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In a year when the State Budget was paramount, the Washington State legislature took up several immigration related bills, some with no fiscal impact, and others with a major fiscal impact. As the Washington State Legislative term winds down, but goes into special session to finalize the budget, this post focuses on several bills during the term. Immigration advocates supported some bills and opposed others. So far, we have been successful with each, although the session is not yet over. … [Read more...]
Immigration and Firm News
April 15, 2011 by ·
On February 23, 2011, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder sent a letter to Speaker of the House, John A. Boehner, indicating the Administration's decision not to further defend Section 3 of the Defense Against Marriage Act (DOMA) in two pending cases, Windsor v. United States, No. 1:10-cv-8435 (S.D.N.Y.) and Pedersen v. OPM, No. 3:10-cv-1750 (D. Conn.) Although the general rule in immigration law is that the U.S. must honor the laws of the place where marriages (deaths, births and divorces) take … [Read more...]
April 12, 2011 by ·
So sorry to my readers for not posting lately. As Chair of the Washington Chapter of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILAWA), I have been very busy the last few weeks writing letters, testifying and attending meetings before the Washington State legislature on several immigration related bills since our fair state decided to get into the immigration business this year. I was also in Washington, D.C. where together with AILA colleagues, we visited the members of the Washington … [Read more...]
March 21, 2011 by ·
Earthquakes, tsunamis, radiation, mass protests and civil unrest, and now the U.S. bombing yet another country, this time Libya. How can Americans traveling abroad protect themselves? The U.S. State Department has three programs every American should be aware of before going abroad, if you don't mind having your personal information in a government database: STEP, ACS and Task Force Alert. I mentioned STEP and Task Force Alert briefly in my prior post, State Department Information on Japan … [Read more...]
March 20, 2011 by ·
The U.S. State Department, which issues visas abroad, issues U.S. passports and looks after the safety of U.S. citizens overseas, has a lot of useful information following the earthquake and tsunami in Japan as well as the nuclear radiation situation that is evolving. Here are some useful sites and contact information: U.S. Citizens in Japan Contact Information for the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo: For calls from within the U.S. 1-888-407-4747 For calls from outside the U.S. 1-202-501-4444 For … [Read more...]
March 20, 2011 by ·
USCIS has posted a Q&A on its website covering several immigration scenarios that Japanese nationals in the U.S. and abroad may be facing as a result of the earthquake and tsunami devastation and nuclear radiation evacuations. There are materials on their website in both English and Japanese. Tourists in the U.S. There are two kinds of tourists in the U.S. The first group involves those who entered without a visa through the visa waiver program. By using this program, tourists typically … [Read more...]
March 3, 2011 by ·
The Seattle Times reports today that the U.S. Passport Office in downtown Seattle will open its doors to the public on Saturday, March 12 from 9am to 3pm to encourage more people to apply for passports. Normally open by appointment only for expedited service or complex cases, the Seattle Passport Office is located at the Jackson Federal Building, 915 Second Ave., Suite 992. Usually, applicants can apply by mail or in person at post offices, city and county offices, or at Neighborhood Service … [Read more...]
February 20, 2011 by ·
The export control questions on the new I-129 form for H-1B, H-1B1, L-1 and O-1 petitions go into effect this week on February 20. Having to answer the new questions was delayed so that employers could become familiar with the export control regulations. Immigration lawyers are not typically trained in the details of export controls, though we are familiar with the issue in connection with certain types of security clearances for our clients when they are abroad seeking visas. Sometimes … [Read more...]
February 19, 2011 by ·
An article in the Wall Street Journal and another in Packer News report that "in an email" to an unknown source, Immigration Customs and Enforcement (ICE) said it will issue I-9 audit notices to over a 1000 employers as part of its national strategy to get more employers to stop hiring workers without legal employment status. Notices to Inspect will be issued across industries. This should come as no surprise to employers. In my post last month, ICE to Establish I-9 Center and Increase Audits, I … [Read more...]
February 12, 2011 by ·
USCIS announced on February 11, 2011 that it will begin issuing dual purpose work-travel cards to applicants for adjustment of status (AOS). Currently, applicants for AOS pay one filing fee for adjustment to permanent residence status (green card), a separate work permit and a separate advance parole travel document while the AOS application (Form I485) is pending. A regulation states that anyone seeking to travel while AOS is pending will abandon that application if advance parole is not … [Read more...]
