The San Antonio Express reported today that despite President Obama’s campaign promise to resolve the nation’s immigration problem in 2010, critics have said that immigration reform will face an uphill battle in Congress. The battle begins with lawmakers from both parties who will be primarily concerned with mid-term elections.  Next is the growing downturn in the economy which as of recent, has resulted in over [...]

The New York Times reported today that undocumented immigrant students, many of which were brought to the U.S. as children by their undocumented immigrant parents, have become more organized and are becoming a group to be reckoned with in their fight for the passage of the DREAM Act . Students have held street rallies in cities across the country, sent [...]

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 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 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 US Immigration & Customs Enforcement  (USICE) reported that a Los Angeles doctor was arrested earlier this week for signing the results of medical and lab tests that he claimed to have performed on foreign nationals applying for permanent residence (green cards). Foreign nationals applying for green cards must have a medical exam done to ensure that they do not have any medical conditions that would make them inadmissible to [...]

The U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services  (USCIS) has recently published a Public Charge Fact Sheet  to inform the general public what is meant by a public charge and the types of benefits that non-U.S. citizens can apply for without jeopardizing their lawful permanent resident (green card) status and/or their eligibility to pursue it. Both the immigration and welfare laws have created [...]

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 U.S. Department of State has informed recently that applicants who have registered for the DV-2010 Diversity Immigrant Visa Lottery by logging into the official website will now be able to check the status of their entry through the e-DV website .  Applicants will need to use the confirmation number that was assigned by the US Department of State at the time [...]

The filing of a Permanent Alien Labor Employment Certification with the US Department of Labor (USDOL) under the PERM program can be tricky. We often are hired by employers to fix an insufficient PERM application. Based on the errors we most often see, we offer these 5 tips that will increase your chances of obtaining PERM certification: Answer each question on the [...]