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U.S.
Citizens can now apply for the new Passport Card
 WASHINGTON,
DC -
U.S. Citizens may now apply for the new U.S.
Passport Card. Since February 1st the Department of State accepts
applications for the new passport in
wallet size format. However, the issuance is not expected to happen until the
fall of 2008. A U.S. citizen can have both the regular
passport, officially called the
Passport Book, and the new
Passport Card.
The Passport Card will not replace the regular
U.S. Passport, but it will be an acceptable form of documentation for
American Citizens returning from Mexico, Canada, Bermuda and the Caribbean via land or sea. The
Passport Card
will not be accepted for international air travel where the
U.S. Passport remains the only valid document.
The U.S. government anticipates the new
Passport Card card
to speed up lines at the border and make getting into the U.S. easier. The card will be good for a
10-year period like an
American
Passport for adults. For children who are 15 years or younger the card will
be good for 5 years. The card will be embedded with a RFID or vicinity-read radio frequency identification chip,
but it will not contain any personal information.
Applications for Passport Cards were
available since February 01, 2008. However,
the Passport Cards are not expected to be
issued until the fall of 2008.
Be one of the first to receive the new U.S. Passport Card in the fall. Download the
U.S Passport Card Application Guide and apply now.
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Oral Declarations Claiming Citizenship no longer Valid at Border
 DETROIT,
MI - Gone are the days when an oral declaration by an American, Canadian or Bermudan stating their
Citizenship was sufficient for Custom and Border Patrol officers. While some were truly what they stated their
Citizenship was, others saw this as an opportunity to take advantage of the system. In a time where border security is more heavily emphasized, additional changes had to be implemented. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security as of January 31, 2008 will no longer allow oral declarations of
Citizenship. Individuals entering the United States via land or sea must present acceptable documentation. Before January 31, 2008 travelers from the U.S., Canada or Bermuda could provide a wide selection of documents to prove their citizenship. Customs and Border Patrol officers even accepted documentation such as a baptismal certificate. The list of acceptable documentation has been significantly reduced now. This documentation for American and Canadian citizens who are 19 years or older includes: the
American Passport Card,
American Passport, Canadian passports, enhanced
Driving Licenses, special tribal cards and NEXUS, SENTRI and FAST cards. Individuals from Bermuda will also have a choice. They will need to present: 1) proof of Citizenship and a
Photo ID issued by the government or 2) a Bermuda or United Kingdom passport. American and Canadian children under 18 years of age will only have to show proof of citizenship. A
Birth Certificate would be acceptable for a child. |
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Filing Period for H-1B Visa coming up
 SAN
FRANCISCO,
CA - The time is quickly approaching for the opportunity to obtain an
H-1B Visa. Applications from employers will start being accepted on April 1, 2008 for the 65,000 visas available. Of those 65,000 visas 6,800 are set aside especially for Chile and Singapore nationals. The visas go to foreigners who are highly educated meaning they have at least a
Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent. They are professionals with specialties or unique skills. Individuals with an
H-1B
Visa may be allowed to remain in the United States for a maximum of six years. The visas are highly coveted and last year the visa quota was filled in one day. By the second day that
H-1B applications were being accepted the USCIS had received nearly 150,000 applications. To make it fair to employers the government resorted to random selection. Applications filed after April 3, 2007 for fiscal year 2008 were not taken into consideration since the deadline was April 2, 2007. These applications along with those that were not selected were later returned to employers. If an employer is not able to obtain an
H-1B Visa they may want to consider planning for next year’s
H-1B Visas. Better yet employers should be looking into other ways that they
can bring professionals to the United States. Other alternatives for U.S.
employers include: the
Treaty-Trader/Treaty-Investor visa (E-1/E-2),
TN
Visa, the
J-1
Exchange Visitor Visa, the
O visa
and the
L-1
Intracompany Work Visa. Currently is seems highly unlikely that the number of H1-B visas will be increased. |
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Permanent
Residents becoming Citizens at a faster rate
 MIAMI,
FL - In previous decades many immigrants who became
Permanent Residents were just content with that and really did not think much about becoming an
American Citizen. Some believed that becoming a citizen would be like turning their back on their homeland. However, some changes have prompted more permanent residents to seek
American Citizenship. Some of the reasons include avoiding higher immigration fees, a desire to vote, eligibility for government jobs and access to other benefits. The Department of Homeland Security Office of Immigration Statistics looked at federal data spanning several decades. The data from 1973 to 2005 showed that there was a significant increase in the rate that
Immigrants were becoming American citizens. In the 1990s more
Applications were submitted compared to the 1970s and 1980s. For example, Asian immigrants who became permanent residents in the early 1990s became citizens within a decade at a quicker rate than those who became permanent residents in the early 1980s. The 1980s group had about a 44% rate versus the 1990s group that had between a 53% and 59% rate. The rate for
Mexican Immigrants in the 1990s who became citizens within a decade was about 20%. Overall Hispanics had the greatest relative increase when looking at earlier and later groups.
