In a recent news, a US immigration and customs agent has been awarded a heavy reward of $2.2 million in damage, courtesy an incident in which the agent was abused by police officials in San Diego.

The award has been granted by a jury in the US confirmed that used extreme force against Mr. Lopez while he was involved in his surveillance operation in October 2006.

The US immigration confirmed that the crime was brutal. The police officials stuck a gun to the chest of the victim, bending his arm and applying excessive force while pressing his skull against the floor.

On the contrary, the officials of Chula Vista (Chula Vista law enforcement) are expressing their disappointment on the charges incurred upon them. The counter claim which they have made against Mr. Lopez elaborates that the later was uncooperative and verbally aggressive.

A spokesman said that the officers acted in an appropriate manner. They have not done anything wrong with the victim, courtesy which he has been awarded $2.2 million in damage! He further said that the officials acted in an apt manner within the regulations of the department under apprehensive and alarming circumstances.

The verdict has provided relief to Mr. Lopez but has surely created restlessness amongst the officials of Chula Vista law enforcement, who believe that their behavior was apt enough in the suspicious circumstances.

January 12th marked the occurrence of one of the most devastating earthquakes in the global history. The US government later came out with special Immigration offers for the undocumented Haitians living in the United States.

The offers include providing temporary protected status to the Haitians, along with allowing them to work in a legal manner in the US. The officials believed that the offer would serve as a huge relief for the illegal Haitians living in the country, but contrary to their belief, the offer has not been able to grab many applicants so far.

According to the Department of Homeland Security, only 34,427 of the 100,000 to 200,000 illegal Haitians residing in the US have enrolled so far. Charities believe that the onus of lesser number of applicants goes to the high application fees and therefore, it should become mandatory to have the fee abandoned! Also, the accountability for lower applicants may be due to the fact that undocumented status may not aid in getting fair wages. Therefore, many Haitian applicants may hesitate to apply for the special Immigration offers.

Speculations are going on that government may listen to the proposal of waiving fee or at least make the process simpler for the undocumented Haitian crowd.

At the end of the day, we must understand that the special “US immigration offers” were actually crafted to ease out the worries of Haitians living in US, therefore, the process should work out in their favor!

Overcoming the fear of being kicked out of the country, some college-goers admitted that they have been staying in the U.S. in an illegal manner.

In a mutual immigration reform effort, the college goers participated in a rally at the Federal Plaza, admitting their undocumented status in front of everyone. They also asked people to contact Sen. Dick Durbin, D- Ill., so that he uses his power to pass Immigration reform.

The occasion of “National Coming Out of the Shadows Day” is for illegal youths to come out and speak out their undocumented status in front of everyone. The week marked the involvement of so many emotional speeches as each individual recited his or her Immigration story.

Nico Gonzalez, 23, of Pilsen, elaborated that he came to the U.S. from Mexico, when he was just 5 years old. The family came in an illegal manner. The mother died of lung cancer because she was employed in an unhygienic factory job. He went on to say that the death inspired him to fight for the immigration rights.

It has been seen that undocumented workers fail to get good jobs and end up being in unhygienic and worse conditions. Same happened with Gonzalez’s mother too.

Some officials expressed their anguish over Obama too, as he failed to implement his strategies till now. No one knows as to when this Immigration reform Bill would be introduced.

The rally served the purpose of allowing illegal immigrants speak out about their undocumented status in front of everyone and appeal for the introduction of Immigration Reform as soon as possible.

Reports say that the new comprehensive immigration bill would have regulations that would prevent the entry of undocumented workers in the country. One such implementation would be the introduction of ID Cards for overseas workers to prevent employers from recruiting undocumented and fake workers.

To be more specific, it would be mandatory to have a “NATIONAL BIOMETRIC IDENTIFICATION CARD” for all the overseas workers working for their US employers.

The proposal is in its initial stage. In addition, talks are that all the legal workers, be it the nationals or the overseas workers, would be given the ID card, provided they succeed to qualify for the necessary requirements and prove their eligibilities towards the same.

The ID card would be decked with embedded information to ensure 100% safeguard from illegal immigration. But the issue is draped with plenty of criticism too. The multinational companies, who make big profits through the aids from illegal overseas immigrants, would surely have their opposition towards this proposal, some day or the other. Do you think that these parties would let this bill pass so easily?

