From May 10, 2016, STEM F-1 visa students can work for 3 years under OPT

NEW YORK: F-1 visa students who are enrolled in the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) fields of study from accredited educational institutions in the United States will be allowed, beginning from May 10, 2016, to work for as long as three years under the Optional Practical Training (OPT).
The Department of Homeland Security released its final rule in this matter, which will be published in the Federal Register Friday, March 11. The rule goes into effect on May 10, 2016, which means that all students who are either under OPT till that date, or who qualify for OPT by then, will be able to work further, for a period totaling 36 months. Read more: https://www.americanbazaaronline.com/2016/03/10/may-10-2016-stem-f-1-visa-students-can-work-3-years-opt-45656/
For more information, please, contact Las Vegas Immigration Attorney Darren Heyman

Missing Fingerprints Lead to Over 800 Wrongful U.S. Citizenship Approvals: DHS Report

At least 858 people from countries that are of concern to the United States' national security were able to avoid deportation orders — and actually received citizenship — due to incomplete digital fingerprint records, according to a report released Monday.

The report from the the Department of Homeland Security Office of the Inspector General determined that records were missing from a DHS digital repository because paper-based fingerprint cards used prior to 2008 were not consistently digitized.

An FBI repository is also missing records, the report found, because immigrationofficials had not always forwarded fingerprints to the FBI in the past. Read more: http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/missing-fingerprints-lead-over-800-wrongful-u-s-citizenship-approvals-n650951

For more information, please, contact Las Vegas Immigration Attorney Darren Heyman

How immigration helps the US economy: Report

Contrary to popular belief, immigration has benefited the US economy and had little effect on the overall wage gap and job market, according to a report by the The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine.

The report updates a 1997 document that detailed the fiscal effects of the 40 million immigrants on the US economy and labor market. The updatecomes at a time when immigration has come to the forefront of political thought and has become a decisive issue in the presidential election.

When looking at the big picture, the researchers found "little evidence that immigration significantly affects the overall employment levels of native-born workers." Read more: http://www.csmonitor.com/Business/new-economy/2016/0924/How-immigration-helps-the-US-economy-Report

For more information, please, contact Las Vegas Immigration Attorney Darren Heyman

Report: 858 People Got US Citizenship When They Should Have Been Deported

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services granted U.S. citizenship to at least 858 individuals who had been ordered deported or removed under another identity, a report released Monday found.

The individuals had been previously deported and had again entered the U.S. illegally, giving authorities a different name when they were obtained. According to the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General, these individuals were not flagged by the digital fingerprint repositories at DHS and the Federal Bureau of Investigation because paper-based fingerprint cards used before 2008 were not reliably digitized and uploaded into the repository. Read more: http://dailycaller.com/2016/09/19/report-858-people-got-us-citizenship-when-they-should-have-been-deported/

For more information contact, please, Las Vegas Immigration Attorney Darren Heyman

2018 Immigrant Visa Lottery Opens in Two Weeks

The Diversity Visa (DV) Lottery Registration for 2018 opens Tuesday, October 4, 2016. Entries must be submitted electronically at: https://www.dvlottery.state.gov/ between noon on October 4, 2016 and noon on November 7, 2016, Eastern Standard Time. Qualified applicants are strongly encouraged to register as early as possible. Heavy demand may result in system delays in the final days of the registration period.

The DV Lottery is administered annually by the Department of State, and provides immigrant visas (green cards) each year to persons from countries with low rates of immigration to the U.S. This year there are 50,000 DVs available. The visas are distributed among six geographic regions, with a greater number of visas going to regions with lower rates of immigration, and with no visas going to natives of countries sending more than 50,000 immigrants to the U.S. in the past five years. Read more: http://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/2018-immigrant-visa-lottery-opens-in-85667/
For more information contact, please, Las Vegas Immigration Attorney Darren Heyman

U.S. Citizenship Can Help You Achieve Your American Dream

“I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”

These are the very first words that I utter on the floor of the Virginia House of Delegates at the beginning of each legislative day.

As the first Asian-born immigrant elected to Virginia’s state legislature since it began meeting in 1619, these words have tremendous personal meaning to me.

