On this week’s show, we present several immigration-related issues.
· We have already reported on the very helpful 9th Circuit Court ruling for children left behind in Vietnam because they could not qualify for the CSPA (Child Status Protection Act). This ruling affects F2-B sponsors who live in California and some other western states.
· In Los Angeles, Police Chief Charlie Beck recently announced that the Los Angeles Police Department will stop turning over illegal immigrants who are arrested for low-level crimes to ICE authorities for deportation proceedings. Examples of low level crimes are driving without a license, being intoxicated in public or vending illegally. Chief Beck says that if such people are subject to deportation, it would result in losing the trust of the 750,000 undocumented immigrants living in Los Angeles, and this could hurt the LAPD’s ability to effectively monitor and police the city.
· Mitt Romney Changes Stance on Deferred Action. In a recent interview with The Denver Post, Romney said that he will not repeal the deferred action program known as DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals). But the Romney campaign staff later said that if he is elected, Mr. Romney "would honor deportation exemptions issued by the Obama administration before his inauguration but would not grant new ones after taking office." In other words, any DACA applicants who are not approved before 20 January would face an uncertain future.
Mr. Obama has not fulfilled the immigration reform promises that he made four years ago, and Mr. Romney’s intentions about immigration reform are far from clear.
· Apple Co-Founder Seeks Dual Citizenship. After a recent trip to Australia to promote the iPhone 5, Steve Wozniak, co-founder of Apple, announced that he would like to become an Australian citizen. Wozniak is motivated by Australia’s new National Broadband Network that is expected to deliver high-speed Internet access throughout Australia by 2021.
· Birth Tourism Numbers Up In California. “Birth tourism” is a name given to the practice of foreign pregnant women entering the United States on a tourist visa to give birth. When the baby is born on U.S. soil, by law, the infant receivesU.S. citizenship. However this does not provide any immigration benefit for the birth parents, so they cannot remain in the US in order to raise the child here.
· Republican Senator Co-Sponsors “Uniting American Families Act”. Senator Susan Collins of Maine became the first Republican in the Senate to co-sponsor a legislation that would give same-sex couples the same immigration rights as heterosexual couples. The bill is unlikely to pass, but if it does: To qualify, same sex partners would need to submit sufficient documentation of their commitment and undergo an extensive interview process.
· Taiwan Will Be Added To Visa Waiver Program. In December, Taiwan will join a list of 36 countries qualifying for the United States’ visa waiver program. Preapproved Taiwanese travelers can enter the U.S. for business or tourism for up to 90 days without needing to complete a U.S. visa application. People who enter the US on a visa waiver must leave at the end of the 90 visa, and they cannot extend the visa or change the visa to any other category such as student or spouse visa. Taiwan is the filth Asian nation to be included in the Visa Waiver Program. The others are Brunei, Japan, Singapore and South Korea.
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Q.1. What will CIS do about the F2B petitions that have already been filed by residents in the 9th Circuit District?
A.1. According to the 9th Circuit ruling, CIS should automatically give those F2B petitions the priority date of their parents’ petition, meaning that the F2B would become current immediately. However, till now, CIS has not issued any instructions or information about how to expedite the processing of eligible F2B cases, so it is up to the sponsors to contact CIS.
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Q.2. When can Vietnam be added to the Visa Waiver program?
A.2. . In order to qualify for the Visa Waiver Program, a country must have a good record, meaning that a very high percentage of people from the country have not overstayed tourist visas or other non-immigrant visas and have not violated the terms of their visas. The State Department must be confident that tourists who apply for the Visa Waiver program will return to their country at the end of their 90 visa.
· We have already reported on the very helpful 9th Circuit Court ruling for children left behind in Vietnam because they could not qualify for the CSPA (Child Status Protection Act). This ruling affects F2-B sponsors who live in California and some other western states.
· In Los Angeles, Police Chief Charlie Beck recently announced that the Los Angeles Police Department will stop turning over illegal immigrants who are arrested for low-level crimes to ICE authorities for deportation proceedings. Examples of low level crimes are driving without a license, being intoxicated in public or vending illegally. Chief Beck says that if such people are subject to deportation, it would result in losing the trust of the 750,000 undocumented immigrants living in Los Angeles, and this could hurt the LAPD’s ability to effectively monitor and police the city.
· Mitt Romney Changes Stance on Deferred Action. In a recent interview with The Denver Post, Romney said that he will not repeal the deferred action program known as DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals). But the Romney campaign staff later said that if he is elected, Mr. Romney "would honor deportation exemptions issued by the Obama administration before his inauguration but would not grant new ones after taking office." In other words, any DACA applicants who are not approved before 20 January would face an uncertain future.
Mr. Obama has not fulfilled the immigration reform promises that he made four years ago, and Mr. Romney’s intentions about immigration reform are far from clear.
· Apple Co-Founder Seeks Dual Citizenship. After a recent trip to Australia to promote the iPhone 5, Steve Wozniak, co-founder of Apple, announced that he would like to become an Australian citizen. Wozniak is motivated by Australia’s new National Broadband Network that is expected to deliver high-speed Internet access throughout Australia by 2021.
· Birth Tourism Numbers Up In California. “Birth tourism” is a name given to the practice of foreign pregnant women entering the United States on a tourist visa to give birth. When the baby is born on U.S. soil, by law, the infant receivesU.S. citizenship. However this does not provide any immigration benefit for the birth parents, so they cannot remain in the US in order to raise the child here.
· Republican Senator Co-Sponsors “Uniting American Families Act”. Senator Susan Collins of Maine became the first Republican in the Senate to co-sponsor a legislation that would give same-sex couples the same immigration rights as heterosexual couples. The bill is unlikely to pass, but if it does: To qualify, same sex partners would need to submit sufficient documentation of their commitment and undergo an extensive interview process.
· Taiwan Will Be Added To Visa Waiver Program. In December, Taiwan will join a list of 36 countries qualifying for the United States’ visa waiver program. Preapproved Taiwanese travelers can enter the U.S. for business or tourism for up to 90 days without needing to complete a U.S. visa application. People who enter the US on a visa waiver must leave at the end of the 90 visa, and they cannot extend the visa or change the visa to any other category such as student or spouse visa. Taiwan is the filth Asian nation to be included in the Visa Waiver Program. The others are Brunei, Japan, Singapore and South Korea.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q.1. What will CIS do about the F2B petitions that have already been filed by residents in the 9th Circuit District?
A.1. According to the 9th Circuit ruling, CIS should automatically give those F2B petitions the priority date of their parents’ petition, meaning that the F2B would become current immediately. However, till now, CIS has not issued any instructions or information about how to expedite the processing of eligible F2B cases, so it is up to the sponsors to contact CIS.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q.2. When can Vietnam be added to the Visa Waiver program?
A.2. . In order to qualify for the Visa Waiver Program, a country must have a good record, meaning that a very high percentage of people from the country have not overstayed tourist visas or other non-immigrant visas and have not violated the terms of their visas. The State Department must be confident that tourists who apply for the Visa Waiver program will return to their country at the end of their 90 visa.
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