:30 p.m. calling on the government to pass immigration reform.   The students will march from Apopka High School to the Hope Community Center where the area’s immigrant farmworkers’ ministry is based. The students are calling for passage of The Development, Relief [...]

The Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) in Matter of Martinez, 25 I&N, Dec. 66 (BIA 2009) ruled yesterday that an individual who is a lawful permanent resident (green card holder) and, who meets the definition of a battered spouse may be eligible to apply for Cancellation of Removal as a form of relief against removal (deportation) pursuant to the Violence Against Women [...]

The House Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration approved by a voice vote yesterday, the September 11th Family Humanitarian Relief & Patriotism Act of 2009 (H.R. 3290). If this bill is signed into law by the President, it would allow spouses and unmarried minor children under 21 years of age of undocumented immigrants who died in the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks [...]

The U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement (USICE) reported yesterday that the owners of a poultry processing plant in Missouri where over 130 undocumented workers were arrested back in 2007 reached a settlement with the USICE on August 14, 2009 to pay a $450,000 fine as a result of a worksite enforcement investigation conducted by the USICE.  The USICE will use the funds for continued worksite enforcement. Generally, as part [...]

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) recently commemorated the 15th anniversary of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), which was signed into law on September 13, 1994. VAWA was created to officially recognize the severity of the crimes associated with domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking. VAWA was also created to raise public awareness on matters concerning violence against women, to reinforce [...]

The Miami Herald reported today that individuals ranging from church leaders to celebrities will gather in Miami for a rally to call on President Obama to grant Temporary Protected Status (TPS) to Haitians in the United States.  TPS is an immigration status granted to eligible nationals of a country designated by the Secretary of Homeland Security as authorized by section 244 of the Immigration [...]