Immigration News Resources

Eligible Ukrainians Can Now Apply for Re-Parole - Ukrianian

Починаючи з 27 лютого 2024 року, певні категорії громадян України та їхніх найближчих родичів, які фізично перебувають у Сполучених Штатах, можуть подати заявку про повторне отримання гуманітарного паролю, щоб мати можливість тимчасово залишатись в Сполучених Штатах.

Reminder: Adjustment to Premium Processing Fees Takes Effect Today

As previously announced, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services’ new inflation-adjusted premium processing fees take effect today, increasing the filing fee for Form I-907, Request for Premium Processing. USCIS published a final rule announcing the change on Dec. 28, 2023.

Refugees and Asylum Seekers Generate Billions of Dollars More Than They Cost the U.S. Government

A report released this month by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) found that refugees and asylees have generated tens of billions of dollars more in local, state, and federal tax revenues over the last 15 years than they have cost in direct government services—ultimately representing a net fiscal gain at all […]

The post Refugees and Asylum Seekers Generate Billions of Dollars More Than They Cost the U.S. Government appeared first on Immigration Impact.

Unlocking America’s Economic Potential: Insights on Immigration from the CBO Budget and Economic Outlook Report

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) recently released its latest Budget and Economic Outlook covering the period from 2024 to 2034, outlining fiscal projections for the United States for the next ten years. The report underscores that the deficit is expected to start at $1.6 trillion in fiscal year 2024 and escalate steadily, reaching $2.6 trillion […]

The post Unlocking America’s Economic Potential: Insights on Immigration from the CBO Budget and Economic Outlook Report appeared first on Immigration Impact.

USCIS Reduces Its Backlog for the First Time in Years

On February 9, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) released data about its progress toward meeting its strategic goals in fiscal year (FY) 2023. For the first time in years, the agency reduced its net backlog, despite having received a record 10.9 million filings. This represents welcome news for an agency which has been under […]

The post USCIS Reduces Its Backlog for the First Time in Years appeared first on Immigration Impact.

DHS Changes H-1B Registration Process to Give Noncitizens an Equal Chance of Selection

Department of Homeland Security’s U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) recently issued a final rule that changes H-1B registration selection and makes other changes related to the registration process. Beginning in March 2024, registration selection for the opportunity to file an H-1B petition subject to the annual “cap” on H-1B visa numbers will be “beneficiary […]

The post DHS Changes H-1B Registration Process to Give Noncitizens an Equal Chance of Selection appeared first on Immigration Impact.

How Americans View the Situation at the U.S.-Mexico Border, Its Causes and Consequences

The Pew Research Center - February 15, 2024 - 13:57

Just 18% of U.S. adults say the government is doing a good job dealing with the large number of migrants at the border. Eight-in-ten say it is doing a bad job, including 45% who say it's doing a very bad job.

The post How Americans View the Situation at the U.S.-Mexico Border, Its Causes and Consequences appeared first on Pew Research Center.

Migrant encounters at the U.S.-Mexico border hit a record high at the end of 2023

The Pew Research Center - February 15, 2024 - 13:50

The U.S. Border Patrol had nearly 250,000 encounters with migrants crossing into the United States from Mexico in December 2023.

The post Migrant encounters at the U.S.-Mexico border hit a record high at the end of 2023 appeared first on Pew Research Center.

Speak Now or Forever Hold Your Peace

AILA member Maurice "Mo" Goldman shares insights into why it feels the country is moving away from valuing its history as a "nation of immigrants" and emphasizes the need for immigration attorneys and their clients to share their stories and shift the narrative.

The post Speak Now or Forever Hold Your Peace first appeared on Blog: Think Immigration.

USCIS Finalizes Increase in Fees for Immigration-Related Applications

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) finalized its long-awaited fee rule on January 30, which impacts the filing costs for almost all the agency’s applications. The new fees will take effect April 1, 2024. The agency’s fee increases significantly impact the cost for family-based and employment-based applications and petitions. In addition, USCIS is charging a […]

The post USCIS Finalizes Increase in Fees for Immigration-Related Applications appeared first on Immigration Impact.

