|
|
 Immigration
Publications
Current Hot Topics
- October 1, 2009 NEW GREEN CARD LOTTERY: You can register for the new green card lottery now! Registration is October and November 2009. Click this link for rules and registration (link here). Follow our instructions and we will do the rest. Good luck.
- July 1, 2009 News for Green Card Applicants:
More on Green Card Delays - Applicants may experience a delay in the delivery of their permanent resident cards while we are in the process of upgrading our card production equipment.
- July 1, 2009 I-9 News for Employers:
Immigration and Customs Enforcement ("ICE") announced today that it will now begin investigating workplaces in every state, as it beings random (or targeted) audits of Form I-9 compliance.
ICE launches workplace immigration crackdown
By SUZANNE GAMBOA July 1, 2009
WASHINGTON (AP) - Immigration officers are investigating workplaces in every state in the U.S. to check whether they are hiring illegal workers.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement told members of Congress in an e-mail Wednesday morning that it is beginning audits of documents that employees fill out when they are hired. The documents are known as I-9's.
President Barack Obama has said his administration's strategy for stemming illegal immigration is focusing on employers who hire illegal workers.
The Bush administration was criticized for raiding businesses and arresting workers but not doing enough to go after the employers who hire them.
Frankly, it is about time. ICE has long avoided this most basic of enforcement tools. ICE has an obligation to conduct these random audits to ensure that employers are actually doing the Form I-9s, and also ensuring that employers are not skirting their Form I-9 compliance by doing a purposely bad job in completing these forms. For the same reason that the IRS conducts random and targeted tax audits, these Form I-9 compliance audits serve as a check on the overall compliance regime.
At the same time, we also note that the Form I-9 is the MOST COMPLICATED one page form ever created by man. Why does a one page form need a 65 page manual to explain how to properly complete it? The bottom line is this: It is good that ICE is conducting random audits (or even targeted audits of employers), but ICE must also understand that very few, if any, employers actually properly complete each Form I-9, and that education and good faith compliance leniency must be part of this audit process. Based upon my meeting this week with Assistant Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security John Morton, I believe we can expect a more holistic approach to this Form I-9 compliance focus.
- Visa Waiver Program visitors must preregister 72 hours before traveling to the U.S.
Starting 12 January 2009, all 90 day visa waiver visitors from Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Scandinavia, Asia and Australia must now register online through a system known as Electronic System for Travel Authorization ("ESTA") at least 72 hours before departing for the U.S. Canadians are exempt. The web site for this registration is as follows: https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov. You can voluntarily preregister now just to get into the habit. There is no cost. This registration will be valid for up to 2 years or until your passport expires whichever comes first. You can make multiple entries on each registration. We recommend that you update your travel profile every time you travel just to keep the immigration agents happy. This is not mandatory but it is suggested. Good luck and safe travels.
- Green card holders and Canadians with visas will now be fingerprinted and photographed at the border.
Happy New Year to green card holders and Canadians with visas. As of December 23, 2008, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection ("USCBP") will begin collecting biometric information from all permanent residents and Canadians holding U.S. visas when you travel into the U.S. This should not be a great inconvenience as most other visitors to the U.S. already go through the biometric process. If you are under the age of 14 or over the age of 79 you are exempt. These are known as US-VISIT Procedures: http://www.dhs.gov/usvisit.
|
