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Legal Immigration Predictions for 2021 - Boundless BoundlessView the full article

Have you submited your application yet? If not, what are you waiting for... Yes or No

I have created this topic to discuss your feelings and reactions towards the 2 bombers and we all know by now what happened. What did you think when it happened? How did you react when it happened? Why do you think they did it? These are just some questions to think about when writting your replys. We should to have a good discussion about the bombing and how it affected our lives in one way or another.

U.S. News & World Report Democrats to roll dice on Dream Act, abortion bill HeraldNet (blog) The Dream Act and the Reproductive Parity Act, which requires health plans to cover abortion if they cover maternity services, are among the most important policy bills pushed by Democrats this year. And both are sponsored by some moderate Republican ... Democrats will try to force Senate vote on blocked billsSeattle Post Intelligencer (blog) Democrats plan maneuver on 2 controversial billsThe Spokesman Review (blog) Democrats hope to slip 2 bills onto Senate floorThe Seattle Times KGMI all 43 news articles » View the full article

Christian Science Monitor DREAM Act: Senate immigration reform bill offers 'best' version yet Christian Science Monitor In such a climate, the Senate bill is much less restrictive in terms of its eligibility criteria and more generous in what it offers than were previous versions of the DREAM Act, according to a legislative summary of the bill and additional details ... The Dream is Now: ReviewedNew America Foundation (blog) Inside the immigration bill: Special path for DREAMers - Washington PostWashington Post (blog) 'Los Otros Dreamers' Find Ways To Adapt To Living In Mexico - Huffington PostHuffington Post all 4 news articles » View the full article

WASHINGTON, April 15 (UPI) -- Unauthorized immigrants may have to pay $2,000 as part of a bipartisan U.S. immigration reform plan, a person familiar with the talks told The New York Times. The fee, whose amount was not finalized but which would have to be paid before an immigrant could earn legal status, would include $500 when the person applies for a temporary work permit and $1,500 or so that the person would have 10 years to pay, before they apply for a green card, the person said. A Senate aide described the $2,000 figure to the Times as "significant but not impossible, punitive but not unreasonable." Democrats and immigration advocates had earlier pushed for a lower amount. The fees, reported Monday, came a day after Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., dismissed colleagues' fears the immigration overhaul that awards citizenship to people in the United States illegally would amount to amnesty. "It's not amnesty because you pay serious consequences for having violated the law," the first-term senator and possible 2016 presidential contender told NBC's "Meet the Press." The measure would boost the number of taxpaying Americans and be a "net positive for the country economically, now and in the future," Rubio told "Fox News Sunday" in one of seven Sunday talk show interviews he did on the five major networks, plus the Spanish-language Telemundo and Univision networks. The measure -- expected to be unveiled by Rubio and seven other senators of both parties as early as Tuesday -- calls for unauthorized immigrants who arrived in the United States on or before Dec. 31, 2011, to be allowed almost immediately to apply for temporary legal status that would let them live and work in the country. At the same time, the Department of Homeland Security would be required to monitor the nation's entire southwest border with Mexico -- and catch 90 percent of people trying to cross the border illegally, said Rubio, a member of the so-called Gang of Eight senators. "We are going to get the toughest enforcement measures in the history of this country," he told ABC's "This Week." In addition, the senators' plan also requires business owners to use the federal government's free, Web-based E-Verify system that checks new employees' immigration status. Washington would also have to identify each time a foreigner enters and exits the country, USA Today reported. If those benchmarks are reached, and after 10 years pass, unauthorized immigrants could apply for a green card, which grants permanent legal status. If approved, they could apply for U.S. citizenship three years later. "I'm very optimistic about it," Rubio said on the CBS News program "Face the Nation" in a reversal of the caution he expressed about the measure several weeks ago. The bill is expected to be examined by the Senate Judiciary Committee Wednesday. Rubio said lawmakers would have weeks to study the bill, but he also told CNN's "State of the Union" he expected unspecified lawmakers would introduce amendments "designed as poison pills" to doom the measure. "I'll oppose those if I know that's what they're for," he said. Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., who appeared on ABC's "This Week" after Rubio, said he was "not convinced" by his colleague's pitch. "I know Senator Rubio's heart is exactly right," he told the program. "And I really respect the work of the Gang of Eight. But they have produced legislation, it appears ... that will give amnesty now, legalize everyone that's here effectively today, and then there's a promise of enforcement in the future. "Even if you pass laws today that appear to be effective, it doesn't mean they're going to be enforced," Sessions said. Rubio said newly legalized immigrants wouldn't receive federal benefits during the 13 or so years it would take them to qualify for full legal citizenship. "This is an important point. No federal benefits, no food stamps, no welfare, no Obamacare," he said on Fox. "They have to prove they're gainfully employed," he said. "They have to be able to support themselves, so they'll never become a public charge." Rubio is a son of Cuban immigrants. Cuban immigrants, through the Cuban Refugee Adjustment Act, can become permanent U.S. residents after a year. Being a public charge doesn't make a Cuban ineligible to become a permanent resident. Source: http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2013/04/15/Unauthorized-immigrants-may-have-to-pay-2000-to-earn-legal-status/UPI-69571366011000/

