Immigrating to the U.S. Through Green Card Lottery [Diversity Immigrant Visa Program (DV Lottery)]

Each year, the Diversity Immigrant Visa (DV) Program (DV lottery)(also known as green card lottery) makes 50,000 immigrant visas available to eligible applicants who are selected in the lottery. To qualify for the lottery, an applicant must be a native of one of the listed country; and have the U.S. equivalent of a high school diploma, or have 2 years of related experience in the last 5 years in an occupation that requires at least 2 years of experience or training.

The initial DV lottery submission is absolutely free.

The U.S. Department of State (DOS) advises that there are many websites posing as the U.S. government and charging fees for this online submission. Applicants should be wary of websites posting as the U.S. government. Only applicants who win the lottery will be required to, eventually, pay any visa or other fees set by and to the U.S. government.

For applicants who seek help to submit a DV lottery entry using “Visa Agents”, Visa Consultants” or other individuals (collectively, Facilitator), the DOS further advises applicants to be present during the online DV lottery submission to ensure that all his/her personal information is entered accurately, and to retain the confirmation page containing the unique confirmation number because some Facilitators may extort money in exchange for the confirmation number. The confirmation number is the ONLY way for an applicant to verify if (s)he has been selected in the DV lottery and further procedures.

While applicants are free to seek help, most applicants submit this initial part of the DV lottery application on their own. Some winning applicants do seek out help from lawyers in preparing for their visa interviews since the information and documentation required for the visa interview is a bit more detailed than the initial free online submission.

If an applicant can meet these requirements, they can submit their entries online free at http://www.dvlottery.state.gov/ . Each applicant will be required to electronically submit photographs and information about themselves, their spouse, and unmarried children under the age of 21. The information required of each applicant and their family members includes, but are not limited to:

1. FULL NAME – Last/Family Name, First Name, Middle name
2. DATE OF BIRTH – Day, Month, Year
3. GENDER – Male or Female
4. CITY WHERE YOU WERE BORN
5. COUNTRY WHERE YOU WERE BORN – The name of the country should be that which is currently in use for the place where you were born.
6. COUNTRY OF ELIGIBILITY OR CHARGEABILITY FOR THE DV PROGRAM – Your country of eligibility will normally be the same as your country of birth. Your country of eligibility is not related to where you live. If you were born in a country that is not eligible for the DV program, please review the instructions to see if there is another option for country chargeability available for you. For additional information on chargeability, please review DOS DV 2012 Instructions under “Frequently Asked Question #1”.
7. MAILING ADDRESS – In Care Of, Address Line 1, Address Line 2, City/Town, District/Country/Province/State, Postal Code/Zip Code, and Country
8. COUNTRY WHERE YOU LIVE TODAY
9. PHONE NUMBER (optional)
10. E-MAIL ADDRESS – provide an e-mail address to which you have direct access. You will NOT receive an official selection letter at this address. However, if your entry is selected and you respond to the notification of your selection through the Entry Status Check, you will receive follow-up communication from the Kentucky Consular Center (KCC) by e-mail notifying you that details of your immigrant visa interview are available on Entry Status Check.
11. WHAT IS THE HIGHEST LEVEL OF EDUCATION YOU HAVE ACHIEVED, AS OF TODAY? You must indicate which one of the following represents your own highest level of educational achievement: (1) Primary school only, (2) High school, no degree, (3) High school degree, (4) Vocational school, (5) Some university courses, (6) University degree, (7) Some graduate level courses, (8) Master degree, (9) Some doctorate level courses, and (10) Doctorate degree
12. MARITAL STATUS – Unmarried, Married, Divorced, Widowed, or Legally Separated
13. NUMBER OF CHILDREN – Entries MUST include the name, date, and place of birth of your spouse and all natural children. Entries must also include all children legally adopted by you, and stepchildren who are unmarried and under the age of 21 on the date of your electronic entry , even if you are no longer legally married to the child’s parent, and even if the spouse or child does not currently reside with you and/or will not immigrate with you. Note that married children and children 21 years or older are not eligible for the DV; however, U.S. law protects children from “aging out” in certain circumstances. If your electronic DV entry is made before your unmarried child turns 21, and the child turns 21 before visa issuance, he/she may be protected from aging out by the Child Status Protection Act and be treated as though he/she were under 21 for visa-processing purposes. Failure to list all children who are eligible will result in disqualification of the principal applicant and refusal of all visas in the case at the time of the visa interview. See DOS DV 2012 Instructions under Frequently Asked Question #11.
14. SPOUSE INFORMATION – Name, Date of Birth, Gender, City/Town of Birth, Country of Birth, and Photograph. Failure to list your eligible spouse will result in disqualification of the principal applicant and refusal of all visas in the case at the time of the visa interview. You must list your spouse here even if you plan to be divorced before you apply for a visa.
15. CHILDREN INFORMATION – Name, Date of Birth, Gender, City/Town of Birth, Country of Birth, and Photograph: Include all children declared in question #13 above.

