A number of lawmakers on Capitol Hill have been considering a variety of proposals aimed at reforming business immigration laws in the agricultural industry. In the last post, this blog discussed several immigration reform ideas that have been circulating among lawmakers in the U.S. House of Representatives. Measures aimed at reforming non-immigrant visas for agricultural workers are also being considered in the Senate.
Congress considers agricultural immigration reform, P. 1
Immigration issues surrounding business and employment continue to make news as lawmakers struggle with the economic crisis. U.S. immigration law allows temporary work visas for seasonal agricultural workers under the H-2A visa classification. The visas are a form of non-immigrant work visas. A number of federal proposals are being bandied about in Congress seeking to reform the nation's agricultural visas.
Some states seek new tactics in wave of federal immigration litigation
Legal battles over individual state immigration laws seem to be becoming more commonplace. This blog recently reported that on state law on immigration will go before the United States Supreme Court this term. Governor Rick Scott previously said that he intends to seek an immigration law in Florida next term, although the details about the total scope of what that may involve remain sketchy.
Lawmaker seeks to introduce immigration bill for STEM fields
Lawmakers seem particularly fond of attaching catchy acronyms to proposed measures in Congress. One freshman Congressman recently used some levity to announce his efforts to propose a measure in the U.S. House as early as the end of January. The Arkansas Representative was speaking at a gathering called together to discuss the emerging trend of "reverse brain drain" from the U.S. and the measure he hopes to introduce has caught the eye of business and employment immigration attorneys across the nation, including Florida immigration lawyers.
Supreme Court accepts review of state immigration law
This blog has reported a number of stories on federal challenges to state immigration laws. The federal challenges first erupted after Arizona passed immigration laws that, among other things, require immigrants to obtain or carry immigration papers and allow police in that state to arrest an undocumented immigrant without a warrant. A federal appellate court halted a number of the provisions of the Arizona law. Arizona's immigration law will be the focus of argument in the United States Supreme Court.
Some lawmakers have second thoughts over Alabama immigration law
Last month, this blog recounted the story of a Mercedes-Benz executive being arrested in one of Florida's neighboring states under the state immigration law. The turmoil in Alabama over the state immigration law was roiled further when a Honda worker visiting the state was stopped in Alabama. Now, news reports indicate that many lawmakers who pushed for the immigration law are back-pedaling on the measure.
USCIS expands crackdown on fraudulent 'notarios' nationwide
The federal government has announced it has begun its crackdown on immigration scams nationwide. In March, this blog reported that U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services was planning a crackdown on individuals that act as fake immigration attorneys. The agency began a pilot program involving seven cities earlier this year. Officials announced last week that the pilot program will now be expanded nationwide. Miami immigration attorneys are aware that immigration services scams can prove costly for those taken in by the fraud, and when a scam fails to deliver on its promises, can leave an immigrant steered into the wrong direction.
US House passes immigration measure on 389 to 15 vote
Tuesday the United States House passed an immigration measure lifting the per country cap on family-based visas from seven to 15 percent. The measure also would affect employment-based visas by eliminating the seven percent per country cap on the roughly 140,000 visas set aside for employment.