This is some REALLY good insite about if your over 30+. I would read this and comment your thoughts and opinions! It

WASHINGTON — A bipartisan group of senators has largely agreed on a broad immigration bill that would require tough border measures to be in place before illegal immigrants could take the first steps to become American citizens, according to several people familiar with drafts of the legislation. But in a delicate compromise worked out over weeks of negotiations, the bill avoids any hard hurdles related to border enforcement that could eventually halt the progress of those immigrants on a pathway to citizenship. Instead, the bill sets ambitious goals for the Department of Homeland Security to fortify the borders — including continuous surveillance of 100 percent of the United States border and 90 percent effectiveness of enforcement in several high-risk sectors — and other domestic enforcement measures over the next 10 years. It provides at least $3 billion to meet those goals. The bill includes provisions or “triggers,” that allow Congress at different points to ensure that the enforcement goals are being met. On the same day that the group of eight senators continued to iron out details of the bill, thousands of immigration activists who support a path to citizenship for immigrants who are here illegally were converging on Washington for a rally. The activists are pressing Congress to move quickly to pass a broad immigration overhaul, and they are calling for a direct path for illegal immigrants toward becoming Americans. “We need a clear path to citizenship,” said Gustavo Torres, executive director of CASA de Maryland, one of the lead organizers of the rally. “Anything less than that undermines American democracy.” The senators’ compromise allows Republican lawmakers, including Senator John McCain of Arizona and Senator Marco Rubio of Florida, to say that they succeeded in including border enforcement advances that will be met before any illegal immigrants will apply for permanent resident green cards, the first step toward citizenship. It also allows Democrats to say that the border measures are goals, but they are not roadblocks that could stop the immigrants from reaching the final stage of citizenship. President Obama, who has been largely silent during the negotiations, is strongly opposed to any hindrances that could be subject to political battles later on. According to the draft, the legislation would provide $3 billion for the Department of Homeland Security to draw up and carry out a five-year border security plan. Officials must present the plan within six months, and no immigrants can gain any provisional legal status until the plan is in place. The plan must include how border authorities will move quickly to spread technology across the border to ensure that agents can see along its entire length. The authorities will also have five years to reach 90 percent effectiveness in their operations, a measure based on calculations of what percentage of illegal crossers were caught or turned back without crossing. Homeland Security officials also have six months to draw up plans to finish any border fencing they deem necessary. If, after five years, border officials have not reached the surveillance and enforcement goals, the bill creates and finances a border commission, made up of officials from border states and other experts, to help the Department of Homeland Security reach its goals. Homeland Security officials will also be required to expand a worker verification system, making it mandatory nationwide for all employers within five years. They must also create an electronic exit system to ensure that foreigners leave when their visas expire. Under the legislation, illegal immigrants who pass background checks and meet other requirements will have to wait in a provisional status for 10 years, during which time they would be allowed to work and travel but not to remain permanently, before they could apply for green cards. At the end of 10 years, officials must show that the border security plan is operational, the fence is completed, and the worker verification and visa exits systems are operating. At that point, immigrants in provisional status will be allowed to apply for green cards. On Tuesday, Senator Diane Feinstein, a Democrat of California who is spearheading a deal on an agricultural worker program, said that she expected to have an agreement between the farm workers and growers within 24 hours. The talks had stalled earlier this month when the labor unions and employers could not agree on the number of workers to allow into the new visa program, and what wage rate to pay the workers. On Wednesday, a person with knowledge of the discussions said that the workers had offered a cap of 200,000 workers total through 2020, in addition to roughly 50,000 workers who are already in the existing agricultural guest worker program, known as H-2A. That number, the person added, is “far more generous” than the cap reached under a similar deal between the nation’s leading business and labor groups, for a low-skilled worker program. In terms of wages for agricultural workers, the person added, there is currently a deal under consideration that offers specific starting wage rates — divided by region, job type, and crop type. If growers and workers cannot agree on fair wages, the senators will likely fall back on a process that takes into account various economic factors and is overseen by the secretaries of agriculture and labor. Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/11/us/politics/bipartisan-group-of-senators-agrees-on-outline-of-immigration-bill.html?partner=rss&emc=rss&smid=tw-nytimes&_r=2&