When an applicant completes the online lottery application, they will get a confirmation number which they should print out. This confirmation number will be the only means by which the applicant will learn of their having won the lottery. Entry into each year’s DV Lottery is allowed only during a limited period of time. The period to apply for the 2011 and 2012 DV lottery has already closed. The entry period for the 2013 DV lottery will be announced on this website.

Once the application is submitted online, applicants can check the status of their DV lottery application online at www.dvlottery.state.gov . 2011 DV lottery winners have already been notified that they won. 2012 DV lottery winners will only find out that they have won by using the Entry Status Check section of the DV lottery website and how to proceed on their applications. Non-winning entries will learn of their non-selection using the Entry Status Check online system as well. The entry status check portion of the above website will provide winning applicants with a link to further instructions on how to proceed on their applications if they are selected.

If you would like more information on the DV lottery, please consult the website above or contact an immigration attorney.

Author: Aaron Hurlock, an Immigration Paralegal with about 10 years of professional immigration experience.

Editor & Contributor: Aik Wan Kok, Attorney at Law, at Tiya PLC; Tel: 703-772-8224
www.tiyaimmigration.com ; http://tiyalaw.blogspot.com ; www.immigrationresource.net

We represent employers, and individuals and their families in green card and work visa matters in U.S. immigration law.

All Rights Reserved.
This article is intended for informational purposes only, and should not be relied on as a legal advice or an attorney-client relationship.

Waiver of Joint Filing Requirement Based on Extreme Hardship for I-751 (Removal of Conditions on Permanent Resident Status)

Each year U.S. Citizens and Legal Permanent Residents apply to obtain permanent resident status for their foreign national spouse’s through filing an Immigrant Petition for Alien Relative (I-130) and Adjustment of Status Application (I-485). Upon approval of the application, the sponsored spouse is usually granted 2 year conditional permanent residence status.

Usually, the sponsored alien and U.S. citizen sponsor jointly file Form I-751 with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service, when the conditional permanent residence status is within 90 days of expiring.

When the marriage no longer exists or there is some other reason the I-751 form cannot be filed jointly, the conditional permanent resident must file for a waiver of the joint filing requirement. One of the reasons for filing a waiver of the joint filing requirement is that the removal of the sponsored alien would cause an extreme hardship if the alien were removed to his home country.

According to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services’ policy, those hardships which would occur as result of the alien’s removal to their home country will be considered in connection with an extreme hardship waiver of the I-751 joint filing requirement. Some examples of extreme hardships that might qualify for a hardship waiver include:

1. There is a close U.S. Citizen family member or Legal Permanent Resident who depends on the alien for their medical or other care.
2. Removal of the alien to the home country will result in their being shunned or persecuted because divorce is frowned upon. If the marriage involved a Muslim woman marrying a Christian man, maybe the alien would be subjected to shunning or persecution.
3. The alien is undergoing medical treatment in the U.S. that they cannot receive in their home country.

