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Immigration News - July and August of 2016

08/31/2016: Donald Trump Address on Immigration

Donald Trump delievered an important speech on immigration today and also unveiled his ten-point plan:

  1. We will build a wall along the Southern Border
  2. End Catch-And-Release
  3. Zero tolerance for criminal aliens
  4. Block Funding For Sanctuary Cities
  5. Cancel Unconstitutional Executive Orders & Enforce All Immigration Laws
  6. We Are Going To Suspend The Issuance Of Visas To Any Place Where Adequate Screening Cannot Occur
  7. We will ensure that other countries take their people back when we order them deported
  8. We will finally complete the biometric entry-exit visa tracking system.
  9. We will turn off the jobs and benefits magnet
  10. We will reform legal immigration to serve the best interests of America and its workers

08/31/2016: USCIS Seeks Comments on Proposed International Entrepreneur Rule

"On Wednesday, August 31, USCIS published a notice of proposed rulemaking in the Federal Register inviting public comment, for 45 days, on the proposed International Entrepreneur Rule. To submit a comment, follow the instructions in the notice. After the 45-day period, we will address the public comments. The proposed rule will not take effect with the publication of the notice of proposed rulemaking. Instead, it will take effect on the date indicated in the final rule when the final rule is published in the Federal Register." - USCIS

08/29/2016: Top Destinations for Syrian Refugees: Michigan and California

The top destination for Syrian refugees arriving in the U.S. is the state of Michigan. Close on Michigan's heels is California, which has taken in 1,030 Syrians between Oct. 1 of last year and Aug. 29, the federal figures show.

Arizona and Texas, two red states led by Republican governors who have flat-out said they don't want Syrian refugees because they supposedly pose a security risk, are next on the list having taken in 766 and 735 people, respectively, the figures show. - NBC

08/26/2016: USCIS Proposes Rule to Welcome International Entrepreneurs

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is proposing a new rule, which would allow certain international entrepreneurs to be considered for parole (temporary permission to be in the United States) so that they may start or scale their businesses here in the United States.

The proposed rule would allow the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to use its existing discretionary statutory parole authority for entrepreneurs of startup entities whose stay in the United States would provide a significant public benefit through the substantial and demonstrated potential for rapid business growth and job creation. Under this proposed rule, DHS may parole, on a case-by-case basis, eligible entrepreneurs of startup enterprises. - USCIS

08/24/2016: Avoid Payment Scams: USCIS Does Not Accept Fees By Phone or Email

"Immigrants all over the country are being targeted in scams. Don’t be one of the victims! Scammers may call or email you, pretending to be a government official. They will say that there is a problem with an application or additional information is required to continue the immigration process. They will then ask for personal and sensitive details, and demand payment to fix any problems.

Remember, USCIS officials will never ask for payment over the phone or in an email. If we need payment, we will mail a letter on official stationery requesting payment. If you receive a scam email or phone call, report it to the Federal Trade Commission at http://1.usa.gov/1suOHSS. If you are not sure if it is a scam, forward the suspicious email to the USCIS Webmaster at [email protected]. USCIS will review the emails received and share with law enforcement agencies as appropriate." - USCIS

08/21/2016: Donald Trump's Immigration Reform May Be Less Severe Than We Thought

Several people who met with Trump on Saturday told NBC that the Republican nominee seems to be easing his stance on illegal immigration. “He definitely was seeking input from this group of Latinos in terms of immigration reform,” Jesus Marquez, a Nevada political analyst and Latino outreach strategist, told the news outlet. “He is expecting for us to lay out points of a future plan for immigration.” - Fortune

08/09/2016: September 2016 Visa Bulletin Released

The Department of State has released the Visa Bulletin for September 2016. The table below shows "Final Action (Approval)" cut-off dates and movement from the previous month, for all major employment-based categories. To see filing cut-off dates or family-sponsored categories please go to the Visa Bulletin page linked above. For historical data, predictions and more information please refer to our Visa Bulletin Toolbox.

