IMMIGRATION UPDATE DECEMBER 2010
NEWS ITEM ONE: NOTICE TO EMPLOYERS-- USCIS Continues to Accept FY 2011 H-1B Petitions.
NEWS ITEM TWO: DREAM ACT UPDATE
COMMENTARY
1. NEWS ITEM ONE: NOTICE TO EMPLOYERS
USCIS Continues to Accept FY 2011 H-1B Petitions. As of November 19, 2010, approximately 48,977 H-1B cap-subject petitions were receipted. Additionally, USCIS has receipted 17,836 H-1B petitions for aliens with advanced degrees.
H-1B petitions are generally (exceptions apply to institutions of higher education or nonprofit organizations) subject to the 65,000 H-1B numerical limitation (the “cap”). Some petitions are exempt from the cap under the advanced degree exemption provided to the first 20,000 petitions filed for a beneficiary who has obtained a U.S. master’s degree or higher. Please note that up to 6,800 visas may be set aside from the cap of 65,000 during each fiscal year for the H-1B1 program under the terms of the legislation implementing the U.S.-Chile and U.S.-Singapore Free Trade Agreements.
2. NEWS ITEM TWO: DREAM ACT UPDATE
After failing to win comprehensive immigration reform during a period when Democrats controlled both the White House and Congress, immigration proponents are now hoping to use the lame-duck session to snag an 11th-hour consolation prize: the DREAM Act.
http://www.propublica.org/article/rocky-road-ahead-for-dream-act
The president met Tuesday with congressional Hispanic leaders, who said afterward that Obama had pledged to lobby Democratic lawmakers who are wavering and Republicans who have supported the legislation in the past.
"Passage of the DREAM Act is achievable right now," Rep. Luis Gutierrez, D-Ill., said after the White House meeting. "It is the only piece of immigration reform legislation that can get broad support from Democrats and has attracted significant Republican support in the recent past."
Proponents haven't pushed for separate consideration of the DREAM Act in recent years because they feared they would lose their most compelling and attractive argument for comprehensive immigration reform, which would benefit the rest of the estimated 11 million people who are in the country illegally and who are likely to be viewed less sympathetically. The people the DREAM Act would benefit are seen as the poster boys and girls for reform
http://www.propublica.org/article/rocky-road-ahead-for-dream-act
I believe that the proponents of the DREAM Act must start pushing for separate consideration of this Act. In my opinion, we will not see comprehensive immigration reform in the near future. The DREAM Act represents one of the few possibilities for change in this political climate. President Obama has labeled the immigration system as ‘broken’. To repair this system, he could or should throw his full weight into supporting the DREAM Act. If you would like more information on how to support this proposed Act, you can go to the following web link:
