We blogged about the potential fast track to U.S. citizenship by joining the armed forces. At that time we weren’t really sure how many non-immigrants would be interested, but we were certainly aware of the attractiveness of this program. If one becomes an Army engineer and as a result can clinch citizenship in six months, … Read more
Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke testified before the Congress’ joint economic committee on May 5, 2009. The hearing focused heavily on the economy, the stress test, and Bank of America, so Bernanke’s comments on immigration went off the radar. Apparently, when asked what else could be done to stimulate the economy, Bernanke said: I know … Read more
If you have never heard of a light-green card, don’t blame yourself. It is nonexistent. And that is why we are writing this blog explaining why it should be on the table for the upcoming comprehensive immigration reform (CIR). The law requires that an immigrant visa number must be available before an I-485 (Adjustment of … Read more
I came across an interesting USCIS study about user satisfaction with their web pages. From the chart below, you can tell that approximately 60% of visitors think the USCIS Contact Us page is “not useful.” Only 27 percent believe the page is helping them. This is not surprising given the fact that it practically has … Read more
Mike Aytes, USCIS Acting Deputy Director, today posted on the DHS Leadership Journal to address employment-based visa wait times. He explained basically how the visa number system works, and went on to say this: A few months ago, a customer indicated his frustration that while he can monitor the Visa Bulletin to see how it … Read more
Most of our visitors knew that the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) ceased to exist as an agency in 2003. However, the mighty INS must have left a long lasting image in people’s minds. Why? In 2009, six years later, the word “INS” is still being searched millions of times a month! Well, maybe … Read more
Heated debate over illegal immigration moved to the back seat when the economy took a nose dive. However, with Obama’s plan to pick up comprehensive immigration reform this year, it is poised to return to the front line again. Actually conservative talkshow hosts are already switching gear to promote their simple solution: just send the … Read more
I talked about the lack of electronic payment options from USCIS. It turns out the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) does have one. Considering that IRS is all about collecting money, it makes sense. So I decided to pay my 2009 estimated tax through The Electronic Federal Tax Payment System (EFTPS). According to its website, EFTPS … Read more
When the few countries that already have nucluear weapons get together and talk about how to stop other countries from getting them, the message somehow feels less powerful than it should have been. So President Obama is going to take a brave step forward and call for a world without nuclear weapons. Yes, a Nuke-free … Read more
It is a tragic day. In a small town with few immigrants, in a small building where immigrants went to get help, a gunman opened fire and took the lives of at least 12 people, then his own. Binghamton, a small community in upstate New York, now has to handle a massacre like this. With … Read more