Chargeability Preference Cut-off Date (Y-M-D) Movement (Days)
China Second (EB2) 2010-01-01 0
India Second (EB2) 2005-02-22 99
ROW Third (EB3) 2016-05-01 47
China Third (EB3) 2010-01-01 0
India Third (EB3) 2005-02-15 99
Mexico Third (EB3) 2016-05-01 47
Philippines Third (EB3) 2010-07-01 412

08/09/2016: Transcript of USCIS-DOS-HHS Press Call on Syrian Refugee Processing

"The United States has been a global leader in the resettlement of refugees. That’s why last year the President made a renewed commitment to help in some of the most vulnerable refugees in the world, pledging to increase the number of refugees we will accept from around the world to 85,000 from 70,000 per year over the last three years. As part of this commitment we also pledged to welcome at least 10,000 refugees fleeing the terrible conflict in Syria." - USCIS

08/08/2016: How To Fix Our Messed-Up Immigration System So It Boosts The Economy

Recently, the Supreme Court, through a 4-4 vote, affirmed a federal judge’s ruling and effectively killed President Obama’s suspension of the law requiring deportation of millions of illegal immigrants to instead grant them work visas. It’s obvious the court can’t fix our immigration system, however. Congress has to take up the task. If the recent Brexit vote is an indication, any further delay in addressing our immigration policy will have serious political and economic consequences. - The Federalist

08/04/2016: Trump's wife facing questions about her own immigration history

"Trump’s wife, Melania, who was born in what is now Slovenia and worked as a New York fashion model in the mid-1990s, has held herself up as an example of an immigrant who came to the U.S. legally and followed the law. She said she applied for a green card and eventually obtained U.S. citizenship." - LA Times

07/22/2016: Backlog of pending cases at immigration courts hits record high

A backlog in the nation's federal immigration courts has reached 500,051 cases, the highest number ever recorded, according to U.S. immigration officials Friday.

The growing backlog of cases stems from several reasons: few available immigration judges, immigration laws that have grown more complicated over the years, and changing migration patterns, the head of the immigration judges' union said Friday. - KPCC

07/11/2016: August 2016 Visa Bulletin Released

The Department of State has released the Visa Bulletin for August 2016. The table below shows "Final Action (Approval)" cut-off dates and movement from the previous month, for all major employment-based categories. To see filing cut-off dates or family-sponsored categories please go to the Visa Bulletin page linked above. For historical data, predictions and more information please refer to our Visa Bulletin Toolbox.

Chargeability Preference Cut-off Date (Y-M-D) Movement (Days)
China Second (EB2) 2010-01-01 0
India Second (EB2) 2004-11-15 14
ROW Third (EB3) 2016-03-15 14
China Third (EB3) 2010-01-01 0
India Third (EB3) 2004-11-08 17
Mexico Third (EB3) 2016-03-15 14
Philippines Third (EB3) 2009-05-15 89

07/08/2016: USCIS Returns Unselected Fiscal Year 2017 H-1B Cap-Subject Petitions

USCIS announced on July 8, 2016, that it has returned all fiscal year 2017 H-1B cap-subject petitions that were not selected in our computer-generated random selection process. If you submitted an H-1B cap-subject petition between April 1 and April 7, 2016 and have not received a receipt notice or a returned petition by July 22, 2016, you may contact USCIS for assistance.

07/05/2016: Immigration reformers eye Gang of 8 revival

Graham isn't the only one eyeing a revival of the Gang of Eight, the bipartisan group of senators that shepherded a sweeping immigration bill through the Senate three years ago only to watch it stall in the House a year later. Propelled by a Republican establishment eager to make inroads with minority voters after losing them by steep margins in the 2012 election, it was the closest Congress came in a generation to overhauling the nation’s immigration laws. - Politico

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