WASHINGTON, D.C.—A raucous public debate over the nation's flawed immigration system is set to begin in earnest this week as senators finalize a bipartisan bill to secure the border, allow tens of thousands of foreign workers into the country and grant eventual citizenship to the estimated 11 million people living here illegally. Already negotiators are cautioning of struggles ahead for an issue that's defied resolution for years. An immigration deal came close on the Senate floor in 2007 but collapsed amid interest group bickering and an angry public backlash. "There will be a great deal of unhappiness about this proposal because everybody didn't get what they wanted," Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., a leader of the eight senators negotiating the legislation, said Sunday. "There are entrenched positions on both sides of this issue." "There's a long road," said Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., appearing alongside McCain on CBS' "Face the Nation." ''There are people on both sides who are against this bill, and they will be able to shoot at it." Schumer, McCain and their "Gang of Eight" already missed a self-imposed deadline to have their bill ready in March, but Schumer said he hopes that this week, it will happen. "All of us have said that there will be no agreement until the eight of us agree to a big, specific bill, but hopefully we can get that done by the end of the week," said Schumer. Schumer, McCain and other negotiators are trying to avoid mistakes of the past. A painstaking deal reached a week ago knit together traditional enemies, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the AFL-CIO, in an accord over a new low-skilled worker program. The proposal would allow up to 200,000 workers a year into the county to fill jobs in construction, hospitality, nursing homes and other areas where employers say they have a difficult time hiring Americans. The negotiators also have pledged to move the bill through the Senate Judiciary Committee and onto the floor according to what's known in Senate jargon as "regular order," trying to head off complaints from conservatives that the legislation is being rammed through. Source: http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2013/04/immigration_reform_bill_expect.html

The Senate’s Gang of Eight is aiming to release comprehensive immigration reform legislation on Thursday, according to Senate sources. A member of the group said the bill is virtually complete and the plan is to roll it out this week, but he warned it could slip into next week. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), a leading member of the group, confirmed the members are hoping to unveil the legislation before lawmakers leave town for the weekend. “We’re shooting for that kind of progress,” he said. One of the last questions to be resolved was over how to handle immigrant agricultural workers. The farm industry and unions were split over the issues of wages and visas. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), who has taken the lead on negotiating agricultural visas, said Tuesday a tentative deal had been reached. “There’s a tentative agreement on a number of things, and we’re waiting to see if it can get wrapped up,” she told reporters outside the Senate chamber. Source: http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/2...ll-by-thursday

So I got this idea to help follow and track progress, add the following info to your signature FROM YOUR PROFILE. If you need help, just reply here. Use the following format: Date Application Sent - The Lockbox the application was sent to - Mailing Method (Express, priority, certified) etc. - Date delivered - Date acceptance letter of application received - Date of I-797 C Notice of Action (Application Approved) - Date Biometrics scheduled - Date of EAD received - You can color it, fix it however you would like!