Some people also believe that the implementation would breach people’s privacy. The ID cards may serve as their national ID Cards too; therefore every moment could be easily tracked by the government. In addition, the government would track their working history, which in some cases, may not prove right for the general masses.

The core problem lies within the employers who hire these undocumented workers. Rather than enforcing harsh regulations on the employees, it becomes mandatory to impose stringent rules on the employers who hire illegal workers!

Visa frauds are getting common these days. Recently a man from California has been accused for operating a racket of undocumented and fake test takers who assisted many overseas applicants in attaining US Student Visas, confirmed Federal Authorities.

The gang used to assist the applicants in passing English Proficiency Examinations and in obtaining Student Visas at the later stages.

Eamonn Daniel Higgins, 46, the brain behind the ring appeared in the US District Court. In addition, 16 of clients (under doubts) are arrested for committing visa frauds. Amongst these suspects, a lady working for Higgins was illegally granted to take exam by using illegal documents and fake identity proofs.

Nothing has been confirmed as far as the backgrounds of these clients are concerned, nor has anything being said about their linkage with any sort of criminal or terrorist activities.

Debra Parker from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement confirmed that the investigations have astonished the US immigration authorities. She went on to say that illegal Visas are surely one of the biggest concerns for the country and the motives of visa frauds would be further scrutinized in the upcoming weeks.

Another official from ICE confirmed that six of the arrested clients would face criminal charges while the rest of them would be deported. Remaining suspects would face further investigations.

It has been reported that the culprit has managed to grab a heavy amount of more than tens of thousands of dollars from the overseas applicants and helped them get Student Visas.

Students studying under the F-1 Visa under Optical Practical Training will now enjoy an extended work period of 29 months. The advantage holds for students of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects. Students who have not enrolled themselves in any of the STEM subjects have the freedom to work for only one year.

Optional Practical Training (OPT) is a tenure in which overseas students who have enrolled themselves in their courses for nine months or beyond that can gain work experience related to their work field. These students are not required to get work H-1B visa in order to fulfill their work requirements.

According to James W Herman, a renowned counselor, the OPT facility provides ample opportunities to students to gain ample experience in their fields. The option has assisted thousands of Indian students, especially when it comes to gaining experience in the US. It also provides additional skills linked with the field of students, which further helps them in enhancing their career perspectives.

All overseas FI-Visa holders in the US have the freedom to enroll themselves in Optional Practical Training, as it provides them with perfect opportunity to gain quality work experience, a step closer towards their brilliant career

Stats say that more than 10% of the overseas students in the US enrolled themselves in Optional Practical Training during 2008-2009 and in turn grabbed plenty of benefits out of it.

Overall, it is good news for all those students studying in the US who are planning to study in the US along with gaining work experience!

As of now, the United States is home to around eleven million illegal immigrants who are vying for the US citizenship. In spite of constant protests, the issue of immigration reform is still the hot debate. This also calls for the need of strict security measures for the undocumented immigrants making their way into the U.S. premises.

Let us scrutinize the statement by an Immigration judge, Dana L. Marks, who said that overcrowding in Immigration courts has resulted from gigantic caseload, courtesy the massive intake of undocumented immigrants.

When we talk about the Immigration courts, they are not the ones which belong to the judicial branch of government. On the contrary, judges work under the attorney general. He went on to give an example that almost 231 judges integrated an average of 1,200 cases, a situation which he termed as traffic court!

Report by the American Bar Assn. suggests that in order to abolish “public skepticism,” it is advised that the court system must be liberated from the Justice Department. The report further says that in a majority of cases, the outcomes of the proceedings count on which judge hears the case rather than the facets of the case study. The results are often inconsistent, an issue which calls the appointment of more judges in the upcoming future.

“Immigration” is seriously becoming one of the most discussed facets of Obama’s administration. With plenty of issues still left uncovered, the officials need to look at every aspect with a microscopic view!

Arizona Senate recently approved a bill that would give the cops power to arrest the suspected immigrants who they believe are entering the premises in an illegal manner. SB1070 would criminalize illegal overseas applicants for entering Arizona.

Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio confirmed that he is intending to train 881 of his delegates to get hold of illegal immigrants, while performing their regular tasks. The bill would need the cops to make an attempt, in order to know the immigration status of overseas applicants during the course of investigation.

