U.S. Sen. John McCain and some other lawmakers are set to sit down with President Obama on the immigration overhaul of the nation’s system. Part of the discussion would be the significant disagreements between some members of a bipartisan group of eight and the president in the issue. But Senator McCain, who is a member of the said bipartisan group, is still optimistic about the success of this possible legislation that will push forward the path to citizenship for illegal immigrants in the country.

The meeting between President Obama, Sen. John McCain and some of the members of the bipartisan group of eight on Tuesday will address aspects where the senators and the president disagree in some principles of the proposed legislation. It is noted that the president promised that he will give some room for lawmakers to discuss the details among themselves and come up with the right legislation. Now, the president would like to sit down with the senators and try to work out on the details of immigration reform.

Source: ABC News

FREE CONSULTATIONS

If you have any questions, please fill out the free consultation form below, and we will respond as soon as possible privately. 

<a href=”https://plus.google.com/107743308565341841259?rel=author”>Google</a>

{ 0 comments }

What happens when you filed an asylum application yourself, and after your interview, you get placed in removal proceedings and your asylum application is referred to the immigration court? Is that a denial? What should you do next?

You may feel that you are being deported, or that your case has no chance of winning at all. But that’s not really the case.

You can think of it as an opportunity to present your case better in Court. Maybe there were some elements you missed. Maybe you failed to support your case further initially.

We had a couple of cases recently, one for a client from Cameroon and another for a client from Ethiopia, where both filed their initial CIS asylum application themselves. No attorneys. Their cases were denied at the CIS level and referred to the immigration court, and then they retained our firm. And ultimately they had an opportunity to present their case better, and fortunately the Immigration Judge granted their cases.

One good thing about having your case in immigration court is that you have an opportunity to present your case through questions initially asked by your own attorney. So if there are any specific details or events that you want emphasized, the attorney can zone in on those in direct examination.

I remember our attorney Glen preparing both clients twice for hours prior to each of the individual hearings, with over a hundred questions each.

You see there are many issues involved in asylum applications, not just whether you were harmed or not. People simply focus on the harm they experienced, without tying it to other aspects of asylum law nor detailing the specifics of the event.

Is there a one year issue?

Are you part of a protected group?

Is the persecution related to you being part of that protected group?

Did the harm you or your family experienced rise to the level of persecution needed for asylum?

Is there a firm resettlement or relocation issue?

Are your supporting documents, the dates, places, and names listed on those, corroborating your testimony?

Are your supporting documents internally consistent with each other?

Is your written statement consistent with your testimony?

Is your claim detailed enough? Were there addresses, dates, names on every possible instance in your claim?

Maybe your initial claim had simply a month, but not a specific date.

Maybe your initial claim had simply a city, but not a specific address.

Maybe you did not specify how far the hospital is from the place you were persecuted. Or where it is located in the first place.

What is the name of the doctor?

Or how far and where was the police station is from where you were persecuted?

Any many others.

So take this as an opportunity for you to be more thorough in your claim. An opportunity to present it better, with more details and specifics. Asylum law is complex, with may issues and elements involved, aside from simply fearing returning home.

FREE CONSULTATIONS

If you have any questions, please fill out the free consultation form below, and we will respond as soon as possible privately. 

{ 0 comments }

According to the Labor Department data released to Bloomberg, things are looking good for working immigrants in the U.S. in terms of opportunity. But the same thing can’t be said for those U.S.-born workers due to the growing demand at the low and high ends of the pay scale.

This shows that the lack of a high school diploma or an advance degree seems to be favoring immigrants due to increased demand for jobs with above and below-average wages. Immigrants with the right skills are taking advantage of the increasing demand for workers with specific skills.

More immigrant-related trends and changes in the US will gain more publicity as Congress debates over immigration reforms.

Source: LexNexis.Com

FREE CONSULTATIONS

If you have any questions, please fill out the free consultation form below, and we will respond as soon as possible privately. 

