Arizona’s Newest Law Puts the Spotlight on Immigration
Giselle Carson Apr 28, 2010 in Immigration Team News
Monthly Archives from April 2010
On Friday, April 23, 2010, Arizona governor Jan Brewer signed a new immigration bill into law, sparking protest and once again making immigration reform a hot topic. The highly contested legislation makes it a crime under Arizona law to be in the United States illegally and provides police with the ability to question and detain those they suspect of being illegal immigrants. Individuals unable to produce documentation of their legal status could be fined $2,500 […]
Continue ReadingOn April 14, 2010, Florida Governor Charlie Crist signed House Bill 689 which will raise the level of proof for plaintiffs to win some slip-and-fall lawsuits against Florida businesses. Click here to read more.
Continue ReadingTwo Senators (John Kerry, D-MA and Richard Lugar, R-IN) recently proposed legislation that would create a new EB-6 visa category for entrepreneurs. The StartUp Visa Act of 2010 would permit an immigrant entrepreneur with a startup venture or business to secure a two year visa if that entrepreneur proves to have a U.S. investor that is capable of investing at least $250,000. Currently, the EB-5 visa category is the option available to immigrant entrepreneurs and requires either a $500,000 or $1 million […]
Continue ReadingE-Verify initiatives to improve efficiency and accuracy
Giselle Carson Apr 15, 2010 in Immigration Team News
DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano and USCIS Director Alejandro Mayorkas recently joined forces and introduced three new initiatives to improve efficiency and accuracy of E-Verify. These initiatives are (taken from the USCIS press release): “Streamline the adjudication process in cases of E-Verify misuse and discrimination,” “An informational telephone hotline for employees to provide a more timely, effective and seamless customer experience for workers seeking E-Verify information,” “New training videos focusing on E-Verify procedures and policies, employee rights and […]
Continue ReadingThe K-Visa Process: Tips to Navigate the Fiancé Visa
Giselle Carson Apr 14, 2010 in Immigration Tips
The K-1 Visas are popular family-based visas for foreign national fiancés of U.S. Citizens to obtain legal permanent residence in the United States. The process can be confusing and includes many time-sensitive steps that applicants should understand before beginning the process. Recently, I have had the privilege of assisting several couples from European and Latin American countries through this process, from the filing of the I-129F petition for a K-1 Fiancé Visa to the Adjustment […]
Continue ReadingSupreme Court says attorneys must advise non-citizen of plea consequences
Giselle Carson Apr 5, 2010 in Immigration Team News
The U.S. Supreme Court held last week in a 7-2 decision that defense counsel must inform a non-citizen client whether his/her plea carries a risk of deportation, a failure to do so violates the Constitution’s Sixth Amendment guarantee of the right to counsel in criminal cases. In Padilla v. Kentucky, the criminal defense attorney representing Mr. Padilla told him that he did not have to worry about the consequences of his guilty plea on his […]
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