U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has recently encouraged more companies and entrepreneurs to participate in its IMAGE program in order to eliminate illegal workers and crack down on fake credentials. IMAGE, ICE Mutual Agreement between Government and Employers, is an ICE program intended to be beneficial to both ICE and to companies. Essentially, in  Read more »

Are you in the United States on a J-1 visa and wanting to become a permanent resident? Are you considering applying for a J-1 waiver, but do not know when you should apply? The law is unclear to the specific time frame to file a J-1 visa waiver. J-1 visitors may remain in the United  Read more »

Have you received a letter from Immigration Customs Enforcement (“ICE”) that your company must produce its I-9 forms for inspection? If so, you are not alone. The Government initiated a new round of immigration investigations on June 14, 2011 targeting 1,000 companies across the country. The companies will be facing government audits of I-9 forms  Read more »

It is simply a great idea. Invest lawfully earned money into US businesses, create significant jobs and you can live permanently in the United States. With the downturn of the US economy, many companies have failed, unemployment has been in double digits,  US banks are more constrained in making loans or providing lines of credit  Read more »

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced that it has received a sufficient number of H-1B petitions to reach the statutory cap for fiscal year (FY) 2011.  USCIS is notifying the public that Jan. 26, 2011, is the final receipt date for new H-1B specialty occupation petitions requesting an employment start date in FY2011. The final  Read more »

Happy Martin Luther King Day America. I hope you are enjoying your day off. I also hope you take a moment to think about why we have a day named after Dr. King, the only American who was not a president honored with a holiday. Dr. King consistently sacrificed his freedom and ultimately his life for his  Read more »

Jing Zhou and Jenny Bai are personifications of the future. Jing is what they call in China, a seagull, a Chinese person who leaves works or studies abroad and moves back and forth between China and the West.  Jenny is a classic example of the Chinese diaspora, well educated and industrious. She was lured back  Read more »

The H-1B VISA DEADLINE IS APPROACHING!  If you are or may be involved in visa application process for a foreign national professional, you are nearing critical H-1b visa decision points that can result in the inability to make the hire for more than 8 months.  It would be wise to seriously consider your visa strategy now.  Projections show  Read more »

Because of the recessed economy for most immigration practitioners it has been a tough year. We felt it too, but that which does not kill us will make us stronger. Besides launching Immigration Magazine I have personally really enjoyed 2010 in my Immigration law practice. At the Velie Law Firm we had a ball this  Read more »

On December 18th the Senate voted down the DREAM Act — which stands for Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors. The bill was established to provide a pathway to legal status for children brought into the country illegally when they were 15 or younger. It would have let them obtain citizenship if they attended two years of  Read more »