The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) reported recently that it is temporarily holding the processing of applications for permanent residence (green cards) in abeyance in due to the fact that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) removed herpes zoster (Zoster) and human papillomavirus (HPV) from the list of required vaccinations for immigration purposes.  The new rule is effective December 14, 2009. [...]

The Miami Herald reported today that Haitian-American politicians across the U.S. have come together in the hopes of lobbying for legislation to grant certain immigration benefits for Haitians in the U.S. and, and for improvements to U.S. policy towards Haiti. The push for legislation on immigration issues comes as Haitian-Americans who voted for President Obama, are now increasingly frustrated that his administration has not done and/or moved fast enough to [...]

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) reported today that  the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Appropriations Act of 2010, signed by President Obama on October 28, 2009, has extended the E-Verify, the Immigrant Investor (EB-5 Pilot Program), the Special Immigrant visa category for non-minister religious workers, and, the date by which J-1 nonimmigrant exchange visitors must obtain J-1 status to qualify for [...]

The U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement  (USICE) reported today that it has issued Notices of Inspection (NOI’s) to 1,000 businesses across the U.S. who are in the business of critical infrastructure informing them that the USICE will be auditing their hiring records to determine compliance with employment eligibility verification laws. The 1,000 businesses that were served with the NOI’s were randomly selected based on the [...]

The U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement (USICE) has published an updated list of institutions of higher learning that are authorized to enroll foreign nationals who are coming to the U.S. on student visas. USICE’s Student and Exchange Visitor Program  (SEVP) is available for various U.S. government organizations that administer their own programs to enroll non-immigrant foreign students, exchange visitors and their families during their participation [...]

The U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services  (USCIS) reported today that as of November 6, 2009, about 54,700 H-1B applications subject to the annual quota of 65,000 have been submitted. The USCIS has already enough H-1B applications under the advanced degree cap of 20,000 visas for foreign nationals who have Masters or Ph.D. degrees. All other H-1B applications submitted including applications where foreign nationals have advanced degrees will now count toward the general H-1B cap [...]

The Orlando Sentinel reported that starting December 14, 2009, immigrant females will no longer be required to have been vaccinated against the human papillomavirus (HPV).  Therefore, HPV will no longer be on the list of immunizations female immigrants 11 to 26 years of age must receive before becoming permanent residents (green card holders). The U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) made the change last week Friday.  However, the [...]

The Orlando Sentinel reported late last week that immigration reform would be possible by next year according to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano. In a nutshell, the DHS Secretary stated that immigration reform is possible because the government has significantly improved border control and internal immigration work place enforcement, that it has the ability to focus on [...]

The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement  (USICE) announced that via their Secure Communities Program, that it has identified and deported over 110,000 criminal aliens who were apprehended by state and local law enforcement. USICE officials estimate that the program will be implemented in every state by 2011 and be available to every law enforcement agency across the country within 2 years from [...]

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services  (USCIS) has announced that it will accept H-1B petitions filed without Labor Condition Applications (LCA’s) that have been certified by the U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL) for a period of 120 days (4 months). The temporary change in policy is due to the USCIS having received requests from the public to accept H-1B petition filings that include [...]