This list is not intended to be an exhaustive list of extreme hardships that might qualify for a waiver of the I-751 joint filing requirement. The purpose of this list is to emphasize that the extreme hardship must be the proposed result of the alien’s removal from the U.S.

Also, if you are the victim of abuse, you should consult with an immigration attorney to see if you are eligible for U visa or Violence Against Woman Act (VAWA) benefits.

If you feel that you might qualify an extreme hardship waiver, you should gather what documentation that you have and consult with an immigration attorney. An immigration attorney will let you know if your situation and the evidence you have qualify you for an extreme hardship waiver.

Author: Aaron Hurlock, an Immigration Paralegal with about 10 years of professional immigration experience.

Editor: Aik Wan Kok, Attorney at Law, at Tiya PLC; Tel: 703-772-8224
www.tiyaimmigration.com ; http://tiyalaw.blogspot.com ; www.immigrationresource.net
We represent employers, and individuals and their families in green card and work visa matters in U.S. immigration law.

All Rights Reserved.
This article is intended for informational purposes only, and should not be relied on as a legal advice or an attorney-client relationship.

Proposed Policy to Expedite I-601 Extreme Hardship Waiver is Currently Under Review!

Recently, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is considering a proposal to expedite the adjudication, based on extraordinary circumstances, of I-601, Application or Waiver of Grounds of inadmissibility (“I-601 extreme hardship waiver”) filed by individuals outside the United States.

Foreign nationals or non-U.S. citizens (including green card holders) with certain histories may need I-601 and/or other waivers, etc to be allowed to enter, remain or return to the U.S. These certain histories include, but are not limited to: (a) the commission of certain crime, or even possible commission of misrepresentation/fraud to obtain or attempt to obtain immigration benefits in or to the U.S.; (b) certain medical conditions; (c) certain period(s) of illegal presence in the U.S.; (d) abandonment (intentional/unintentional) of green card; and/or (e) certain removal/deportation experience within the U.S. immigration law. At present, the wait-time for an I-601 extreme hardship waiver varies widely between the immigration adjudication offices, from 6 months to 1 year. Certain adjudication offices can take several years to adjudicate an I-601 waiver while an extremely small number of adjudication offices may only take several days to several weeks. As a result, family separation is often lengthy and uncertain, and for the unfortunate ones, permanent.

Under the proposed expeditious adjudication policy, each expeditious request would be handled on a case-by-case, and discretionary basis. Since a strong desire to immigrate to the United States immediately would not be considered an “extraordinary circumstance”, it follows that extreme hardships from family separation would not by itself qualifies for the proposed expeditious handling of I-601.

The proposed “extraordinary circumstance” may apply if there is compelling and urgent, or time-sensitive reason necessitating the foreign national’s presence in the United States sooner than the regular I-601 extreme hardship processing time. For example, “extraordinary circumstance” may include, but are not limited to:

1. I-601 applicant’s urgent or critical medical reasons;
2. A (qualifying) family member in the United States has life-threatening medical condition necessitating immediate need of assistance from the I-601 applicant;
3. Urgent or critical circumstances such as terminal illness or death of a (qualifying) family member;
4. Vulnerable individual due to age or disability of the I-601 applicant or qualifying family member;
5. I-601 applicant is at risk of serious harm due to personal circumstances unrelated to the general safety conditions of those living in the applicant’s country;
6. It would be in the national interest of the United States to have the applicant in the United States (for example, applicant’s special skills, applicant’s urgent contribution is sought by the U.S. government entity); OR
7. Member of the Armed Forces of the United States:
(a) I-601 applicant’s qualifying member is a member of the military who is deployed or will soon be deployed; and
(b) I-601 applicant demonstrates compelling reasons (impact to the applicant, qualifying family member or their children) for expeditious adjudication of the I-601 extreme hardship waiver in light of the deployment.

