Immigration Newsletter

Wednesday, March 20, 2013

2013 Poverty Guidelines (DHHS and USCIS) - Drew Law Office, pllc.

2013 Poverty Guidelines (DHHS and USCIS) - Drew Law Office, pllc.

The Department of Health and Human Services publishes the Poverty Guidelines every year. And every year USCIS takes way too long to publish their guidelines based on 125% of the Poverty Guidelines. It has now been almost two months since the Federal Register Posting and there is still no new form I-864P on the USCIS website. You might think USCIS would get some advance notice of the guidelines from DHHS and have the form ready ahead of time -- they don't. So I have posted them here ... make sure you doublecheck my math (I rounded up)!


2013 POVERTY GUIDELINES FOR THE 48 CONTIGUOUS STATES

AND THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Persons in family/household    Poverty guideline.  (USCIS = 125%)
        1                                    $11,490                    $14,363
        2                                    $15,510                    $19,388
        3                                    $19,530                    $24,413
        4                                    $23,550                    $29,438
        5                                    $27,570                    $34,463
        6                                    $31,590                    $39,488
        7                                    $35,610                    $44,513
        8                                    $39,630                    $49,538
For families/households with more than 8 persons, add $4,020 for each additional person then multiply by 1.25
This Chart also appears on my web page under recent announcements and hopefully on Google+ as well.

Thursday, March 14, 2013

Why Don’t They Just Get In Line? | Immigration Policy Center

Why Don’t They Just Get In Line? | Immigration Policy Center

A solid explanation of why the current immigration system is inadequate for the needs of the United States and for the immigrants who are here in legal status who wish to bring their family here to live with them. It is a long article with a great deal of information in it.

To me the most stunning fact in here is that the total number of persons allowed to legally immigrate to the United States is 675,000 per year including both family and employment based visas. Now that seems like a big number I suppose, until you realize that the population of the United States is about 314 million or about one person per square mile. So the annual allotment for immigration is about .002% of our current population.

At that rate we will double the US Population in a mere 465 years to 2 people per square mile. A frightening prospect perhaps for those Malthusians and other Zero Population Growth sympathizers. However, it is really just a drop in the bucket demographically, and that number could easily be doubled or tripled without ill effect if done properly.

Sometimes there is no path for those who wish to come to the United States legally; or sometimes the path requires a 12 - 20 year wait which is also effectively  "no path". Not everyone can come to live in the United States. But if someone has family here or has skills and education which are in demand -- we ought to find a way for them to get here legally in short order rather than make the choice: come illegally or don't' come at all.

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

North Carolina to Give Some Immigrants Driver’s Licenses, With a Pink Stripe - NYTimes.com

North Carolina to Give Some Immigrants Driver’s Licenses, With a Pink Stripe - NYTimes.com


RALEIGH, N.C. — In a move some are calling a modern-day scarlet letter and others say is the best way to manage changing federal immigration policy, North Carolina this month will begin giving some young immigrants driver’s licenses marked with a bold pink stripe and the words “no lawful status” printed in red.

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Click the link above to see the rest of the article at NYT.

If I were writing the headline it would have been "Petty in Pink". 

The desire to punish DACA recipients by Conservative politicians comes from a really bad place I think. Even when the US government (the body that decides immigration policy, let's remember) determines someone is allowed to remain legally in the country -- the powers that be in these states still feel some sort of passive aggressive drive to strike out at these people in whatever way they can devise. Someday politicians who claim to want a smaller role for government in people's lives, might actually stop worrying about the slightest chance that somebody they don't like might be getting a precious driver license. Until that day, I expect more petty and frankly pathetic shenanigans like this.

Tuesday, March 5, 2013

USCIS - DHS Announces Redesignations and 18-Month Extensions of Temporary Protected Status for Sudan and South Sudan

USCIS - DHS Announces Redesignations and 18-Month Extensions of Temporary Protected Status for Sudan and South Sudan


Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano today redesignated Sudan and South Sudan for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and extended the existing TPS designations for the two countries from May 3, 2013, through Nov. 2, 2014. This allows eligible nationals of the two countries to register or re-register for TPS in accordance with notices for Sudan and South Sudan published today in the Federal Register. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) encourages eligible individuals to register or re-register as soon as possible. 
Who’s Eligible
Current TPS Status
When to File
Sudanese and South Sudanese nationals (and persons without nationality who last habitually resided in Sudan or South Sudan)
Have TPS
Must re-register during 60-day re-registration period that runs from Jan. 9, 2013, through March 11, 2013.
Do Not Have TPS
May apply for TPS during a six-month registration period that runs from Jan. 9, 2013, through July 8, 2013.
The extensions and redesignations of Sudan and South Sudan for TPS are based on ongoing armed conflict in that region and the continuation of extraordinary and temporary conditions that led to the TPS designations of Sudan in 2004 and South Sudan in 2011. Secretary Napolitano determined that extending the existing TPS designations, as well as redesignating the two countries for TPS, is warranted based on Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Department of State reviews of country conditions conducted during the past year.
The Secretary has further determined that it is appropriate to designate Jan. 9, 2013, as the date by which Sudan and South Sudan TPS applicants must show they have continuously resided in the United States (i.e., the "continuous residence date").
DHS anticipates that approximately 300 individuals will be eligible to re-register for TPS under the existing designations of Sudan and South Sudan, and fewer than 4,000 additional individuals will be eligible for TPS under the redesignations.