#ImmigrationReform is here!! Here is the breakdown: A few hours ago, President Obama unveiled his plans for Immigration Reform (“Immigration Accountability Executive Actions”). Millions of foreign nationals welcome this initiative. Though details of various aspects of his plan are yet unknown, here are some of the primary components that we have been made aware of: Enforcement Priorities. There will be new enforcement priorities (suspected terrorist, convicted felons, convicted gang members, individuals with multiple misdemeanors and recent entrants, among others. The Border. A South Border “Command and Control” campaign will be announced by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to improve coordination and use of resources at the border. State and Local Law Enforcement Partnerships with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The current program of Secure Communities will be discontinued and replaced by a program called the Priority Enforcement Program (PEP). Immigration Detainers (ICE Holds) will be halted, except for national security cases. (It has not yet been articulated exactly how this will be done). Two Deferred Action initiatives (estimated to benefit 4.4 million): (1) Deferred Action for Parents (DAP). Parents of U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents (green card holders) of any age who have resided continuously in the US since January 2010, who pass background checks and pay taxes, will be eligible to apply for deferred action. DAP will be granted for a 3-year period. When will this go into effect? It is said that applicants will be able to file for DAP within 180 days (6 months). (Please note, Parents of children who already received Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) will NOT be eligible for DAP). (2) Expansion of DACA DACA will be revised to remove the age cap requirements and change the required start date for “continuous presence” in the US to January 1, 2010. DACA will also be granted for 3 years (including those with pending renewal applications). When will this go into effect? Within 90 days (3 months). What About Pending Cases? Cases currently under proceedings and the cases of those who have been determined to be prima facie eligible for the new forms of relief will be closed. Foreign Entrepreneurs. Provisions will be made to allow certain investors to be paroled into the U.S., or granted parole in place (if already in the U.S.) for the purpose of job creation. National Interest Waivers will now be available for entrepreneurs, inventors, researchers, founders. Employment Based Green Card Process Eased: foreign nationals with an approved I-140 whose priority date is not current will be able to pre-register for adjustment of status to gain benefits of a pending adjustment (an estimated 410,000 people stand to benefit from this change). Spouses of H-1B Holders Can Work: The regulations granting H-4s employment authorization will be finalized likely by December or January. OPT. Length of time on OPT for STEM graduates will increase and STEM graduates will be allowed post–master’s degree OPT, even if only the first degree is in a STEM field. PERM. The employment based Labor Certification process will be modernized. I-601A Provisional Waivers. The provisional waiver will be expanded to include spouses and children of lawful permanent residents (LPRs/ green card holders). Advance Parole. New memo will address the issues raised in Matter of Arrabally-Yerrabelly and confirm that CBP should honor the advance paroles issued by USCIS. Parole in Place. This will be expanded to include families of those trying to enlist. Visa System Modernization. Presidential Memorandum will direct agencies to attempt to modernize the visa system, to allow for optimum use of visa numbers. Integration. A Task Force on New Americans will be implemented. Griggs Law Group will continue to provide updates, assessments and tips for filing immigration applications in connection with the President’s Obamas new Immigration Reform plan. Stay tuned! Griggs Law Group, LLC info@griggslawgroup griggslawgroup Phone: 404-630-6453 Follow Us on Twitter: @GriggsLawGroup Like Us on Facebook Connect with us on LinkedIn Contact the Griggs Law Group (info@griggslawgroup) for all your immigration needs!
Posted on: Fri, 21 Nov 2014 06:29:58 +0000
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