So more than likley, we will all need to fill this form for work authorization.. So why not just get familiar with it from now and try and fil it out as much as possible. Link to Form I-765: http://www.uscis.gov/files/form/i-765.pdf You can also download the Form below from the attachment. Questions? Thoughts? Form I-765.pdf

WASHINGTON — Eight senators who have spent weeks trying to write a bipartisan bill to overhaul immigration laws have privately agreed on the most contentious part of the draft — how to offer legal status to the nation's 11 million illegal immigrants. According to aides familiar with the closed-door negotiations, the bill would require illegal immigrants to register with Homeland Security Department authorities, file federal income taxes for their time in America and pay a still-to-be-determined fine. They also must have a clean law enforcement record. Once granted probationary legal status, immigrants would be allowed to work but would be barred from receiving federal public benefits, including food stamps, family cash assistance, Medicaid and unemployment insurance. The group's current draft is largely in line with President Obama's call to set a pathway to earned citizenship as part of a broader immigration reform package, as well as with recent efforts by prominent Republican lawmakers to resolve an issue that hurt GOP candidates in November's election. Though the draft is a long way from becoming law, immigration advocates expressed guarded optimism about a possible breakthrough. "Nine months ago, people would have thought you were nuts to say that four Republicans and four Democrats were working on a way to legalize 11 million people," said Angela Kelley, an immigration expert at the Center for American Progress, a think tank with close ties to the White House. "It's a Rubik's Cube, but more sides are matching in color than ever before. That's significant." Still undecided is how long illegal immigrants would need to wait before they could apply for permanent resident status and eventually become citizens. The delay for a green card probably would be 10 years or longer, the aides said. Also unresolved are such politically charged topics as how many visas to issue to high-tech specialists and other guest workers; how to keep track of when visitors leave the country; and how to pay for more Border Patrol officers, fencing and other security measures in an era of shrinking budgets, the aides said. The eight senators met Tuesday and Wednesday, alternating between a private office in the Russell Senate Office Building and a marble-floored ceremonial room off the Senate chamber. The group had hoped to deliver a completed bill to the Senate Judiciary Committee for consideration before the Senate leaves for Easter recess on March 22. But aides said remaining issues required more technical advice and cost estimates that could delay delivery until early April. The group includes Republican Sens. John McCain of Arizona, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Marco Rubio of Florida and Jeff Flake of Arizona. The Democrats are Sens. Charles E. Schumer of New York, Richard J. Durbin of Illinois, Robert Menendez of New Jersey and Michael Bennet of Colorado. The draft bill will be several hundred pages long when finished. For now, the unfinished pieces are peppered throughout the draft. "We're working through them. I'm not sure we'll get them all done," McCain said in an interview. "Some of these issues are very controversial." Business groups and Silicon Valley companies have pushed for more H1B visas for software engineers and other high-skilled employees, for example, while labor unions have warned that too many immigrants would undercut qualified Americans seeking high-tech jobs in a weak economy. Unless the group designs a visa program that ensures a robust labor force, Rubio told reporters, "What you're going to have is people coming into the country illegally or overstaying visas." Immigration overhaul bills floated in 2006 and 2007 were sunk by disagreements between labor and business leaders over how many workers to allow into the country. Some senators are skeptical that the current group can find a solution. "The country can absorb only so much low-skilled labor without significantly impacting the prospects of working Americans to get jobs and get higher pay," said Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.), a member of the judiciary panel who has been critical of previous efforts to expand the visa program. In an effort to resolve the issue, negotiators from the AFL-CIO and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce have worked with Senate staffers to set a formula so the number of visas for both high-tech and low-skilled workers can fluctuate. They have agreed that the tally would move up or down based on job demand, unemployment rates and other data. "We're really trying to fill in the details," said Ana Avendano, an AFL-CIO negotiator. The two sides have agreed that a work visa need not be tied to a specific employer and that foreign workers would be allowed to change jobs. Unions want assurances that foreign workers have the same rights as Americans to report mistreatment to the Labor Department and to sue employers for unpaid wages. Unlike in the past, both business and organized labor want an immigration bill to pass, said Eliseo Medina, secretary-treasurer of the Service Employees International Union, which represents more than 2 million workers. "No one wants to be responsible for deep-sixing the effort," Medina said. Negotiators also have hit a roadblock on whether the government should keep track of who is leaving the country and how to do so. Under current law, U.S. immigration authorities do not keep a record when tourists and other foreign visitors leave the country. So the government doesn't know whether they have overstayed their visas, as thousands do each year. The Senate group has tentatively agreed to create a system to check visas against an immigration database at international airports and seaports but have not determined whether it is feasible at much busier border crossings. The task is potentially huge: U.S. borders with Mexico and Canada are the most highly trafficked in the world, with 250 million crossings each year. Some lawmakers warn that checking visas as people leave the country would be expensive to implement, further clog busy border crossings and slow crucial commerce. Muzaffar Chishti, director of the Migration Policy Institute at New York University School of Law, said the real legislative battle over immigration would come after the bill was made public. "We haven't even begun to see the opposition to the bill," Chishti said. "Because there isn't meat on the bone." Source: http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-immigration-hurdles-20130311,0,1484422,full.story