Other provisions are:

• “Sting” operations to catch hold of the workers who are employed as illegal immigrants.
• The presence of undocumented migrants would be regarded as a breaching of “state trespass laws.”
• Calling it a crime to stop cars on the street side and picking up anyone to indulge him in a “day labor” employment/ or temporary workers.
• Bar undocumented immigrants from approaching employment in public places as it would be regarded as a crime.

According to Sen. Russell Pearce, the motto behind SB 1070 is to inhibit “sanctuary policies,” where employers are ceased from the asking their employees whether they are present in the country in an illegal manner or not.

According to the Arizona ACLU’s director, Alessandra Soller Meetze, “If the bill is approved, then Arizona would be the only state in the country to come out with a bill that allows the cops to get hold of the illegal applicants.”

Getting a permanent residence is one tedious process. If you have obtained one, it is an achievement in itself. The more important fact here is to maintain that status itself. So, the actual journey begins here on. The real action begins towards your steps to become a US citizen. Many immigrants fail to realize that this status would be compromised on if they do not reside in the United States.

Being a permanent resident in the United States, certain requisites come in without saying. Some of these include being loyal and respecting the country and the fact that you have agreed to make US your new home. Also, you now have new rights and responsibilities based on which you have to make a living. Above all, it has to be realized that being a permanent resident is a benefit bestowed on you. It should not be confused with a right.

Here are a few pointers that could be kept in mind to help maintain your US Permanent Resident Status. These points would be of help while applying for a citizenship at a later stage.

• Ensure that even if you leave the country, make your trip as short as possible. Do not migrate to another country in the meantime. In case you show any intent of moving out of the country, you would be considered to be giving up your resident status. Most immigrants have this misconception that living in the US for a month would do and they can easily spend the rest of the year in other countries. However, most of them fail to realize that this is more than enough for the US immigration officials to realize your lack of interest in living in the United States. Incase, there are instances where you are certain about living outside the US for six months or may be a year, then you must apply for a Re – entry permit. This should be done before you leave the country.
• See to it that all your taxes are paid on time. It is mandatory to pay all the taxes for a permanent resident. Thus, income tax returns should be filed timely. With this, your income should be reported at the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). You must also report to your local, state or city tax departments if asked for. If at any point of time, you are not found to be filing your taxes or are filing under the non – immigrant category, the US government might cease your status.
• It is mandatory for all the immigrant males residing as permanent residents to register with the United States Selective Services. This is specific for all the males between 18 and 26 years of age. This means that you have agreed to serve the country in the armed forces. However, the US government does not have any form of a military draft indicating the same. Thus, the discretion is up to the permanent residents to join the armed forces or not.
• You must not fail to provide with your new address to the DHS or the Department of Homeland Security. This should be done each and every time you change your residential address. For this, the AR – 11 form has to be filed along with the Alien’s Change of Address Card within the first ten days post shifting to the new location. This could be done online as well.

Following the above points would be in the best interest while you reside in the United States as a Permanent Residency. Additionally, this would also prove to be an advantage while applying for your citizenship at a later stage.

The E-2 Investor Visa is a visa category that allows people to enter the United States in order to set up or manage business enterprises on an investment. However, this is a special visa issued to immigrants of treaty countries only. After obtaining this visa, an individual must adhere to the condition that he/she must contribute to the U.S. economy. In order to obtain an E-2 visa, an investor must meet a number of criteria.

Let’s have a look at some of the criteria that investors need to meet:

• An applicant should be from a country that has a treaty of navigation with the U.S.
• An applicant must show that ample funds are available for the investment in the U.S.
• The investment must be in active business, not a passive investment, like buying a property.
• The applicant must be in a role in the enterprise that is supervisory or managerial in nature.
• The applicant must own a minimum of 50 percent of the business.
• The applicant’s investment must earn profit in order to afford his/her family as well.

An individual does not require to hold a specific amount of dollars in order to obtain an E-2 visa. To meet the requirement of the substantial amount, an applicant must meet either of the following criteria:

• The investment should be a considerable proportion of the total value of the business; or
• The investment should be sufficient to set up a profitable business.

However, in most cases, the minimum amount of investment should be US$100,000. Generally, this non-immigrant visa is issued for four or five years! To know more about the US E-2 Visa, contact an Immigration and Visa consultant!