Immigration Newsletter - April 27, 2011

U.S. Army and Navy Now Allow Recruits to Start Citizenship Process during Boot Camp.

Apr 22, 2011: The U.S. Army and Navy are now offering recruits a way to start the process of obtaining U.S. citizenship during basic training. This new feature involves changing the military's no-visitors policy during boot camp, so that federal immigration officials can assist recruits in obtaining citizenship. The military notes that only legal immigrants can apply for citizenship via this route, and they must complete five years of honorable service as part of the process. After the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, then President George W. Bush signed an executive order that would allow for a speeding up of the citizenship process for military recruits. Prior to this change in process, members of the military were required to serve one year of honorable service prior to being able to apply for citizenship.

Top Republican Calls for H-1B Reform.

Apr 20, 2011: In a special hearing held by the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, U.S. Representative Darrell Issa (R-CA) called for reform of the H-1B Visa program. "There seems little doubt that federal policies and regulations have played a large role in hampering growth," said Issa, who referred specifically to the H-1B Visa Cap in his speech. "Five years ago, Bill Gates and many others warned of the negative impact of strict caps on H-1B visas for technology workers on U.S. technology companies, with a commensurate positive effect on the high-tech industries in other countries, like China and India," said Issa. Issa isn't the only Republican to voice support for changing H-1B regulations. Last month U.S. Representative Lamar Smith (R-TX) also called for an increase in the amount of H-1B visas available per year.

USCIS Adopts Final Rule Regarding Employment Eligibility Verification.

Apr 16, 2011: Earlier this week, USCIS announced a final rule that adopted without any changes an interim rule to improve the I-9 Form process. The federal agency had received 75 public comments in response to this interim rule, which had been in effect since April 2009. All employers, agricultural recruiters and referrers who work for fees are required to verify the identity and employment authorization of each person they hire for employment in the U.S. Key changes made to the process by which eligibility is verified that were introduced in the interim rule and adopted in the final rule include prohibiting the...

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