The US government has posed certain restrictions on all its permanent residents when it comes traveling abroad. The reentry permit is an answer to these permanent residents who can enter the United States. This permit tends to identify the intentions of the immigrant whether he wanted to abandon his status or not. This program allows an individual to enter the United States after having been overseas for 2 years. This is when he has not acquired a retuning resident visa. This permit usually lasts for duration of 2 years from the date that it has been issued.

In order to apply for this permit, the applicant needs to submit the Form I-131 along with the fee. It is suggested that this form is filed way in advance to the trip, atleast 60 days in prior. Also, the candidate should be present in the United States while filing this form.

Incase, the applicant intends to reside outside the United States for less than a year, he does not need apply for this permit. Also, if the applicant has been residing overseas for less than a year, he is permitted to use his Permanent Resident Card in the form of his document for travel.

The total fee is $385 which also involves the fee for application which costs $305 along with a biometric fee of another $80. Incase the candidate would want an email notification or a text message once his application has been accepted; he needs to file the Form G-1145 E-Notification of Application/Petition Acceptance. This form should be attached with the first page of the main application.

Once the application has been submitted, within 30 days the applicant would receive the Form I-797 Receipt Notice which confirms that the application has been accepted. This would be followed by a Notice for Appointment which would need you to be present at the Local Application Support Center where in your fingerprints would be taken.

However, the application would not be approved if the applicant already has a valid reentry permit. And also, if it has been prohibited by the federal register where in a notice has been kept to not allow such a permit for travel purposes to the specific places.

Immigration is a life altering decision which involves an investment of an entire lifetime worth of savings. So, it is important to think at least ten times before taking the plunge. Be it any developed nation such as the United States, United Kingdom or Canada, a strategy has to be formed keeping all the loopholes and the Plan Bs ready. Research and answering all your questions is the key to have a successful immigration. The research never goes waste…if you do not believe it now; time would surely prove it to you. How to go about the process effectively and what to do – all depends on your initial research. So, your first goal should be to have an objective to immigrate. And you should be very clear about it.

So, how would you go about this objective? In other words, why do you want to immigrate? The reasons can be many based on your purpose. Some such instances include:

• I want to pursue my higher studies at a subsidized fee in the United States.
• I would like to invest in the US economy and start a business.
• I am looking forward to better work and life opportunities in Canada. So, I want to immigrate to Canada.
• My company wants me to go to the UK and set up a new office but doing so is better if I am an immigrant and a permanent resident. That gives me much leverage with financial institutions and local business community.
• My husband is a citizen of Australia and so, I would want to immigrate to live with him.
• Quality of life issues such as law and order problems, pollution and corruption are important and therefore, I must migrate to a place where systems work and people can live honorably and without fear.
• I am concerned about the future of my children

The above are few of the many reasons as to why people would want to immigrate to a developed nation. After knowing the reasons behind your immigration plan, the next step is how to go about it. For this, get informed about the kind of visa that is required and whether you are eligible for it or not, how to apply for it, the documents required, the fee that has to be paid, the various procedures that have to be followed and so on.

During the above process, it is essential that you do not get confused. To avoid this, it is best to hire a registered immigration consultant who would be able to guide you through the process. This would help clear the road map further.

It has to be noted that successful immigrants in various nations have always had clear plans which has led to the accomplishment of their goals. Thus, even a consultant would be of help only if you know what you want. Good Luck!

A new lawsuit has been filed by the Justice Department against the immigration practices which are being followed by the authorities in Arizona. Two months ago, a law suit has been filed against the Maricopa Community Colleges in the Phoenix area. This was after Governor Jan Brewer was sued by the Justice Department regarding the new immigration law that has been imposed in the state. This also comes along as investigations are being carried out against the sheriff in Maricopa County, Joe Arpaio for his tough acts pertaining to immigration enforcement.

In the recent lawsuit that has been filed, as per the officials from the Justice Department, discrimination has been taking place against about 250 applicants who were not the citizens of United States. This came about during employment opportunities where in it was made compulsory for these candidates to fill in additional documents. These were not as such required by the law as qualifications for their eligibility. This clearly showed the violation of Federal Immigration and Nationality Act.

At the same time, it has been maintained by the Justice Department that this particular lawsuit is not related to the Brewer case and that of the Arpaio and other investigations which began in 2009.

As per the law’s provision of antidiscrimination, it is against the law to treat those workers with the permit different during the process of recruitment, especially on the basis of citizenship. This is as per the Assistant Attorney, Civil Rights Division, Justice Department, Thomas E. Perez. So, the government is taking the relevant steps to clear this practice.

