Immigration Resources
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by lauraj on Jul.10, 2009, under E-Verify, Law and Policy, Resources, WHTI
How does the fiancé visa work and what are the requirements?
The immigration system can be very difficult to navigate even for a U.S. citizen engaged to a foreign national. The first requirement for a fiancé visa is that the petitioner must be a U.S. citizen. If an American citizen’s fiancé is residing outside of the U.S. and you would like them to travel to the United States to marry, the American petitioner must file a Petition for Alien Fiancé, Form I-129F. This form must be filed with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) office within the area where you live. USCIS makes it a point to inform petitioners that this form cannot be filed outside of the United States. Once the petition is approved, it then goes to the National Visa Center to be processed and forwarded to the consulate where the immigrant fiancé will apply for a K-1 non-immigrant visa for a fiancé.
by lauraj on Jun.05, 2009, under Immigration Law Reform, Law and Policy, Resources, WHTI
Green Card Legislation Introduced
One of the biggest misconceptions legal immigrants with green cards have is that their legal status is equivalent to that of a United States citizen. However, that notion is quite far from the truth. Even with permanent resident status, an immigrant with a green card can still be deported back to the country of origin if the federal government deems necessary. Representative Mike Honda, a democrat from California, just introduced legislation giving green card holders the same rights as citizens when it comes to bringing their spouses and children to the US. The initiative, called the “Reuniting Families Act”, hopes to give legal immigrant families more stability and could possibly lay the groundwork for future immigration reform.
(source: NIA Council)
Oakland Approves ID Cards for Illegal Immigrants
Oakland California becomes the third major city to offer government issued ID cards to illegal immigrants. The measure was overwhelmingly approved by the Oakland City Council with great support from the community. However, now the legislature must figure out how to implement the plan and, more importantly, how to pay for it. With California’s budget crisis still in a tail spin, the issue of paying for this new benefit will be difficult to solve. New Haven Connecticut was the first to offer legal ID cards in order for immigrant residents to utilize social services followed by San Francisco.
(source: Judicial Watch)
WHTI Now in Effect
The Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) has now been implemented as of June 1, 2009. Although Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) states it is committed to being flexible, it is important to keep in mind the documentation necessary in order to cross into the United States by land, sea or air. The documents accepted by the new WHTI policy are:
Documentation for U.S. and Canadian citizen children traveling under the age of 16 and arriving from Canada, Mexico or the Caribbean, can utilize documents such as an original or copy of their birth certificate, a Consular Report of Birth Abroad, a Naturalization Certificate or a Canadian Citizenship Card. For further information or questions about the WHTI program, please click on WHTI.
(source: US Customs and Border Protection)
NCLR Joins Immigration Campaign
The National Council of La Raza (NCLR), the largest Latino civil rights and advocacy organization in the U.S., helped launch the Reform Immigration for America Campaign. Leaders from the business, religious, labor and civil rights communities have come together to pledge their support to the Obama administration in hopes of assuring that immigration reform is not a forgotten campaign promise. For more information of the Reform Immigration for America Campaign, please visit www.reformimmigrationforamerica.org.
(source: National Council of La Raza)
by lauraj on Jun.01, 2009, under Law and Policy, Resources, USCIS
Checking the Status of an Immigration Case: The fastest way to check the status of an immigration case filed with the USCIS (US Citizenship and Immigration Services) Service Center is either by phone or through the Internet. Applicants can check by telephone with the National Customer Service Center at 1-800-375-5283. It is helpful to have your application receipt number handy before calling. It is also possible to check the status of an application online at the USCIS Case Status Center. In order to check the status online, you will be required to provide the application receipt number, which has three letters and ten numbers. For more information, please click on this link to the USCIS homepage.
US-VISIT Fingerprint Program: The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has launched a pilot program called US-VISIT in Atlanta’s Hartsfield‑Jackson International Airport and Detroit’s Metropolitan Wayne County Airport collecting digital fingerprints of non-U.S. citizens leaving the country. This biometric exit procedure is being tested in hopes of collecting data on the timeliness of a non-U.S. citizen’s departure. It will help DHS learn which visitors stayed within the limits of their visa and which ones overstayed illegally. Non-U.S. citizens will have their digital fingerprints collected before boarding their flights at assigned security checkpoints. For more information, please click here US-VISIT.
California Governor Looks to Cut Immigrant Benefits: With no end in sight to California’s budget crisis, the governor is looking to cut three programs that benefit legal immigrants. The social services in question are Medi-Cal, the California Food Assistance Program and the Cash Assistance Program for Immigrants (CAPI). These programs have been in jeopardy of being scaled back before, however the California legislature has always come to the rescue. What makes this round of cuts different is that the governor is asking for complete elimination of all three programs. These programs were put in place to assist low-income families with rent, food and medical care. (source: newamericamedia.org)
Hispanic Woman Nominated to Supreme Court: President Barak Obama on Tuesday, May 26, 2009, nominated Sonia Sotomayor, a federal judge from New York, to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court. Sotomayor is of Puerto Rican decent and grew up in the housing projects of New York. Sotomayor is known for her activism and passionate support of the Latino community. Her appointment to the bench could bring a sympathetic ear to the issue of immigration reform. (source: nytimes.com