Your resource for all things immigration.
Birthright citizenship is a hotly debated topic. The United States and Canada are one of the few nations that automatically grant citizenship so expansively to children born within their borders. Anyone born in the U.S. is considered an American citizen regardless of whether the parents are U.S. citizens, legal residents, temporary visitors, or illegal immigrants in the U.S. Continue reading “Texas Denies Immigrant Children Their U.S. Citizenship”
The U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services (“USCIS”) and the Department of State (“DOS”) have exercised their shared authority and collaborated in the development of a policy expanding the definitions of “mother” and “parent” under the Immigration & Nationality Act (“INA”) to include gestational mothers using Assisted Reproductive Technology (“ART”), regardless of whether they are also the genetic mother. Continue reading “USCIS Expands Definition of “Mother” and “Parent” Under the INA”
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (“USCIS”) has changed from red to blue the color ink it uses to stamp certain documents that could be used for I-9 purposes. This would be relevant, for instance, in a scenario where you have a high population of new hires that are refugees and they provide you with a refugee document. Reviewers should note that moving forward they may see government documents with stamps in blue, red and black ink and that, just because the ink color has changed, documents may still be valid. Continue reading “USCIS Now Using New Ink Color for Certain Documents Which May be Used for Form I-9”
The increased popularity of renouncing your U.S. citizenship to avoid potential tax liabilities has resulted in a surprising fee hike by the U.S. Department of State. Although the hike is not unexpected, the fee increase of fivefold is. Sought to be a deterrent to discourage dual citizens from renouncing their U.S. citizenship, the fee increased from $450 to $2,350 on September 4, 2014. Continue reading “If You Renounce Your U.S. Citizenship, You Have to Pay the Piper”
Bipartisan immigration reform in an election year? And it creates jobs without adding to the deficit? Too good to be true? Well, earlier this year, Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt) introduced legislation—co-sponsored by five Republicans (Sens. Collins, Grassley, Hatch, Lee & Rubio) and three Democrats (Sens. Conrad, Kohl & Schumer)—to extend the EB-5 Regional Center Program for three years.[1] After several amendments, that legislation was passed unanimously by the United States Senate.[2] It later passed the House of Representatives by a 412-3 vote and was ultimately signed into law by President Barack Obama. The legislation, as enacted, extends the EB-5 Regional Center Program—which had been set to expire on September 30, 2012—for an additional three years.[3] Continue reading “The EB-5 Program: The Road to Citizenship Less Traveled”