 <a href=”https://plus.google.com/107743308565341841259?rel=author”>Google</a>

{ 0 comments }

Other than undocumented immigrants with immediate relatives in the United States, the tech sector is believed to be one of those who will benefit from the proposed overhaul of the US immigration system. Marshall Fitz implied that with Democratic and Republican support coupled with the tech industry, comprehensive immigration reform might just have found its special formula that will make it across the finish line this time.

For the past years, it has been clear that the main issues of the nation’s immigration laws have greatly affected the technology sector. Dane Stangler, research and policy director at the Kauffman Foundation, agrees in saying that the nation must maintain a dynamic economy and embracing immigrant entrepreneurs is necessary.

Tech companies such as Microsoft, Oracle, Intel and Facebook are one in believing that there is a pool of highly-skilled immigrant workers in the U.S. that they want to tap into. This concerted effort of tech industry giants is poised to be one major factor in influencing comprehensive immigration reform.

Source: ABC News

FREE CONSULTATIONS

If you have any questions, please fill out the free consultation form below, and we will respond as soon as possible privately. 

{ 0 comments }

Early drafts of a comprehensive bill that offers a pathway to citizenship to illegal immigrants has been developed by The White House.

President Obama let a bipartisan coalition of lawmakers come up with their own bill that not only focuses on a comprehensive immigration reform but also address border security. So far, the President is pleased with how things are working out on the road to an immigration system overhaul. But the White House is not taking any chances and is ready to take the lead if the bipartisan coalition will encounter more challenges in putting things in place for a proposed better national immigration system.

White House spokesperson, Clark Stevens, assures the nation that as the bipartisan coalition has the full support of the president, there’s no doubt that the President himself will push forward even if Congress fails to act.

According to USA Today, one of the things that are included in the president’s draft legislation is to allow immigrants to finally be permanent residents within eight years while they apply for a “Lawful Prospective Immigrant” visa.  Even if Mr. Stevens declined to comment on this, this idea has already been made evident during the president’s Las Vegas speech. In that speech, the president made clear that “there will be no uncertainty about their (illegal Immigrants) ability to become U.S. citizens provided that they meet the eligibility criteria.” If the information the USA Today was able to gather is true, some people, including Senator Marco Rubio, Republican from Florida, believe the legislation to be “half-baked and seriously flawed.”

The President is giving Congress little room to debate on the matter but made it clear that he stands ready to introduce his own legislation if the situation calls for it.

Source: The New York Times

FREE CONSULTATIONS

If you have any questions, please fill out the free consultation form below, and we will respond as soon as possible privately. 

<a href=”https://plus.google.com/107743308565341841259?rel=author”>Google</a>

{ 0 comments }

The Senate Judiciary held its first hearing on immigration reform last Wednesday, February 13, 2013.  The hearing focused largely on border security and enforcement, with an entire panel devoted to just one witness — Secretary Janet Napolitano of the Department of Homeland Security. She said that border security was often used as an excuse to prevent meaningful changes.

Influential Republicans has praised Mr. Obama so far in his handling of immigration reform. Paul D. Ryan of Wisconsin, the party’s vice-presidential nominee last year, said the president’s was measured and constructive. “I thought on immigration he used the right words and the right tone, which tells me he actually doesn’t want to politicize this, which is conducive to getting something done,” Mr. Ryan said.

Given their losses in the November Congressional elections, Republicans in both the House and Senate have demonstrated a new openness to immigration changes that could finally lead to comprehensive immigration reform.

The four Democratic senators in the bipartisan group — Senators Michael Bennet of Colorado and Robert Menendez of New Jersey, as well as Mr. Durbin and Mr. Schumer — were to meet with Mr. Obama at the White House on Wednesday evening to discuss the group’s progress. Tentatively, they plan to introduce the bill in March.

Source: New York Times

FREE CONSULTATIONS

If you have any questions, please fill out the free consultation form below, and we will respond as soon as possible privately. 

<a href=”https://plus.google.com/107743308565341841259?rel=author”>Google</a>

<a href=”https://plus.google.com/109631653288081090975″ rel=”publisher”>Google+</a>

{ 0 comments }

Since the most recent elections, political writers and some Republican politicians seem to have shown a ‘change of heart’ in their openness to comprehensive immigration reform. This is one of the reasons why the immigration reform plans of President Obama is suddenly earning the approval of the nation—well, at least from most of our citizens.