The above and recently proposed policy on expeditious handling of I-601 extreme hardship waiver is currently under review by the USCIS and has not yet been adopted.

Please also visit http://tiyalaw.blogspot.com/2010/06/improvements-in-adjudication-standards.html and http://tiyalaw.blogspot.com/2010/04/permanent-or-long-term-residency-in-us.html .

By Aik Wan Kok, Attorney at Law, at Tiya PLC; Tel: 703-772-8224
www.tiyaimmigration.com ; http://tiyalaw.blogspot.com ; www.immigrationresource.net

We represent employers, and individuals and their families in green card and work visa matters in U.S. immigration law.

All Rights Reserved.
This article is intended for informational purposes only, and should not be relied on as a legal advice or an attorney-client relationship.

Green Cards: Improving Processing Time & Strategies

Choosing the correct and most suitable immigration classification and category when initiating and applying for green card status in and to the U.S. is extremely important. Depending on the type and/or classification of the green card, the wait time to obtain green card status varies tremendously, and the difference can be several months, to several years or even decades.

Immigrating to the U.S. via sponsorships through certain skill sets are effective ways to legally and permanently live and work in the U.S., or gain legal permanent residency status in the U.S.

The green card cases, based on skill sets or employable skills, in the U.S. fall under several preference categories. Some green card cases require employer sponsorships and some do not.

Some of the categories include, but are not limited to, green card employment-based preference 1 category (“EB-1”), employment-based preference 2 category (“EB-2”), and employment-based preference 3 category (“EB-3”). Choosing the most effective employment-based green card preference category is important to the foreign nationals for many reasons. Many EB-1 and EB-2 green card cases can be self-petitions, and this means, they do not require employer-sponsorships. For foreign nationals who have any green card cases (whether or not based on employment) that have been pending for too long, right now will be a good time to review various self-petition green card options. The differences in the various EB categories include, but are not limited to:

1. Many employment-based green card cases require sponsorships by employers. Other employment-based green card cases do not require the sponsorships of any specific employers, and can be self-petitions or self-sponsorships by the foreign national themselves.

a) For example, an EB-3 green card case requires the sponsorship by an employer.

b) On the other hand, an EB-2 national interest waiver green card case that is based on the foreign national’s contribution to the industry does not require the sponsorship by an employer.

c) An EB-1 extraordinary ability green card case is a self-petition immigration case, and does not require the sponsorship by an employer. Certain EB-1 green card cases require the sponsorship by an employer.

2. The wait time for green card cases for the various employment-based preference categories or cases can vary widely, ranging from several weeks or several months, to almost 9 years, because their wait time are tied to the employment-based preference category and the foreign national beneficiary’s country of birth (not nationality).

a) For example, the wait time to receive a green card based on an EB-1 case is tremendously shorter (several months or weeks) than an EB-3 case (many years) because immigrant visa numbers are more readily available for an EB-1 than an EB-3 case. Also, the wait time for an EB-2 national interest waiver case is tremendously shorter (several months or weeks) for, not all, but many countries.

b) For example, under an EB-2 case based on PERM, it takes substantially longer for a foreign national who was born in India or China to receive his/her green card (several years) than a foreign national who was born in other countries.

c) However, if a foreign national who was born in India or China is eligible and is applying for an EB-1 green card case, the wait time will be tremendously shortened.

d) Other than a bona fide marriage to a U.S. citizen, having relatives to provide immigration sponsorships to foreign nationals are by no means good solutions. Certain family-based green card sponsorships could take decades to come through.

