Immigration News  |
| Changes in immigration that impact your life. |
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| House Judiciary to Conduct Series of Immigration Hearings |
| April 16, 2008 |
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| The House Judiciary Committee Chairman, John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI), and Chairwoman of the Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, Refugees, Border Security, and International Law, Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), announced that the oversight hearing on the H-2B program will be the first in a series of immigration hearings. The subcommittee and the full committee will conduct several hearings on this issue in the coming weeks |
| Enhancements to Student and Exchange Visitor Program Announced |
| April 11, 2008 |
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| The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has announced today that it has significantly enhanced the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) and, for the first time, is proposing to raise fees to support the improvements. |
| Operator of English Language Schools Charged for Allegedly Running Visa Fraud Scheme |
| April 09, 2008 |
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| In a startling discovery by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), a Beverly Hills man who operates two schools that teach English to foreign students was arrested on federal charges for allegedly running a visa fraud scheme that allowed foreign nationals from around the world to obtain student visas to enter the United States, even though they had no intention of attending the schools or were fraudulently trying to remain in the United States. |
| Important Change in International Land and Sea Travel Document Procedures |
| January 31, 2008 |
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| Effective January 31, 2008, U.S. and Canadian citizens ages 19 and older should no longer expect that they will be able to prove identity and citizenship by relying on an oral declaration alone. Instead, travelers will be asked to present documents from one of the options below when entering the United States at land or sea ports of entry. Travelers who do not present one of the documents listed below may be delayed as U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers attempt to verify their identity and citizenship. |
| Calexico POE to Process I-94 Permits for Mexican Holiday Travelers Immediately |
| December 12, 2007 |
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| The U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials announced that the Mexican border crossing card (or “laser visa”) holders who plan to make an extended visit to the United States during the December holiday season will be able to obtain an essential visit document faster and more conveniently by applying now rather than waiting until the holidays. |
| CBP Urges Mexican Holiday Travelers to Apply Early for I-94 Documents at San Ysidro and Otay Mesa POE |
| December 12, 2007 |
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| The U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials announced that the Mexican border crossing card (or “laser visa”) holders who plan to make an extended visit to the United States during the December holiday season will be able to obtain an essential visit document faster and more conveniently due to a change in processing procedure being implemented at the San Ysidro and Otay Mesa border stations. |
| Senators Call to Expand Optional Practical Training (OPT) Program |
| November 08, 2007 |
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| Senator Joe Lieberman (ID-CT) and 18 of his Senate colleagues called on Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff to expand an important work authorization program that enables foreign graduates of U.S. universities to contribute to the U.S. economy. Expansion of the program, known as Optional Practical Training (OPT), would ease pressures affecting employers in Connecticut and nationwide, who are increasingly unable to fill high-skilled positions. |
| Sensenbrenner Introduces Bill To Address America’s Illegal Immigration Problem |
| November 01, 2007 |
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| Former Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, Congressman F. James Sensenbrenner, Jr. (R-Menomonee Falls), introduced a bill today that offers real solutions to end illegal immigration. Among its provisions, Sensenbrenner’s bill includes proposals to secure the nation’s borders, crack down on employers who hire illegal immigrants, increase the penalties against people who smuggle in illegal immigrants, and double the number of H1-B visas issued each year. |
| Mikulski Pulls Off another H-2B Miracle |
| October 16, 2007 |
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| As Chairwoman of the Commerce, Justice, Science (CJS) Appropriations Subcommittee Senator Barbara A. Mikulski’s (D-Md.) successfully added language to the fiscal year 2008 CJS spending bill to extend a critical provision of her Save Our Small and Seasonal Businesses Act that expired on September 30 and protects small and seasonal businesses – including Maryland’s seafood and cannery industries – from devastating cuts to their workforce. The bill passed the Senate tonight with a vote of 75-19. |
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