US Immigration Attorney Chris M. Ingram: July-August 2010 Newsletter. Welcome*

Keep up to date with the latest US Immigration news right here!

 – Welcome
 – Arizona Law Defeated
 – H-1B Graduates & Skilled Workers
 – Entertainment Professionals
 – Fiancée and Marriage Visas
 – Law Office News

The last two months have been quite dramatic on the immigration landscape. In short, there has been a lot of noise in Congress about several immigration issues, Secondly, we are watching the adjudication trends within the US Immigration (USCIS) and our office has been working developing practice to better serve our clients. Overall it’s been a very busy time. 

Typically, I write a newsletter every month but for July I kept waiting and waiting for certain immigration news to resolve that never did and so I decided to wait until August and make this issue a bi-monthly issue. Ok, so what’s been going on?

Many of us are anxiously looking forward for Comprehensive Immigration Reform. Although the headline news really does focus on whether or not to grant an Amnesty to 12 million undocumented aliens (this number is banded about a lot in the media, but there is no remotely accurate way to know the numbers for sure since by definition these aliens are undocumented) Comprehensive Immigration Reform (CIR) is really about fixing many of the regulations that have become outdated or where the legislation is clearly not working properly.  The CIR issues that I’m most looking forward to are for example, allowing E2 visa holders to upgrade to green card status after 5 years. There are hundreds of thousands of E2 visa holders who have come to the US to create jobs for Americans and have done so for years but they themselves cannot retire in the US because they cannot convert their E2 visas into green cards unless one spouse is able to use their E2 visa work permit to secure a job that could lead to a green card by employment. E2 spouses getting green cards for their entire family is actually a very big incentive for families to come over on the E2 visa in the first place. However, what if the E2 visa spouse wants to be a home makers, what if the E2 investors are two siblings and thus not able to pursue a work permit. There are many circumstances where the E2 visa, whilst a promising innovation has limitations that need to be resolved.

Many visas and green cards have quotas such as the H-1B and H-2B graduate visa and seasonal workers. 65,000 Visas are available each year, but when that quota is reached, even if an American company has a dire need for alien labor they are handicapped by the quota. This quote particularly pinches the Fashion industry and the IT industry, were the need for overseas talent is almost insatiable. Proponents of CIR are looking to remove these quotas of at the very least significantly increase these quotas to help the US economy grow.

Another area where quotas really hurt people is in the green family and employment green card sector. For example, it is possible for a US citizen to sponsor a sibling, but the annual quota is so low that that it takes on average 9 years for the sibling to be sponsored (16 years for Mexicans and 20 years for the Philippines). Nine years or more is frankly ridiculous. If a US parent wants to sponsor their own child who is over 21, the wait time is five years or more and if they happen to be married then the wait is increased to eight years. Finally, if a green card holder marries an alien the wait is almost a year and a half. These quotas were set over twenty years ago and need to be revised to reflect current demands.

So whilst I’m a very strong advocate for an Amnesty to allow these undocumented aliens to fully contribute and settle into this society CIR seeks to address many other very important issues that need every day lawful aliens would love to see reformed in a more humane manner.

US Immigration Attorney Chris M Ingram
US Immigration Law Specialist

US Immigration Law Offices of Chris M. Ingram
Chris M. Ingram LL.M., ESQ – Immigration Attorney
Admitted in New York.
Practice Specializing in US Immigration Law
520 Broadway, Suite 350,
Santa Monica,
California 90401
Tel: 310 496 4292

Everyday the Law Offices of Chris M. Ingram provides a comprehensive range of US Immigration expertise. We also provide a free consultation for our prospective clients. 

General Location:  Santa Monica, Santa Clarita, Los Angeles, California, USA.
Serving all 50 States
Copyright 2010

Please note that nothing contained in this website or link therefrom shall be regarded as providing legal advice. Please contact us directly for legal advice specific to your situation. Thank You.