For more information on the current immigrant visa number availability, please visit the immigrant visa bulletin at the website of the U.S. Department of States at

http://travel.state.gov/visa/bulletin/bulletin_1360.html

3. Moreover, the green card processing time at the various government agencies changes from time to time, depending on diverse factors such as their immigration case load, number of green card applicants in a given period, new law and/or policies.

a) The processing time for the various employment-based green card categories can retrogress (take much longer than the government’s previously estimated processing time).

b) For example, the processing time for many EB-3 green card cases retrogressed from a processing time of about 8.5 years in April 2009, to a sudden halt (no processing) for the month of May 2009 when immigrant visa numbers became unavailable for May 2009 because the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) cannot adjudicate green card adjustment of status cases without the available immigrant visa numbers.

e) For more information on the immigrant visa number availability (especially for April and May 2009), please visit the immigrant visa bulletin at the website of U.S. Department of States at

http://travel.state.gov/visa/bulletin/bulletin_1360.html

4. Some foreign nationals are deterred and discouraged by the dampening economy from, or their dim view in securing U.S. employment, and/or immigration or green card sponsorships.

a) For foreign nationals who do not have or wish to secure immigration sponsorships by U.S. employers, being able to apply for employment-based green card by themselves without any specific employers (i.e. self petitions or self sponsorships) can make a huge difference in their lives.
For example, the differences of either falling into illegal immigration status in the U.S.; not coming or immigrating to the U.S. or having to leave the U.S. (most often, after years of being in the U.S. with established social circles and families here); or the privileges and opportunities to live and anywhere in the U.S. with U.S. permanent residency status, and eventually, the opportunity to apply for U.S. citizenships.

In summary, choosing the most effective category of green card cases means the difference of waiting decades for your green card, to several months or weeks. Having a green card much sooner also means having the opportunities to choose to live and work anywhere in the U.S., and eventually, to apply to be U.S. citizens.

By Aik Wan Kok, Attorney at Law, at Tiya PLC; Tel: 202-506-9767
www.tiyaimmigration.com ; http://tiyalaw.blogspot.com ; www.immigrationresource.net

We represent companies, and individuals and their families in U.S. immigration law such as green card, work visa and waiver matters. We represent clients within the U.S. and abroad.

All Rights Reserved.

This article is intended for informational purposes only, and should not be relied on as a legal advice or an attorney-client relationship.

Rising Demand for Workforce, Foreign Nationals or Otherwise, As Oil Spill and Environmental Calamities Worsen in the Gulf of Mexico?

With the spread of environmental calamities as a result of the severe and continuous oil leak caused by BP’s Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion on April 20, 2010 in the Gulf of Mexico of the United States, international cooperation and efforts from various experts which include, but are not limited to the scientific, environmental, and natural oil/gas communities are more sacrosanct than ever.

This oil spill disaster is expected to be the worst environmental catastrophe in the U.S. Patches of the oil spill have already washed up on the coastal parts of three U.S. states (Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi). Before that, the oil spill has also begun to eliminate or severely dampen the livelihood of fishermen and other workforce relying on the coastal and marine economy. Even the U.S. tertiary sectors relying on the coastal or marine economy are severely affected. This oil spill catastrophe could not come at a worse time given that the U.S. and many international communities are still trying to ride out of the economic downtown. At the same time, we will see a shift of demand for other types of workforce, and the creation or increase of other types of jobs and industries.

As a result of this environmental and economical catastrophe caused by the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, we expect to see a rising demand for wide-ranging and diverse specialized professionals in the U.S. to combat the increasingly evident and potential astronomical environmental disasters. These professionals, whether they are U.S. residents or foreign nationals, may range from scientists, engineers, environmentalists, researchers, environmental and other economists, biologists, oceanographic professionals, atmospheric professionals, medical/legal/financial/insurance/business experts, geologists, and/or alternative/clean/other energy experts.

Qualified and eligible foreign national experts, professionals or technical personnel are, therefore, likely to see increasing opportunities to fill the needs in the U.S. to resolve the oil spill and related environmental, industrial and economic catastrophe.

There are many types of immigration options which would allow such qualified workforce to enter or remain in the U.S. to help resolve the oil spill and pertinent matters.

A. For nonimmigrant or temporary work visas, the immigration options include, but are not limited to:
1. H-1B specialty occupation professionals work visas.
2. H-2 seasonal or temporary worker work visas.
3. E treaty trader/investor work visas.
4. TN NAFTA country work visas.
5. L-1 intra-company transferee work visas.
6. O-1 extraordinary ability work visas.