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Man loses his Permanent Residency and chance at Citizenship
 HONOLULU,
HI - A permanent resident card or “Green
Card” is highly desirable. It represents the opportunity for a new life in the United States and is the pathway to
U.S. Citizenship. The United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) issue the card which becomes proof of legal status in the country. Depending on the circumstances that the card is issued the individual may be eligible to apply for
Citizenship in three to five years. Recently there was a case where a permanent resident was returning from a two week vacation in Manila. An immigration official questioned him about his permanent residency card and he was told there was a problem. The man was issued his card in 1992 when he was married to an American citizen. She was the reason why he was able to obtain his permanent residency. The problem arose because he did not annul his first marriage. He ended up divorcing the American later on and
Remarried a Filipino woman. She lived in the Philippines with their two children. Wanting to bring the family to the U.S. he petitioned for a
Green Card for his wife. She was granted a green card and the children were allowed to immigrate as well. He had submitted his application for
American Citizenship before making the trip. USCIS discovered that there was fraud committed when the green card was issued. As a result, the man was taken into custody at the airport. In order to be released quickly he consented to an
Order of Removal and waived his right to a hearing when a consultant told him he had a weak case. Now the man wants to return to his family in the U.S. but the odds seem stacked against him.
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Deportation the next
Step for some Detainees
 DALLAS,
TX - When an
Illegal Immigrant ends up in jail the next step after completing their sentence may be
Deportation. The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has been more actively pursuing
Illegal Immigrants in the prison system. They are working closely with prison personnel who identify possible immigration violators. The ICE further investigates the individual in question and may later gain custody. Some
Illegal Immigrants in the prison system used to be
Permanent Residents but after committing certain crimes their legal status was stripped. In 2006 ICE issued formal immigration charges against an estimated 64,000 immigrants who were incarcerated. The following year that number increased to 164,000. The full-sentence is usually served and then the illegal immigrant is
Deported. This year more than 200,000 illegal immigrants in the prison system are scheduled for
Deportation. By more actively deporting detainees who meet certain criteria the government is hoping to reduce the overall costs of housing inmates who are illegal immigrants. They hope that after the individual is
Deported they will not make their way back into the United States. Also with this type of action they are sending the message to citizens that they are trying to make things better and are listening to their immigration concerns.
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Illegal Immigrants advised to avoid Neighboring States
 LOS
ANGELES,
CA -
To decrease the chances of getting
Deported many human smugglers and migrant shelters are encouraging
Illegal Immigrants to go to Northern states. Due to close proximity and family networks many
Illegal Immigrants in the past have opted to go to neighboring states such as California, New Mexico, Arizona and Texas. These are popular destinations where immigrants tend to feel more comfortable. However, they have also become states where immigration raids are more likely to occur and where strangers report individuals to the U.S. Border Patrol. Immigrants are facing difficulty
Crossing the U.S.-Mexico border due to increased Border Patrol agents and improved technology. One human smuggler shared that their rate for getting an individual into California was $2000 but for Illinois or Oregon the rate went up an additional $1000. There the smuggler claimed the
Illegal Immigrant could avoid the Border Patrol and increase their chances of being successful in the United States. Wages may be better and housing cheaper which are great incentives. Many states which have been non-traditional destinations for immigrants are now seeing an increase in Hispanics as a whole. Even those who are here legally are making the move.
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This newsletter is published by U.S. Immigration Support, an independent organization. U.S. Immigration Support is not affiliated with the United States government. Please review our disclaimer for more information. |
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The U.S. Immigration Newsletter is published by:
U.S. Immigration Support
511 Avenue of the Americas # 45
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Web: www.usimmigrationsupport.org
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