It is unfortunate that 2012 saw a record number of deportations and Arizona's SB1070 was upheld, but not all the news was bad in 2012. The DACA program (the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program) was started and over 100,000 undocumented individuals have been approved already.
Up to now, the federal immigration legislation in Congress has not been successful. Some negative turns were taken and some positive. What is in store for the new year? We can only wait and watch.
According to one immigration advocate, here are the Top 5 WINS for Immigrants in 2012:
5. Scholarship Money. UC Berkeley announced a one millionscholarship fund for illegal alien students. The fund is estimated to help 200 undocumented students who are enrolled at Berkeley but who are not eligible for national financial aid. Similarly, California students may soon benefit from state financial aid thanks to the California Dream Act.
4. Pro-Migrant State Legislation. Instead of waiting for the federal government to pass new laws, several states have sponsored their own pieces of legislation to help immigrants. For example, residents of Florida sued the state and were able to get in-state tuition for children born in the US to undocumented parents.
3. The Maryland Dream Act Passed at the Ballot Box. The Maryland DREAM Act was proposed to Maryland voters during the national election on November 4th. The proposal passed on a margin of 58.3% to 41.3%, making if the first state to enact in-state tuition for undocumented students by popular vote. Utah, Washington, Oklahoma, Illinois, Kansas, New Mexico, Nebraska, and Connecticut, also offer in-state tuition for undocumented students.
2. Florida Detention Camp Investigation. Several immigration activists were surprised to learn about so many immigrants that get deported from the Broward Transitional Center in southern Florida. In addition, they found that there were dozens of inmates who were being offeredno medical treatment, or processing according to CIS regulations.
1. Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). The DACA programoffers two-years of deferral from deportation to those who arrived to the United States as children. Because of Mr. Obama’s re-election, undocumented children can now apply for this program without fear of being deported. According to what the President says, he is really focused on significant immigration reform laws in 2013.
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But along with the TOP 5 WINS for immigration during 2012, there are also some failures. The Top 5 Fails are:
5. STEM Bill Failed. It would have eliminated the Visa Lottery and used those 50,000 visas for applicants who possessed advanced degrees from US universities in the areas of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math.
4. No Concrete Plans for Comprehensive Immigration Reform in 2013. There is not yet any sort of official mention or blueprint as to what the Comprehensive Immigration Reform package will look like in 2013.
3. Mainstream Media Fails Immigrant Youth by incomplete or inaccurate reporting.
2. Record Number of Deportations in 2012. Deportees in 2012: 400,000+.
Deportees during Obama’s first term: 1.5+ million. It is difficult to reconcile these numbers with the public statements made by Mr. Obama about Immigration Reform.
1. No CHANGE that Immigrants Can Believe In. With a record number deportations, and no Dream Act, no immigration reform, SB1070 and similar laws and a Deferred Action program that is only temporary, President Obama’s first term has not given much hope to immigration activists. How many more immigrants will be deported in Obama’s second term? How much attention will the President pay to immigration reform in the next four years?
As usual, we will keep you informed about the latest changes in immigration law during 2013.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q. In your opinion, what are the TOP 5 hopes for Immigration Reform as it applies to Vietnamese applicants?
A. Here is our list of TOP 5 hopes for 2013:
(1) Implementation of the F2B ruling of the 9th Circuit Court. This will allow the over 20 year old children of F3 and F4 parents to use the priority date of their parent’s visa petition. We are still waiting to see if US CIS will agree to follow the 9th Circuit Court ruling.
(2) Implementation of the I-601A waiver by CIS: Final instructions from CIS were promised by the end of December 2012, but no news yet. This type of waiver allows immediate relatives of US citizens who are in the US illegally, to apply for, and receive, a waiver before they go back home to apply for an immigrant visa.
(3) Put F2-A beneficiaries (Spouses and children of Permanent Residents) in the Immediate Relative category to eliminate waiting time
(4) More humane interpretation of the “extreme hardship” requirement for Waiver Applicants and Family Sponsor Applicants
(5) Add Vietnam to the E-2 Treaty Trader list so that it would be easy for Vietnamese citizens to start businesses in the US
ROBERT MULLINS INTERNATIONAL www.rmiodp.com
Immigration Support Services - Tham Van Di Tru
9070 Bolsa Ave., Westminster CA 92683 (714) 890-9933
779 Story Road, Ste. 70, San Jose, CA 95122 (408) 294-3888
6930 65th St. Ste. #105, Sacramento CA 95823 (916) 393-3388
47 Phung Khac Khoan, P. Da Kao, Q1, HCMC (848) 3914-7638
Up to now, the federal immigration legislation in Congress has not been successful. Some negative turns were taken and some positive. What is in store for the new year? We can only wait and watch.