PHOENIX - Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer on Wednesday ordered state agencies to deny driver's licenses and other public benefits to young illegal immigrants who obtain work authorizations under a new Obama administration policy. In an executive order, Brewer said she was reaffirming the intent of current Arizona law denying taxpayer-funded public benefits and state identification to illegal immigrants. Young illegal immigrants around the nation on Wednesday began the process of applying for federal work permits under the Obama administration's Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. The federal policy defers deportations for that group if they meet certain criteria, including arrival in the United States before they turned 16 and no convictions for certain crimes. After President Barack Obama announced the policy change in June, Brewer labeled it ``backdoor amnesty'' and political pandering by the Democratic president. Arizona has been in the vanguard of states enacting laws against illegal immigration. The U.S. Supreme Court in June overturned parts of the Arizona enforcement law known as SB1070 but ruled that a key provision on requiring police to ask people about their immigration status under certain circumstances can be implemented. The Obama administration challenged that law in 2010 after Brewer signed it into law. In the past decade, Arizona voters twice approved laws denying publicly funded services, such as in-state resident university tuition rates, to illegal immigrants unless mandated by the federal government. Brewer's order said the policy's federal paperwork doesn't confer lawful status on illegal immigrants and won't entitle them to Arizona public benefits. However, it said the policy change ``could result in some unlawfully present aliens inappropriately gaining access to public benefits contrary to the intent of Arizona voters and lawmakers who enacted laws expressly restricting access to taxpayer funded benefits and state identification.'' Brewer directed state agencies to start any necessary emergency rulemaking processes to implement her order. State Rep. Catherine Miranda, who supports the federal program, called Brewer's action mean-spirited. ``She just continues to put obstacles in front of young people in Arizona,'' the Phoenix Democrat said. Rep. Martin Quezada, D-Phoenix, said he questioned whether the order would have much practical effect under Arizona's current laws. But he said it served to demonize good kids who should be allowed to get state-issued identification and enter the workforce. Source: http://ktar.com/22/1...tion-recipients

First New DACA Applications Approved in Final Weeks of 2020 U.S. News & World ReportView the full article

First new DACA applications approved in final weeks of 2020 Associated PressView the full article

Applications for 171 new DACA recipients approved in finals weeks of 2020, the 1st in several years KTLAView the full article

First New DACA Applications Approved in Final Weeks of 2020 Voice of AmericaView the full article

Honduran migrant gives birth on Mexican side of border bridge KWKT - FOX 44View the full article

