U.S. EB5 Investor Immigration Program: Does It Have A Future?

Earlier this year, Brian Ross of ABC News wrote a series of stories attacking the U.S. EB5 investor immigrant program alleging it was rife with fraud and corruption. As an indication of how wide-spread the problems were, ABC News later revealed that a federal Government Accountability Office report found, 

“…(F)or the first time … between January 2013 and 2015, the SEC received more than 100 ‘tips, complaints and referrals of possible securities fraud’ connected to the EB-5 program, and there are currently 59 open investigations by various agencies into alleged EB-5 scams.”

 Read more: http://www.forbes.com/sites/andyjsemotiuk/2015/08/17/u-s-eb5-investor-immigration-program-does-it-have-a-future/ 

Contact Darren Heyman, Immigration Attorney Las Vegas, for more information. 

Tougher Standards Set for U.S. Visa Waivers, Citing Militant Threat

WASHINGTON — The Department of Homeland Security has toughened air travel requirements on foreign governments in response to what it believes is the growing threat from fighters who have gone to Syria and Iraq to join the Islamic State and other groups, senior American officials said Thursday.

The changes will be applied to the so-called visa waiver program that the United States has with 38 countries. The program allows citizens of those countries to enter the United States on visits of fewer than 90 days without being interview

ed for visas at American consulates and embassies. Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/07/world/middleeast/us-visa-waiver-program-europe-radicalization-isis-syria-iraq.html?_r=0

Contact Darren Heyman, immigration attorney Las Vegas, for more information.

GOOD NEWS: Nigeria To Be Included In US Visa Lottery Eligibility List?

Nigeria along with the UK and other countries may be returned to the eligibility list of the US Visa Lottery program.
Nigeria was removed the from list in 2015. However, the document is modified every year based on trends of the previous five years, The Nation reports.
Commenting on the possible development,  Ashley Garrigus, spokesperson for the US Citizenship and Immigration Services, explained:
“The Congressional-mandated Diversity Immigrant Visa Program (DV) makes available up to 55,000 diversity visas each year, drawn from random selection among all entries to persons who meet strict eligibility requirements from countries with low rates of immigration to the United States. The section of the law establishing the Diversity Visa program limits the list of “eligible countries” to those countries from which fewer than 50,000 persons in various visa categories immigrated to the United States during the previous five years." Read more: http://www.naij.com/492693-nigeria-may-be-returned-to-us-visa-lottery-list.html

Contact Darren Heyman, immigration attorney Las Vegas, for more information. 

Immigration Reform News: Founding Fathers Cared About Immigrants Rights, Unlike Donald Trump, Ann Coulter and Ted Cruz, Argues Constitutional Scholar

In her book “¡Adios America!: The Left’s Plan To Turn Our Country Into A Third World Hellhole,” author Ann Coulter makes the case that that the 14th amendment doesn’t or at least shouldn’t give rights to immigrants because it was passed in the cntext of black slavery. Constitutional scholar and author Robert J. McWhirter disagrees and criticizes conservatives who advocate interpretations of the Constitution as "originally intened." He takes on Republican presidential candidates like Donald Trump and Ted Cruz for hopping on the tough-on-immigrants bandwagon. In this op-ed (we’re not endorsing the content), McWhirter argues that immigrants’ rights are enshrined not only in the nation's core laws but in the original visions of America’s founding fathers.
“We the People … ,” are the first words of our Constitution, not “We the citizens.”  “ We the People … ” means everyone has rights – that is the big idea of a big place called America. The Declaration of Independence, the first definition of America, started the idea that, all men are created equal and that they are endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights. . .
Again, it’s not “all citizens are created equal.” Rights are as inalienable to aliens as anyone else.
Read more:  http://www.latintimes.com/immigration-reform-news-founding-fathers-cared-about-immigrants-rights-unlike-donald-330642
Contact Darren Heyman immigration attorney Las Vegas, for more information

Glitch In U.S. Visa System Leaves Hundreds Of People Stranded

A “technical glitch” that has affected the State Department’s ability to issue visas at consulate across the globe has prevented some U.S. citizens from returning home, in some cases putting them at risk of financial ruin or exacerbating medical issues.

In interviews with BuzzFeed News and comments left on the State Department’s Facebook page, some citizens stuck abroad relayed stories of dwindling financial resources, difficulties getting proper medication or medical care, and strains on family.
The State Department on Friday announced that it was having “technical problems” with its visa processing and issuing systms. And John Kirby, a spokesman for the department, told reporters that the problems are expected to continue for at least another week.
Read more: http://www.buzzfeed.com/emaoconnor/glitch-in-visa-system-leaves-people-stranded#.pn8lQ9ekQ
Contact Darren Heyman immigration attorney Las Vegas, for more information

Immigration Reform 2015: California Wants To Bypass Feds, Give Work Permits To Undocumented Immigrants

California lawmakers have proposed a program that would grant work permits to undocumented immigrant farmworkers and their families, the Los Angeles Times reported. The legislation passed through the Assembly in June and is currently pending in the Senate.
The bill, introduced by Assemblyman Luis Alejo and backed by California farmworkers, would create a group that would seek authority for the permits from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Department of Justice. The program would give permits to farmworkers already living in the state without authorization.
The workers, their spouses and children under 18 or enrolled at an accredited institution would be spared from deportation. The workers would need to be at least 18 to qualify. They would be required to pay a fee toward administrative costs. Felons would not qualify.
Read more:  http://www.ibtimes.com/immigration-reform-2015-california-wants-bypass-feds-give-work-permits-undocumented-2005571
 Contact Darren Heyman immigration attorney Las Vegas, for more information

US visa meltdown: when will the system be working again?

What's going on?

The hardware failure, which began last week at the US Department of State's Bureau of Consular Affairs, is preventing officials from processing the mandatory security-related biometric data checks that accompany visa applications fromaround the world. The government said there was no evidence the problem was the result of a cyber attack, and said technicians were "working around the clock" to fix it.

Who has been affected?

The US embassy in London said the problem is not specific to any particular country or visa category. It has affected thousands of people, including business travellers, tourists and musicians wanting to go on tour. The meltdown has meant that passports have been held up in the system and people needing to travel have struggled to get their documents back, reports the Financial Times.
Read more: http://www.theweek.co.uk/64070/us-visa-meltdown-when-will-the-system-be-working-again
Contact Darren Heyman immigration attorney Las Vegas