B. For immigrant or permanent lawful residence status (commonly, known as the green card), the immigration options include, but are not limited to:

1. Employment-Based (EB-1) extraordinary ability green card status.
2. EB-1 multinational managers/executives green card status.
3. EB-2 outstanding researcher/professor green card status.
4. EB-2 national interest waiver green card status.
5. EB-2 exceptional ability green card status.

C. Depending on the foreign nationals’ credentials and eligibility, and the types of immigration option being sought, the foreign nationals may or may not require any existing or new employer-sponsors.

This would be an opportune time to call for concerted efforts from all qualified professionals and workforce, whether they are in the U.S. or abroad, foreign nationals or otherwise, to explore their expertise and opportunities to help overcome the environmental and economical problems caused by the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Ultimately, the adverse and wide-spreading environmental and economical impact from this oil spill is inherently non-adherence to national borders, and is therefore, an international concern as opposed to just a U.S. crisis.

By Aik Wan Kok, Attorney at Law, at Tiya PLC; Tel: 202-506-9767
www.tiyaimmigration.com ; http://tiyalaw.blogspot.com ; www.immigrationresource.net

We represent employers, and individuals and their families in green card and work visa matters in U.S. immigration law. We represent clients within the U.S. and abroad.

All Rights Reserved.
This article is intended for informational purposes only, and should not be relied on as a legal advice or an attorney-client relationship.

Advantages of U.S. Citizenship, Becoming a U.S. Citizen and New Naturalization Test

A. New Naturalization Test

Beginning October 1, 2009, all U.S. citizenship applicants must take the new naturalization test, regardless of when they filed for their Form N-400 Applications for Naturalization. Since October 1, 2008, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has a new naturalization test for applicants of the N-400 Applications for Naturalization to become U.S. citizens. However, up until October 1, 2009, U.S. citizenship applicants who had filed for their Form N-400 Applications for Naturalization before October 1, 2008, had a choice of taking the old naturalization test or the new naturalization test.

The new naturalization test (see www.uscis.gov/citizenship) emphasizes on the fundamental concepts of American democracy, basic U.S. history, and the rights and responsibilities of U.S. citizenship. As of September 30, 2009, the USCIS estimated that it has a 91% overall pass rate for the new naturalization test.

Some U.S. citizen applicants may be exempted or may apply for waiver from the U.S. naturalization test, depending on the criteria.

B. Criteria for Applying for U.S. Citizenship

The criteria for applying for U.S. citizenship vary from case to case. In general, a green card holder or permanent resident who has been continuously residing for at least half of the 5 years in the U.S. since receiving green card status may apply for U.S. citizenship or naturalization, depending on the criteria. However, a green card holder or permanent resident who is married to a U.S. citizen spouse for three years, and who has been continuously residing for at least half of the 3 years in the U.S. since receiving green card status, may apply for U.S. citizenship or naturalization, depending on the criteria.

In addition, under certain circumstances, children born to U.S. citizen parent(s) abroad may apply for U.S. passport, depending on the criteria.

C. Advantages of Being a U.S. Citizen

The advantages of being a U.S. citizen are bountiful such as the opportunities to apply for a U.S. passport; or to sponsor his/her spouse, children (of all ages), parents, and siblings for green card status. Under current U.S. immigration law, U.S. green card holders or permanent residents have limited options when it comes to family immigration sponsorship for their relatives.

For example, at present, the U.S. immigration law does not afford a green card holder or lawful permanent resident the opportunity to file for a family sponsorship for his/her parent.

Furthermore, some U.S. green card holders or permanent residents, even for those who grew up in the U.S. and knew U.S. as their only home, may unwittingly lose their green card status through abandonment or other legal mechanisms, thereby leading to deportation from the U.S.