This is one of the recent cases which has come to surface and has been taken up by the Civil Rights Division. This division has been constantly modifying itself since the Bush administration.

BEDFORD: Another field office and support centre for Immigration applications will mark its opening on September 2. The occasion would be marked by a ribbon-cutting custom, followed by tours of the premises as well as another naturalization commemoration.

Shelley Goodwin who is the Director of USCIS Associate Regional, would govern the naturalization custom along with administrating the Oath of Allegiance. Other representatives who would be present in the event would be USCIS’ Boston District Director Denis Riordan and Simon Abi Nader, who is USCIS’ Manchester Field Office Director. To add the cherry on the cake, Gov. John Lynch would provide remarks while the naturalization custom would be on its go.

Russell Marcoux, who is the Town Manager, Ted Gatsas, who is the Mayor of Manchester and Glenn C. Rotondo, who is at the post of regional administrator of General Services Administration, New England region would join the ceremony for the purpose of ribbon-cutting custom.

The new branch is located at 9 Ridgewood Road. It would cater to plenty of immigration related issues. Some of them are naturalization interviews, legal processing procedure of applications for permanent residency, and other issues linked with the aspects of fingerprinting and services related with photographic aspects. The local area’s immigration community would be aptly served by this branch office. The base of this new branch office is on a national model that is kept the same for new USCIS office premises which are located all over the nation.

The Obama government is taking steps to release thousands of undocumented migrants who have been put under detention. These illegal migrants include only those who have the capability to reach the path of being legal resident in the United States.

This measure would impact the lives of about 17,000 illegal immigrants. This decision has come about when the Immigration and Custom Enforcement (ICE) were concentrating on those illegal migrants who were involved in criminal activities. As per the authorities, it is important that the focus shifts in order to decrease the backlog which is currently predominant in the immigration courts. More so, those detained have been waiting for months and years together before a decision is taken regarding their case.

According to the Deputy Press Secretary for the Immigration Enforcement Agency, Richard Rocha, numerous resources are being put to use for the expulsion of these illegal migrants. Now the focus is completely on those illegal migrants who have indulged in criminal activities. He also mentioned that criminal charges cater to more than half of the removals. This decision has not gone down very nicely with the Republican lawmakers while the immigration advocates have favored the move.

On the other hand, the total number of immigrants who have been put under detention has almost doubled reaching 369,000 on an annual basis. As of now, about 248,000 cases are still waiting to be assessed in the immigration courts. This is as per the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse situated at the Syracuse University.

This rise has led to a huge problem pertaining to logistics as well as exposed consecutive administrations to allegations of keeping the illegal migrants under harsh conditions. However, the officials at the ICE say that this huge backlog tend to divert the officials from tracking down as well as finding these migrants and subjecting them to deportation, especially those who have indulged in criminal activities.

Above all, this can be considered as a move which is more humane in approach and if implemented rightly would definitely bring about a positive income.

The EB-5 visa has slowly come about to become one of the most sought after visas with many immigrants planning to invest in the US economy and make it their permanent home. Being an investor program, it requires a candidate to invest and contribute to the US economy by creating more jobs for the local people.

The EB-5 program has been responsible for aiding the people of the United States with many employment opportunities with millions of dollars being poured into the US economy.

Despite the positive aspects of the program, there are certain misconceptions which tend to arise due to confusion. After all, it is never that everything could be found on paper. One of the major misconceptions of this program is that this visa is very difficult to obtain and once obtained, it is tedious to keep up with the terms and conditions.

The major part of this myth involves doubts pertaining to the background checks of the applicant’s finances. These background checks have become stringent, especially post 9/11. This aspect is not only confined to the EB-5 program but to all aspects of immigration to the United States.

When it comes to the EB-5 program, a thorough background check is done for the money that is to be invested. This is to ensure that this money has been acquired legally. At the same time, the source of these funds (as far as they are legal) does not form the most important criterion of the application process.

The other requirements of the program are not as difficult to meet as it is thought to be. The requirements are more or less similar to any other immigration program in the United States. However, there is one aspect which most applicants are worried about is the job creation part. As per the guidelines, an investor must create a minimum of ten new employment opportunities in a particular region. More so, the local Americans should fill in these vacancies.

It is agreed that the above is quite challenging. However, this could be made easier by designating his investment in a particular Regional Centre which is high on the unemployment rate. These Regional Centres would aid in the process of monitoring the investment as well as in ensuring that business turns out to be productive.

More so, the Regional Centre should be selected after a thorough research and the business plan should have been developed accordingly. The business should have had a successful track record in the past.