Even if support from Republicans is still not in a grand scale, the few who are not “all in” are at least still giving out their “possibly, yes” approval. Some of these Republicans may not be all out with their support on President Obama’s immigration reform but at least, some of them understand the rationale of providing legal status to a multitude of deserving people.

The recent poll for 2013 shows a 48 percent approval in providing a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants. In the previous six national polls, only 38 percent of Republicans are favoring the reform plans. This support from Republicans does not come without hurdles though, certain qualifications have to be met to merit the pathway to citizenship. Nonetheless, signs are good that this bipartisan support will push forward comprehensive immigration reform.

Source: The New York Times

FREE CONSULTATIONS

If you have any questions, please fill out the free consultation form below, and we will respond as soon as possible privately. 

{ 0 comments }

A new Washington Post-ABC News poll came out showing an improvement in President Obama’s ratings after a couple of weeks of talking about immigration reform. The ratings seem solid enough to indicate that most Americans are behind the President’s immigration reforms. Compared to the ratings in July, where Obama just earned 38 percent positive rating and 50 percent negative, the 49 to 43 percent rating shows a better rating for the President.

It seems like the drop in illegal border crossings and the record high deportations of criminals is persuading most Americans to back the President with his immigration reforms. And even with the controversial offering of the pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants living in the U.S., more Americans are showing support. The president is even earning for himself credits from the Hispanics with 67 percent of them approving his immigration policies.

Source: Washington Post

FREE CONSULTATIONS

If you have any questions, please fill out the free consultation form below, and we will respond as soon as possible privately. 

 <a href=”https://plus.google.com/107743308565341841259?rel=author”>Google</a> <a href=”https://plus.google.com/109631653288081090975″ rel=”publisher”>Google+</a>

{ 0 comments }

Now that immigration reform plans have been broadly laid out by President Obama, the actual process of hopefully having one has started. As much as immigration reform is considered to be a major issue in President Obama’s recent speeches, the House Judiciary Committee fears that it would be very difficult to pass the reform. Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte even described the path to citizenship as an “extreme” move.

Goodlatte showed his concerns as he asked San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro during the first immigration hearing of the 113^th Congress whether there were other options to extreme mass deportation and an eventual pathway to citizenship for those “without papers”.

There will be another hearing to be held next week and it is expected to be a much different one than what just recently concluded. Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., is the chair to that committee and he supports a comprehensive approach to these immigration issues.

Source: USA Today

FREE CONSULTATIONS

If you have any questions, please fill out the free consultation form below, and we will respond as soon as possible privately. 

<a href=”https://plus.google.com/107743308565341841259?rel=author”>Google</a>

<a href=”https://plus.google.com/109631653288081090975″ rel=”publisher”>Google+</a>

{ 0 comments }

President Obama outlined his four part plan for comprehensive immigration reform of few days ago in Las Vegas. The President’s announcement focused on finding ways to welcome hopeful immigrants who still look at America as the land of opportunity.

President Obama also highlighted the existence of bipartisan support which the U.S. has not seen in many years, which should be very crucial in implementing President Obama’s plans.

The President proposed four parts for his immigration reform.

“First, continue to strengthen our borders. Second, crack down on companies that hire undocumented workers. Third, hold undocumented immigrants accountable before they can earn their citizenship; this means requiring undocumented workers to pay their taxes and a penalty, move to the back of the line, learn English, and pass background checks. Fourth, streamline the legal immigration system for families, workers, and employers.”

Though the outline is very general, the fact that immigration has been at the forefront of his political agenda right at the start of his second term is a welcoming sign.

Source: WhiteHouse.Gov

FREE CONSULTATIONS

If you have any questions, please fill out the free consultation form below, and we will respond as soon as possible privately. 

<a href=”https://plus.google.com/107743308565341841259?rel=author”>Google</a>

<a href=”https://plus.google.com/109631653288081090975″ rel=”publisher”>Google+</a>

{ 0 comments }