When I place my right hand over my heart and recite the Pledge of Allegiance, the words penned in 1892 by Francis Bellamy remind me of that day in December 1991 when I became an American citizen by choice.

That day, the Pledge became more than mere words memorized by school children. For me, making a public commitment of loyalty to America also meant that many doors of opportunities opened for me. Read more: http://newamericamedia.org/2016/09/us-citizenship-can-help-you-achieve-your-american-dream.php
Fore more information, please, contact Las Vegas Immigration Attorney Darren Heyman

Illegal Central American Immigration Surges Again at U.S. Border

For the second time in three years, the U.S. Border Patrol is apprehending more non-Mexicans than Mexicans along the southwest border, reflecting a renewed surge of Central American migrants fleeing violence and gang warfare in their home countries. 

Many of those apprehended are children traveling alone or in so-called “family units,” and come from El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras, according to newly released statistics from U.S. Customs and Border Enforcement. Nearly two-thirds of the apprehensions occurred within the Rio Grande Valley Border Patrol Sector, spanning much of Texas’s southernmost tip. Read more: https://www.texastribune.org/2016/09/15/central-american-illegal-immigration-us-border-loo/

For more information, please, contact Las Vegas Immigration Attorney Darren Heyman.

How U.S. Immigration Policy Has Changed Since 9/11

U.S. immigration policy is inextricably linked with national security and border control policies. But that wasn’t always the case. The Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks prompted a major shift in the way the country handles immigration, creating new government bodies and tightening restrictions on who is and isn’t allowed in.

“The 9/11 hijackers entered the country with ― a fact that immediately linked immigration with terrorism and national security,” explained the Migration Policy Institute in a 2011 fact sheet. Read more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/us-immigration-since-911_us_57d05479e4b0a48094a71bc0

For more information, please contact Las Vegas Immigration Attorney Darren Heyman

Becoming a U.S. Citizen During Constitution Week

Editor's Note: USCIS Director León Rodríguez, who spoke during last year's national conference of the non-partisan New Americans Campaign, writes that USCIS takes special pride in naturalizing new citizens during Constitution Week.
The U.S. Constitution: it’s a legalistic document that takes about a half-hour to read. Yet it changed the course of history, by encoding the basic principles and values that have managed to sustain our nation as a beacon burning bright for the world for more than two centuries. 

Which is why U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) takes special pride in naturalizing new citizens – good people drawn by that beacon -- during Constitution Week. These ceremonies are an appreciation of the historic connection to the roughly 4,500 words that these brand-new Americans just swore an oath to support and defend. Read more: http://newamericamedia.org/2016/09/becoming-a-us-citizen-during-constitution-week.php
For more information, please contact Las Vegas Immigration Attorney, Darren Heyman.

Library hosting US citizenship information workshop

The Paso Robles City Library will host a Spanish language US citizenship information session on Friday, Sept. 23 from 6-8 p.m. in the library conference room located at 1000 Spring Street.

This public workshop is part of the continued efforts of U.S. Citizenship and Information Services (USCIS) to help immigrants better understand the naturalization process, including the content of the naturalization test. The sessionwill also serve to provide access to free educational resources and materials available from the agency.

USCIS personnel will be on-hand to discuss the naturalization process step-by-step and provide information about eligibility and residency requirements, application forms, fees, the background security check and processing times. Participants will also see sample questions from the naturalization test and receive an overview of U.S. history and civic principles. Free educational materials will be available while supplies last. Read more: http://pasoroblesdailynews.com/library-hosting-us-citizenship-information-workshop/61688/

For more information, please contactLas Vegas Immigration Attorney, Darren Heyman.

How hard is it to pass the US citizenship test?

The BBC's Laura Trevelyan, who has lived in the US for the past 12 years, is applying to become a US citizen. That process includes a citizenship test. Here, she recounts her efforts to get up to speed.

It's more than 25 years since I last took a test, and so I'm more than a little out of practice. The brain cells are not what they were, and even the short-term memory is fading.

My initial attempts to study for the US citizenship test were a dismal failure. Pathetic, even. A large booklet called Learn About the United States: Quick Civics Lessons for the Naturalization Test has been sitting by my bedside for months. Read more: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-37014747. 

For more information, please contact Las Vegas Immigration Attorney, Darren Heyman.