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Showing posts with label immigration policy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label immigration policy. Show all posts
Thursday, January 25, 2018
Friday, August 17, 2012
Out of the Shadows
From the E-Newsletter of Congressman Rush Holt:
What if, when you were 18 years old, a federal agent rounded you up from the streets and demanded that you defend your standing as a member of American society? What would you say?
Maybe you would say that you were working hard to gain an education: that you had graduated from high school and were working toward college. Maybe you would say that you had enlisted in the Army and were ready to defend your nation. Maybe you would say that you were peaceful and law-abiding – that you had never committed any serious crime.
What if, despite all of your arguments, the United States government threatened to expel you from the country?
That is the situation that, for many years, millions of people throughout the United States have faced. They are the so-called “childhood arrivals”: immigrants who were brought to this country as children, who have since grown into productive and valued members of our society. Whatever your feelings on America’s immigration policies, surely you can agree that these immigrants represent our lowest deportation priorities.
In June, President Obama took a stride toward making our immigration system more rational, fair, and economically beneficial. He announced that his administration would refocus its enforcement efforts on preventing illegal border crossings and on deporting violent criminals while, at the same time, deferring action against certain childhood arrivals.
Earlier this week, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced the guidelines for the program. In general, individuals are eligible for two years of deferred action, subject to renewal, if they are under the age of 31, came to the U.S. before they turned 16, have not committed any serious crime, and have either graduated from high school or been honorably discharged from the Coast Guard or Armed Forces.
More details, including application instructions, are now available on the USCIS Childhood Arrivals website. If you have questions about or difficulty with the application process, please let me know. You can reach me at 1-87-RUSH-HOLT (1-877-874-4658) or at holt.house.gov/contact.
Key Economic Data Now Available on Smartphones
How many manufacturers are doing business in Monmouth County? How many women-owned companies are located in the Trenton area? What is the average income in North Brunswick?
The answers to these questions can guide policymakers and can be vitally important to small businesses and entrepreneurs. Fortunately, these answers and many more can be found online using the Census’s American FactFinder website.
Now, the Census Bureau has taken a step to make a few of the nation’s most important economic indicators even more accessible. Through the new “America’s Economy” app, now available for Android phones and coming soon to iPhones, you can find the latest details on 16 key economic indicators anywhere, anytime.
Honoring Congressional Award Recipients
Earlier this week, I had the honor of presenting Congressional Award medals to area students who had devoted hundreds of hours to achieving challenging goals in volunteer service, personal development, physical fitness, and exploration.
In the photograph above, I am joined at the Monmouth County Library Headquarters by (from left to right) Award recipients Bowen Lu, Holmdel; Hari Ravichandran, Holmdel; Jade Saybolt, Shrewsbury; Edbert Lu, Plainsboro; Melissa Dominach, Fair Haven; Adam Ashenfarb, Morganville; Kunaal Patade, West Windsor; and Cameron Wilson, Manalapan.
Sincerely,
Rush Holt
Member of Congress
Member of Congress
Sunday, August 7, 2011
New Rule Severely Restricts US Visas for Families of Americans Abroad
I received the information below from a friend of mine who has been living and working overseas for a number of years now and is concerned about the new policy towards immigration affecting a number of ex-patriates who may have been married and had children while living out of the country. The new rules will restrict those seeking to return to the U.S. with family members who were not natural born citizens.
So for those that have loved ones working and living overseas or may be thinking about it, this information may be of interest to them.
FACT SHEET
Before the Rule Change, an Efficient Process with Face-to-Face Assistance
• Each year, 16,000 Americans abroad submit Form I-130 to move back to the US with their families, and most go to the nearest US Consulate.
• As of August 15th, Form I-130 cannot be submitted at US Consulates. Americans in 172 countries will only be able to conduct the process by mail, through the USCIS Chicago Lockbox.
• Americans abroad may not cross borders to the closest USCIS field office to submit the form.
After the Rule Change, Overseas Americans Forced into a Long-distance Process
• Prolonged approvals will result, from 1-3 months to 1-3 years, likely separating families from the start to the visa interview.
• During the approval process, separated family members will not be allowed to visit the US. Form I-130 becomes evidence against visitor visas, and all non-American family members will be subject to greater scrutiny due to this Rule Change.
• American families will be separated for years due to the Rule Change.
• Documents and evidence will be sent internationally rather than handled in-country. Notices, including key deadlines, will be sent by international mail, subject to theft and erratic service –delays may result in automatic rejections.
• American citizens will be forced to decide between waiting years and abandoning their families. Only long-distance interaction with government officials will decide to grant a visa interview. Consular officials will no longer be involved.
• Fee payment (Checks or money orders only) must be drawn on a US bank or financial institution.
• Arbitrary and discriminatory effect on American families, due to where they live. An estimated 10,000 Americans each year will be hurt by the Rule Change.
USCIS Fails to Provide Fair and Forthright Notice of the Rule Change
• The USCIS calls this a simple “form change” to promote “efficiency and flexibility” for the agency. For American citizens living abroad, the door to the US will be shut, and it will happen without notice.
• The USCIS did not attempt to evaluate the impact on American families abroad. The rule can still be suspended for study, but the USCIS proceeds without regard for the consequences.
• The USCIS & STATE DEPT deliberately chose not to warn Americans who obtain the form prior to August 15th. As of August 1st, the State Department has not issued any notice that Consular officials will no longer deal with these requests.
• The Rule Change does not save money for anyone. All expenses for immigrant and non-immigrant visa processing are mandated by law to be covered by the fees charged. The fees to begin the process are more than $400, and more fees are required to continue. Secure international mailings will increase the cost of each submission by hundreds of dollars.
• The USCIS inaccurately describes the process as a benefit to Americans abroad, because local mail services substitute for traveling short distances for face-to-face assistance.
For more information, IMMIGRATION@democratsabroad.org and visit the
Democrats Abroad Immigration Group’s Webpage
Rule Citation: http://www.democratsabroad.org/sites/all/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=94067&qid=13103968
DHS Docket No. USCIS–2011–0002 -- Federal Register, Vol.76,No. 95,
Tuesday, May 17, 2011, Page 28303
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