Mooers Immigration » Immigration Reform

President Obama’s Immigration Plan

Mooers Immigration — Fri, 21 Nov 2014 18:27:19 +0000

Here is Mooers Immigration’s initial synopsis of the 4 (four) major immigration programs announced by President Obama on Thursday, November 20. Additional details about each of these programs are expected in the coming days.

I discussed all of this live on Channel 9 earlier today. A number of firms and organizations have contacted my office to schedule meetings with their members or employees – please contact me if you would like me to speak to your organization.

[NOTE: In addition to the list below, there will be additional employment-related items that will be announced shortly related to L-1B visas; definition of "same or similar" for pending immigrants changing employers; new PERM regulations related to recruiting US workers; a new type of “visa” for foreign entrepreneurs; and opportunities for entrepreneurs to obtain Green Cards under the “National Interest Waiver” program.]

————————————————————

1. DAP: Deferred Action for Parents

Arrived PRIOR TO January 1, 2010 (at least five years ago)
Parent of US Citizen or Legal Resident (born before November 21, 2014)
No serious criminal record
Willing to pay taxes
These parents will be protected from deportation and eligible to work for initial period of 3 years
- Think of this as “protective bubble”
- This is NOT a path to Citizenship
  - This is simply the President stating that we should leave these people alone while ICE goes after bad people.
  - This also reflects the fact that US Citizens can sponsor their parents once they turn 21 years of age.
  - Obama: Why destroy families through deportation when the parents will be legalized eventually anyway under current laws?

TIMING: File applications starting in May/June 2015

2. Expansion of DACA (DREAM Act) for “childhood arrivals”

Arrived in US no later than January 1, 2010
Under 16 when arrived
No upper age limit (was 31)

TIMING: File applications starting in February/March 2015

3. Relief for Legal Applicants currently in Long Lines for Green Cards and Work Visas

Family members of foreign scientists, teachers, engineers, etc. in long lines (up to 10 years) for Green Cards will be able to work for the first time. Children will be able to remain with families.
Spouses of foreign scientists, teachers, engineers, etc. in H-1B status will be eligible to work.
STEM graduates from US universities will be eligible to stay in the US for longer periods of time.

TIMING: Once Regulations and Guidance have been issued [TBD]

4. Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia

Citizens of Guinea, Sierra Leone and Guinea will be able to apply for initial 18-month TPS.
Will be protected from deportation during this period.
Will be eligible to work.

TIMING: File applications starting in June 2015

****************************************************************************

INDIVIDUALS NOT INCLUDED IN THE PRESIDENT’S ACTION

Individuals who entered the US after 5 year cut-off period
Individuals without children born in the US
Individuals with criminal records
Individuals not willing to pay US taxes

Unless they had a US Citizen child after arriving in the US, parents of children in the DACA program ARE NOT eligible for help under the Obama program.

————————————————————————————–

Bottom Line: This is a highly-targeted plan that will help many individuals.

Let us know if you want to discuss in greater detail the impact that the Obama program will have on your clients, company or organization. I have a cadre of native Spanish speakers on my staff who are available to answer questions as well.

Please let us know when we can be of assistance.

Donald Mooers
Founder, Mooers Immigration
Adjunct Professor of Immigration Law, Catholic University
DMooers@Mooers.net
301-652-4488

Walker: Make Legal Immigration Easier

Mooers Immigration — Fri, 22 Nov 2013 18:57:47 +0000

Dan Merica, CNN

“Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker said Friday that the key to fixing the country’s immigration system is by making it easier for qualified immigrants to come to the United States legally, not by solely focusing on what to do with the nation’s 11 million undocumented immigrants.”

Full Story

John Boehner: Immigration Overhaul Is Not Dead

Mooers Immigration — Fri, 22 Nov 2013 18:52:27 +0000

Lisa Mascaro, Los Angeles Times

“Speaker John A. Boehner says he still wants to see an overhaul of the immigration laws, but he declined to say when the House would address the issue.”

Full Story

Young Immigrants Write Software to Highlight Lack of Legal Status

Mooers Immigration — Fri, 22 Nov 2013 18:49:36 +0000

Vindu Goel, The New York Times

“Can 20 young programmers, all of them brought to the United States illegally as children, hack an immigration overhaul out of its deep freeze in Congress?”

Full Story

A Feminist Call For Immigration Reform, As Momentum Stalls in Congress

Mooers Immigration — Thu, 21 Nov 2013 16:03:24 +0000

Maya Rhodan, Time Magazine

“The women’s rights community is not giving up on immigration reform.”

Full Story

Illegal Immigrants Are Divided Over Importance of Citizenship

Mooers Immigration — Thu, 21 Nov 2013 16:00:06 +0000

Julia Preston, The New York Times

“Glendy Martínez is waiting anxiously to see if Congress will ever pass legislation to allow immigrants like her, without papers, to stay in the country legally. But frankly, she says, she does not care if it will include any promise of citizenship.”

Full Story

Obama OK With Chopped-Up Immigration If All Bases Are Covered

Mooers Immigration — Wed, 20 Nov 2013 20:51:09 +0000

Suzanne Gamboa, NBC Latino

“President Barack Obama told a group of business executives Tuesday he’s all right with the House chopping immigration reform into pieces, as long as they don’t just do the easy stuff.”

Full Story

John Boehner Must Act on Immigration Now

Mooers Immigration — Wed, 20 Nov 2013 20:48:54 +0000

Editorial Board, The Washington Post

“POOR JOHN Boehner. The beleaguered House speaker can’t even eat breakfast in peace. The other day, a pair of teenage girls, activists for immigration reform, accosted him at Pete’s Diner, his early-morning hangout, to ask how he’d like to be deported.”

Full Story

Boehner’s Immigration Bill Halt Will Hurt GOP for Decades

Mooers Immigration — Wed, 20 Nov 2013 20:42:44 +0000

Rachel Kleinfeld, San Francisco Gate

“House Speaker John Boehner might go down in history as the next Abraham Lincoln. Or at least Lyndon Johnson. But not in the way he might wish. Like those illustrious presidents, Boehner might have just made a decision that has scuttled his party’s chances for decades to come.”

Full Story

John Boehner Just Put Immigration Reform On Life Support

Mooers Immigration — Thu, 14 Nov 2013 18:06:06 +0000

Greg Sargent, The Washington Post

“John Boehner, at a presser just now, just said something that pushed immigration reform closer to death than anything he has said thus far”

Full Story