US Judge Stalls Trump's Asylum Restrictions THE STORY: A federal judge has temporarily blocked Trump’s asylum ban. The decision came after lawyers sued the Trump administration for trying to stop immigrants who enter the country illegally from seeking asylum. THE CONTEXT: Trump has tried to reshape U.S. immigration practices since he took office in 2017, but the federal judiciary has been a recurring check on his policy changes. A … [Read more...] about Arrivals: This Week in Immigration News (11.19.18 – 11.23.18)
Arrivals: This Week in Immigration News (11.12.18 – 11.16.18)
Foreign Student Enrollment is Down THE STORY: The number of new foreign students enrolling in U.S. universities is down for the second year in a row. THE CONTEXT: The number of new foreign students enrolling in U.S. colleges went down by nearly 7% in 2017, compared to 2016. While some college leaders blame an unwelcoming political environment fostered by President Trump, other education experts say the decrease has more to do with … [Read more...] about Arrivals: This Week in Immigration News (11.12.18 – 11.16.18)
Arrivals: This Week in Immigration News (11.05.18 – 11.09.18)
THE STORY: The Trump administration is planning to prohibit granting asylum to immigrants who come to the U.S. illegally. The new rules will require asylum seekers to enter through official ports of entry like border crossings. THE CONTEXT: The Trump administration's move to change asylum rules is being widely perceived as a way to crack down on asylum seekers coming from Central America. President Trump has said he wants to do something … [Read more...] about Arrivals: This Week in Immigration News (11.05.18 – 11.09.18)
Arrivals: This Week in Immigration News (10.29.18 – 11.02.18)
THE STORY: President Trump said this week that he wanted to sign an executive order to end birthright citizenship. There is a legal consensus that such a move would be unconstitutional and it is highly unlikely Trump could implement it. THE CONTEXT: The U.S. is one of around 30 countries with birthright citizenship, meaning that people born within the United States are granted full citizenship. Legal scholars believe that an executive … [Read more...] about Arrivals: This Week in Immigration News (10.29.18 – 11.02.18)
Arrivals: This Week in Immigration News (10.22.2018 – 10.26.2018)
THE STORY: New data shows that Indian companies may be decreasing their use of H-1B visas. This comes in the wake of the Trump administration increasing scrutiny of H-1B applications filed by Indian companies. THE CONTEXT: Only one Indian firm was in the top 10 list of companies that filed Labor Condition Applications (LCAs) in the 2018 fiscal year. While LCAs don't always correspond one-to-one with H-1B applicants, they tend to be a … [Read more...] about Arrivals: This Week in Immigration News (10.22.2018 – 10.26.2018)
Arrivals: This Week in Immigration News (10.15.2018 – 10.19.2018)
THE STORY: Foreigners applying for U.S. permanent residency are experiencing growing wait times. In particular, wait times have been increasing for U.S. citizens applying for their non-citizen relatives to get residency in America. THE CONTEXT: There are a few factors fueling the increased wait times. In the 2017 fiscal year there were 366,000 family-based green card applications, a 34% nearly increase since 2012. On top of that, a 2017 … [Read more...] about Arrivals: This Week in Immigration News (10.15.2018 – 10.19.2018)
Arrivals: This Week in Immigration News (10.8.2018 – 10.12.2018)
THE STORY: Days before marijuana is set to be legalized in Canada, the U.S. reversed a decision that would have possibly banned workers in the Canadian marijuana industry from entering the U.S. THE CONTEXT: In June, Canada became the second nation in the world to pass legislation that would legalize and create a market for marijuana. The country is set to officially legalize cannabis on October 17th, creating what is expected to be a … [Read more...] about Arrivals: This Week in Immigration News (10.8.2018 – 10.12.2018)
Arrivals: This Week in Immigration News (10.1.2018 – 10.5.2018)
THE STORY: Thousands of international students who are recent graduates could lose their jobs because of delays in the processing of their H-1B visa applications. THE CONTEXT: Foreign nationals who study in the U.S. are required to get a work visa after their student visa expires if they wish to continue working in America, and more often than not, that work visa is the H-1B visa. The problem is, securing an H-1B visa in a timely fashion … [Read more...] about Arrivals: This Week in Immigration News (10.1.2018 – 10.5.2018)
Arrivals: This Week in Immigration News (9.24.18 – 9.28.18)
THE STORY: Congress is considering whether to remove caps for green cards based on immigrants' country of origin. The move would speed up the application process for hundreds of thousands of Indian and Chinese immigrants awaiting green cards. THE CONTEXT: As it stands in the U.S., there are a certain number of green cards allotted to each country. While immigration officers can reassign green cards from countries that haven't met their … [Read more...] about Arrivals: This Week in Immigration News (9.24.18 – 9.28.18)
Arrivals: This Week in Immigration News (9.17.18 – 9.21.18)
THE STORY: The Department of Homeland Security is trying to revise key parts of the H-1B visa. The proposed changes would revise the definition of a speciality occupation, potentially making it more difficult for foreign workers to secure H-1B visas. THE CONTEXT: H-1B visas are temporary visas for foreign workers in speciality occupations. The H-1B has become one of the most standard ways for highly skilled foreign workers and … [Read more...] about Arrivals: This Week in Immigration News (9.17.18 – 9.21.18)