According to one immigration advocate, here are the Top 5 WINS for Immigrants in 2012:
5. Scholarship Money. UC Berkeley announced a one millionscholarship fund for illegal alien students. The fund is estimated to help 200 undocumented students who are enrolled at Berkeley but who are not eligible for national financial aid. Similarly, California students may soon benefit from state financial aid thanks to the California Dream Act.
4. Pro-Migrant State Legislation. Instead of waiting for the federal government to pass new laws, several states have sponsored their own pieces of legislation to help immigrants. For example, residents of Florida sued the state and were able to get in-state tuition for children born in the US to undocumented parents.
3. The Maryland Dream Act Passed at the Ballot Box. The Maryland DREAM Act was proposed to Maryland voters during the national election on November 4th. The proposal passed on a margin of 58.3% to 41.3%, making if the first state to enact in-state tuition for undocumented students by popular vote. Utah, Washington, Oklahoma, Illinois, Kansas, New Mexico, Nebraska, and Connecticut, also offer in-state tuition for undocumented students.
2. Florida Detention Camp Investigation. Several immigration activists were surprised to learn about so many immigrants that get deported from the Broward Transitional Center in southern Florida. In addition, they found that there were dozens of inmates who were being offeredno medical treatment, or processing according to CIS regulations.
1. Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). The DACA programoffers two-years of deferral from deportation to those who arrived to the United States as children. Because of Mr. Obama’s re-election, undocumented children can now apply for this program without fear of being deported. According to what the President says, he is really focused on significant immigration reform laws in 2013.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
But along with the TOP 5 WINS for immigration during 2012, there are also some failures. The Top 5 Fails are:
5. STEM Bill Failed. It would have eliminated the Visa Lottery and used those 50,000 visas for applicants who possessed advanced degrees from US universities in the areas of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math.
4. No Concrete Plans for Comprehensive Immigration Reform in 2013. There is not yet any sort of official mention or blueprint as to what the Comprehensive Immigration Reform package will look like in 2013.
3. Mainstream Media Fails Immigrant Youth by incomplete or inaccurate reporting.
2. Record Number of Deportations in 2012. Deportees in 2012: 400,000+.
Deportees during Obama’s first term: 1.5+ million. It is difficult to reconcile these numbers with the public statements made by Mr. Obama about Immigration Reform.
1. No CHANGE that Immigrants Can Believe In. With a record number deportations, and no Dream Act, no immigration reform, SB1070 and similar laws and a Deferred Action program that is only temporary, President Obama’s first term has not given much hope to immigration activists. How many more immigrants will be deported in Obama’s second term? How much attention will the President pay to immigration reform in the next four years?
As usual, we will keep you informed about the latest changes in immigration law during 2013.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q. In your opinion, what are the TOP 5 hopes for Immigration Reform as it applies to Vietnamese applicants?
A. Here is our list of TOP 5 hopes for 2013:
(1) Implementation of the F2B ruling of the 9th Circuit Court. This will allow the over 20 year old children of F3 and F4 parents to use the priority date of their parent’s visa petition. We are still waiting to see if US CIS will agree to follow the 9th Circuit Court ruling.
(2) Implementation of the I-601A waiver by CIS: Final instructions from CIS were promised by the end of December 2012, but no news yet. This type of waiver allows immediate relatives of US citizens who are in the US illegally, to apply for, and receive, a waiver before they go back home to apply for an immigrant visa.
(3) Put F2-A beneficiaries (Spouses and children of Permanent Residents) in the Immediate Relative category to eliminate waiting time
(4) More humane interpretation of the “extreme hardship” requirement for Waiver Applicants and Family Sponsor Applicants
(5) Add Vietnam to the E-2 Treaty Trader list so that it would be easy for Vietnamese citizens to start businesses in the US
ROBERT MULLINS INTERNATIONAL www.rmiodp.com
Immigration Support Services - Tham Van Di Tru
9070 Bolsa Ave., Westminster CA 92683 (714) 890-9933
779 Story Road, Ste. 70, San Jose, CA 95122 (408) 294-3888
6930 65th St. Ste. #105, Sacramento CA 95823 (916) 393-3388
47 Phung Khac Khoan, P. Da Kao, Q1, HCMC (848) 3914-7638
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