A lot has been written on deferred Action, a new program that starts on August 15, 2012 for young undocumented students in the United States. However, few have offered any “tips” for filing a successful Dreamer application. Applicants will find their application process will run smoother if they keep the following in mind: 1. Apply slowly. Don’t try to beat the rush and submit a partial application. If the I-821D is denied there is no right to appeal or file a motion to reopen. 2. If you have had contact with the police in the past, do NOT apply until an attorney has seen your conviction documents (docket sheets). 3. Thoroughly document your application with the evidence requested to avoid a delay in your case due to lack of evidence. 4. Download the applications from the USCIS web site. The forms, which must be filed together, are the I-821D, I-765 and I-765 WS. They are fillable online, but must be sent in hard copy to one of the four designated USCIS Immigration Lockboxes. Visit the USCIS web site to insure you file with the Lockbox which corresponds to your address. 5. While you’re applying, DO NOT travel outside of the U.S. after August 15, 2012! You will be inegible for the program. 6. Keep in mind fraud and misrepresentation can trigger a denial and result in you being placed in removal proceedings. 7. Send Immigration fees in the form of a Money Order. By doing, so you can trace the money order and ensure that the application will be processed promptly as if paid with cash. 8. Make copies of everything you submit and send the application via certified mail to confirm receipt. 9. Translate all non-English documents into English. 10. Submit proof that you arrived in the U.S. BEFORE turning 16 and have resided continuously in the U.S. for at least 5 years as of June 15, 2007. Deferred action is not an amnesty, it is not a Green Card. It is a work permit, renewable every two years, that will allow the applicant to get employment in the U.S., a driver’s license, and a Social Security number. Source: http://nbclatino.com...on-application/

For those that got themselves a lawyer, how much are you paying him/her for thier services to help you fill out the application? Just a good measure to see what you guys/girls are paying to help you fill out the applications.

Connecticut Immigrants With DACA Live Life With Uncertainty Connecticut Public RadioView the full article

Dream Act To Be Reintroduced In House As Immigration Push Grows Huffington Post WASHINGTON -- Reps. Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-Calif.), Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.) and Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.) will introduce Dream Act legislation near the end this month to help undocumented young people who came to the United States as children ... and more » View the full article

Newsday (subscription) NYS DREAM Act proponents hold rally at NCC Newsday (subscription) New York shouldn't wait for Congress to pass reforms to help young undocumented immigrants who go to college, said activists and students who rallied Thursday at Nassau Community College. About 20 people gathered outside the Garden City campus' ... View the full article

WASHINGTON — House Republicans on Tuesday staked out what they cast as a middle-ground option in the debate over immigration, pushing an approach that could include legalization but not a path to citizenship, as their Democratic counterparts favor, for the 11 million immigrants in the country illegally. At a House Judiciary Committee hearing exploring an overhaul of the immigration system, the first of several such hearings expected in the House, Representative Robert W. Goodlatte, Republican of Virginia and chairman of the committee, used much of his time to frame what he called “the question of the day” — “Are there options we should consider between mass deportation and a pathway to citizenship for those not lawfully in the United States?” he asked. The question was later echoed by Representative Lamar Smith, Republican of Texas and a former chairman of the committee, when he asked Mayor Julián Castro of San Antonio, “Do you see any compromise area between the current status quo and a path to citizenship?” Mr. Castro, whose twin brother, Representative Joaquín Castro, is a newly elected Democratic member from Texas, replied that he felt that a compromise was for the pathway to citizenship to be “an earned pathway.” The Republicans also signaled that they were open to the idea of breaking down immigration legislation into several smaller bills, which would allow them to deal with the question of high-skilled workers, as well as a farmworker program, without addressing what Democrats and immigration advocates say is the larger issue: the 11 million people already in the country. Representative Spencer Bachus, Republican of Alabama, for instance, said he thought the panelists could all agree that “it’s going to be a much easier lift to solve the problem of highly skilled workers.” “When you take comprehensive, then we’re dealing with certain issues like full citizenship,” he said. “And whatever else we disagree on, I think we would agree on that that’s a more toxic and contentious issue, granting full amnesty.” Immigration advocates, who had been eagerly awaiting the hearing for a hint of the tone of the debate on immigration as it unfolds in the House, said the use of the word “amnesty” would probably be a bad sign for those in favor of a comprehensive overhaul. Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/06/us/politics/house-gop-explores-immigration-changes-short-of-citizenship.html?_r=0