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This article is intended for informational purposes only, and should not be relied on as a legal advice or an attorney-client relationship. For more information, please contact Aik Wan Kok, Immigration Attorney at Tiya PLC, at koka@tiyalaw.com, aikwan.kok@gmail.com, 202-506-9767 (office), 703-772-8224, and/or www.tiyaimmigration.com. Tiya PLC is a U.S. professional law practice specializing in U.S. immigration law. Ms. Kok and Tiya PLC provide legal representation to foreign nationals and their families, employers and companies in all stages and aspects of green card and work visa matters.

Comprehensive Immigration Reform - Pathway to U.S. Immigration Status and Citizenship!

In conferences and radio interview held in August 2009, President Obama has reaffirmed his position in pursuing legislative action on comprehensive immigration reform, in 2010, of the currently broken U.S. immigration systems, after attending to more critical issues such as U.S. healthcare and financial reform.

Comprehensive immigration reform is a highly advocated proposal by the U.S. government to create immigration systems to provide immigration status and citizenship to millions of undocumented foreign nationals who are currently in the U.S., as well as providing opportunities for other foreign nationals to work and live in the U.S. under efficient and regulated processes.

Foreign nationals are vital to the U.S. economy, especially during this international economic crisis. Foreign nationals often bring with them diverse skill sets to fill the labor shortages for work which could not be completely filled by U.S. citizens. In addition, the diverse cultures and backgrounds of foreign nationals generate new and increased demands and services in the U.S., which in turn, will positively stimulate the economy and create additional jobs. The U.S. has been a country which has historically thrived on the contributions of immigrants and U.S. natives, and will continue to be so.

As a former immigrant and an immigration attorney, I have experienced the U.S. immigration systems on both personal and professional levels. After years of good faith efforts by the U.S. government to implement piecemeal immigration law (which often do not work in harmony with the other immigration law) to address immigration issues, the execution of the U.S. immigration law has become cumbersome and extremely difficult. A comprehensive immigration reform in the U.S. is crucial to a well-regulated society, workforce and economy.

It is not possible to halt illegal immigration into the U.S. The only way to implement fully functioning immigration systems for a well-regulated nation in the U.S. would be to allow legal entries of foreign nationals in orderly, systematic and regulated manners under harmonious comprehensive immigration systems.

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For more information, please contact Aik Wan Kok, Immigration Attorney, at koka@tiyalaw.com, 703-772-8224 or http://www.tiyalaw.com/. Ms. Kok at Tiya PLC represents companies and foreign nationals in the areas of immigration law (e.g. work authorization, green card and I-9 compliance). With more than a decade of professional immigration law experience with excellent results, we are your best source of professional U.S. immigration law services.

This article is intended for informational purposes only, and should not be relied on as a legal advice or an attorney-client relationship.

Will the Long-Awaited Proposed Legislation on Providing Green Card/Permanent Imigration Status to, & Uniting Families from Abroad Finally Becomes Law?

An important proposed legislation that seeks to promote timely unification of, and legal permanent residence status (also known as green card) to relatives abroad with their families in the U.S. has been reintroduced to the U.S. Senate. The Uniting American Families Act would help legal immigrants unite with and confer legal permanent residence (green card) status to their families from abroad and end the decade-long waiting periods for legal immigrant visas by, among other things, recapturing unused immigrant visas and eliminating the tragically long family immigration backlogs. The U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary has scheduled a hearing on "The Uniting American Families Act: Addressing Inequality in Federal Immigration Law" on June 3, 2009.

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For more information, please contact Aik Wan Kok, Immigration Attorney, at koka@tiyalaw.com, 703-772-8224 or www.tiyalaw.com. Ms. Kok at Tiya PLC represents companies and foreign nationals in the areas of immigration law (e.g. work authorization, green card and I-9 compliance). With more than a decade of professional immigration law experience with excellent results, we are your best source of professional U.S. immigration law services.

This article is intended for informational purposes only, and should not be relied on as a legal advice or an attorney-client relationship.