Above all, it is agreed that some prior work needs to be done before and post applying; it is not similar to not getting a visa. It is not as big an obstacle as it is made out to be. After all, the US government has the responsibility of making sure that it has selected the right candidate to invest.

The Congressional cap on the H1-B visas has been slammed by the corporate world in the United States. The US government has been asked to permit the markets to decide on the numbers of skilled migrants from overseas (including India) to be eligible to work in the nation.

According to a latest report called as Regaining America’s Competitive Advantage: Making Our Immigration System Work, the greatness of the nation is in its openness towards new people and innovations. Not allowing such highly educated migrants to look out for opportunities who cater to further competition amongst the firms in the US would mean weakening and reducing the competitiveness of the employers in America. The plan that would suit the best for the nation is the one which caters to innovation and freedom instead of limitations. This report has been developed by the US Chamber of Commerce, American Council on International Personnel as well as the Representative Body of the American Businesses.

As per the above report, the best plan would lead to an easy way for the US firms to sponsor highly skilled migrants for green cards. This can be done by removing the labor certification as well as the immigration quotas which are based on employment where in an applicant has to be in queue for about six to twenty years.

At the same time, catering green cards to those who have graduated from institutions in the United States would also cater to retaining innovators by the employers in the US. All in all, it would be strengthening for the nation itself to keep the doors open for these highly skilled migrants. Freedom and not restriction has to be the choice.

According to stats, the total number of children in America born to undocumented workers has risen to a heavy number of 4 million in the year 2009. Contrary to this, the number was almost half in the year 2003. It was 2.7 million as confirmed from a report that came on Wednesday.

Those kids, who have been given an automatic citizenship of the country, represent a percentage of 5.4 out of all those children who are below the age group of 18 in the country. If a comparison is done from the statistics of six years earlier, it was 3.7 as confirmed by the non-partisan Pew Hispanic Center.

The report has further confirmed that this figure will see a high in the coming years. Approximately 340,000 babies out of the total 4.3 million infants who were born in the country in the year 2008 were from undocumented workers. This counts for 8 percent of the total number.

There are huge demands from the sides of legislators who are demanding a revision of the 14th Amendment which says that all those born in the country would be granted a citizenship.

Also, the U.S. Census Bureau has confirmed that the overall percentage of native-born people in the U.S. has dropped by a huge margin in last four decades. According to Jeffrey Passel from the Pew Hispanic Center, the future will see a drop in the percentage of white non-Hispanic and on the contrary, the coming years will see a hike in the number of immigrants as well as their kids.

The US government trusts that the new law which has brought about a hike in the visa fee would not bring about a difference in the ties it has with India. This law has been brought about to secure the Mexican borders with the United States by raising $600 million. This amount would be generated by increased visa fee which the Indian firms operating in the US have to pay for deploying its personnel in the States. According to Janet Napolitano, Secretary, US Homeland Security, the Obama administration has a close relationship with India and it intends to keep it that way.

As per Napolitano, this increased visa fee would only pay for immigration. And this is only for a few specific business-related visas. The visa fee hike has been on the H-1B and L visas. This way, the funds for securing the borders would not come from the general fund which is much more important for other aspects. So, this would not add to the deficit and permit the enforcement resources on a permanent basis.

The fee has increased by more than $2000 which has to be paid by the Indian firms to deploy their personnel in the United States at the client sites. More so, these firms have been called as a handful of foreign firms which tend to exploit the visa program in the United States.

All in all, the bill has been signed which would allow the funding for 1,000 new personnel to be placed at the border as the US Border Patrol agents. They would form a strike force. With this about 250 new Customs and Border Protection officers at the ports of entry and another 250 agents under the Immigration and Customs Enforcement are being recruited.

John Morton, the Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (USICE) hosted a press conference in Arizona to inform the federal government functioning under President Obama has removed more number of undocumented migrants than it has ever before from the nation. About 380,000 illegal migrants were subject to deportation in the last fiscal year. Of these, only one-thirds had been convicted of criminal activities. In this fiscal year, about 136,000 who are convicted of crimes have been deported. And so, a record has been made.

At the same time, it has to be noticed that most of those deported are hard working migrants only because they overstayed their visa. This also questions the effect of the change; this cannot be considered as immigration reform. The above is a clear example of the government only catching people and deporting them.

At the same time, the increase of funds to deploy more personnel at the US-Mexican border is coming from the increased visa fee for the Indian firms operating in the US. The new bill is which is to be signed by the President intends to hire more than 1,000 new security personnel, about 250 more agents for immigration and customs enforcements and another 250 officers for customs and border protection.

On the other hand, the President can actually bring about some reform to certain specific segments of immigration that require help greatly. But then it seems to take a while before some work is actually done.