Rani Emandi Esquire, PLLC

07/06/2011

U.S. Mayors Call for Comprehensive Immigration Reform

In late June, the United States Conference of Mayors passed a resolution calling for comprehensive national immigration reform.

06/30/2011

Department of Labor Proposes to Move Up Effective Date for New H-2B Prevailing Wage Rule

In the latest issue of the Federal Register, the Department of Labor is proposing to amend the effective date of Wage Methodology for the H-2B visa program.

06/25/2011

New Gallup Poll Shows Americans Slightly Prefer Lower Immigration Rates

According to data from a new Gallup poll, Americans continue to show a slight preference for lower immigration rates. Gallup states that these perceptions are similar to what was seen last year and remain in line with poll data on the topic since 2002.

06/13/2011

ICE to Limit Work Restrictions for Eligible F-1 Students from Libya

ICE has announced that it will offer special relief to some F-1 students from Libya who have experienced severe economic hardships because of the current civil unrest in Libya.

06/07/2011

Proposed Bill Would Allow DHS to Indefinitely Detain Immigrants

A new bill, just filed by Representative Lamar Smith (R-TX), proposes to give the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) the authority to indefinitely detain immigrants.

05/25/2011

USCIS Centralizes Filing Location for Form I-130, the Petition for an Alien Relative

USCIS announced this week that, effective August 15, 2011, all petitioners who live in countries without USCIS offices will be able to file Form I-130, the Petition for an Alien Relative, with the USCIS lockbox in Chicago.

05/17/2011

Disappointment for Visa Lottery Winners Worldwide

04/29/2011

USCIS Undergoing ‘Transformation’ to Electronic Environment

USCIS is moving closer to being a fully electronic organization, according to Alejandro Mayorkas, USCIS director. Last week, Mayorkas announced that he wishes to transform the agency into a more streamlined paperless service.

04/26/2011

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

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.

04/26/2011

Top Republican Calls for H-1B Reform

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 sp...

04/26/2011

USCIS Adopts Final Rule Regarding Employment Eligibility Verification

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.

04/26/2011

USCIS Posts Number of FY 2012 H-1B Petitions Received

The first information about petitions submitted for the Fiscal Year 2012 H-1B program has just been posted by USCIS and, as expected, the amount of petitions received by the federal agency are low.