Data Snapshot: The Number of Black Immigrants in the US Continues to Rise

By Karen Aho and Quinn Bankson Black immigrants not only contribute to America’s rich political and cultural history—think rapper Wyclef Jean, U.S. Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, or basketball’s Hakeem “The Dream” Olajuwon, to name but a very few—they also play an important and growing role in our economy, making outsize contributions in industries facing critical worker […]

The post Data Snapshot: The Number of Black Immigrants in the US Continues to Rise appeared first on Immigration Impact.

Completing an Unprecedented 10 Million Immigration Cases in Fiscal Year 2023, USCIS Reduced Its Backlog for the First Time in Over a Decade

Today U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is releasing end of fiscal year (FY) 2023 data that illustrate the agency’s progress in meeting its strategic priorities. The USCIS workforce has worked tirelessly over the past year to uphold America’s promise as a nation of welcome and possibility by reducing backlogs, improving customer experience, addressing humanitarian needs, and strengthening employment-based immigration.

25 Years Ago the State Department Recognized How Visa Consul and Immigration Counsel Can Work Together in the Visa Application Process

AILA member Liam Schwartz reflects on Department of State cable 99 State 21138 which was spearheaded by the late Stephen K. Fischel; the cable highlights the importance to the visa application process of the working relationship between consular officers and immigration attorneys.

The post 25 Years Ago the State Department Recognized How Visa Consul and Immigration Counsel Can Work Together in the Visa Application Process first appeared on Blog: Think Immigration.

Senate Deal Would Significantly Transform Border Policy

The “Emergency National Security Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2024” was released on February 4. For months, a bipartisan group of senators negotiated the compromise bill, which proposes significant changes to asylum and border policy to release billions in foreign military aid. The $118 billion bill would provide the president a new emergency expulsion authority that would […]

The post Senate Deal Would Significantly Transform Border Policy appeared first on Immigration Impact.

ICE Subjected Immigrants in Detention to Unnecessary Surgeries, Report Finds

The Office of Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (OIG) published a report last month finding that nearly one-third of medical procedures performed on immigrants in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody were not properly authorized. The report found that ICE improperly authorized 32% of major surgeries performed on individuals in […]

The post ICE Subjected Immigrants in Detention to Unnecessary Surgeries, Report Finds appeared first on Immigration Impact.

Tools Outage

USCIS will conduct system maintenance to the Contact Relationship Interface System (CRIS) on Wednesday, Feb. 7, 2024 at 11:50 p.m. through Thursday, Feb. 8, 2024 at 2:00 a.m. Eastern.

The Mandatory Detention of Unlawful Entrants Seeking Asylum in the United States and the Due Process Protection

AILA Law Journal author Jim Nzoguma Mayua shares more about his article in the Fall 2023 edition of the journal, in which he discusses the legal uncertainty stemming from Supreme Court rulings denying asylum seekers due process protection.

The post The Mandatory Detention of Unlawful Entrants Seeking Asylum in the United States and the Due Process Protection first appeared on Blog: Think Immigration.

A Shortage of Immigration Lawyers Is Another Barrier to Integration for Immigrants

Immigrants are now far more likely to face the complexities of the immigration court system alone, without an attorney. As of December 2023, only 30% of immigrants with pending cases have secured representation, down from 65% just four years ago.   This new data comes from Syracuse University’s Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC). On January […]

The post A Shortage of Immigration Lawyers Is Another Barrier to Integration for Immigrants appeared first on Immigration Impact.

USCIS Announces Strengthened Integrity Measures for H-1B Program

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) today announced a final rule to strengthen the integrity of and reduce the potential for fraud in the H-1B registration process, including by reducing the potential for gaming the registration system and ensuring each beneficiary would have the same chance of being selected, regardless of the number of registrations submitted on their behalf.

USCIS Issues Final Rule to Adjust Certain Immigration and Naturalization Fees

Today, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) published a final rule to adjust certain immigration and naturalization benefit request fees for the first time since 2016.

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