The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) reported today that the agency has implemented a standardized form for applicants to submit with certain applications to request a waiver of the filing fees charged for processing of forms to grant or deny immigration benefits. USCIS Form I-912 (Request for Fee Waiver), is available for use beginning today.  Additionally, the USCIS’ increase in filing [...]

The New York Times reported yesterday that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, would introduce a bill in the upcoming Congressional lame duck session to legalize certain undocumented immigrants who were brought to the U.S. as children, otherwise known as the DREAM Act. The Senator tried to introduce the DREAM Act as part of a larger military appropriations bill prior to the midterm elections. However, the [...]

As a reminder, the US Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS) will begin charging higher filing fees for most applications beginning November 23, 2010. The USCIS conducts filing fee reviews every 2 years to determine whether costs to administer the immigration laws, process applications, and provide the technology and personnel needed are being recovered. The USCIS, a fee based agency uses about [...]

The Los Angeles Times reported today that in an interview last week in Los Angeles, the President put fault on Republicans in Congress for their unwillingness to come together and work with him to to reform our country’s immigration laws that would legalize approximately 11 million undocumented immigrants. During the interview, he mentioned that when immigration reform was being debated in Congress back in 2006, 11 Republican [...]

The U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS) via its Administrative Appeals Office (AAO), issued two (2) precedent decisions yesterday.  Those decisions are published by the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) as part of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). Furthermore, those decisions are binding on all USCIS and DOJ personnel for deciding cases.  The precedents that were set established rules and reasonings for deciding [...]

The Orlando Sentinel reported recently that politicians in the Florida Congressional and Gubernatorial races are taking a hands off approach to the immigration reform issue. However, the ongoing national debate on this issue some critics have said could make a difference in voter turnout, particularly among Hispanic voters who are already frustrated with the President and his administration’s efforts to [...]

The Orlando Sentinel reported today that the U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement (USICE) deported about 392,000 foreign nationals in Fiscal Year (FY) 2010 which ran from October 1, 2009 through September 30, 2010. According to USICE officials, about 195,000 of the individuals deported were criminal aliens.  That was about a 70% increase from compared to FY 2008.  This record number of deportations was the result [...]

The U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS) reported that on August 13, 2010, President Obama signed into law the Southwest Border Security Bill, also known as the Border Bill. The law contains a provision to raise the filing fees effective immediately for certain H-1B  and L-1 visa applications. The additional fees of $2,000 for H-1B visa and $2,250 for L-1 visa applications are applicable only to petitioning employers that [...]

The New York Times reported yesterday that while the U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement (USICE) has been deporting record numbers of criminal aliens, the agency has been less focused on deporting undocumented immigrant students that were brought to the U.S. by their parents when they were children. In cases where immigrant students were identified and apprehended by immigration officials, the students were released from USICE custody and their [...]

The Los Angeles Times reported today that immigration activists in numerous cities across the country have planned to protest the implementation of the Arizona immigration law (S.B. 1070) that is scheduled to be in effect tomorrow. Some of the protests include a march across the Brooklyn Bridge in New York City, a vigil outside a detention center in Georgia, a unity event [...]