The federal government is now in partial shutdown due to a failure by President Trump and Congress to agree on how to fund the government. How does this impact key immigration agencies?
Category: Uncategorized
How USCIS Calculates Processing Times for Petitions and Applications
There are backlogs in U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) processing of applications and petitions. This leaves businesses and families to wonder what the processing times are. In March 2018, the agency began a pilot program to calculate processing times for some cases in a new way.
AP: Potential Visa Sanctions on Chinese Officials Over Xinjiang Abuses
Gerry Shih reports for the AP today that the U.S. government may pursue sanctions on Chinese officials involved in human rights abuses in the western region of Xinjiang. Shih has recently reported elsewhere on a sweeping security crackdown in the region.
“Alias Certificates” Required from Immigrant Visa Applicants at the U.S. Consulate in Guangzhou
The latest Immigrant Visa Instructions published by the U.S. Consulate in Guangzhou on Nov. 24, 2017, require that an applicant who has “ever used another name or alias on legal documentation or for other official purpose must provide a certified alias certificate” (别名证明文件).
Death by a Thousand Cuts: Evisceration of the Foreign Service
The Trump administration’s war on immigration has included an array of tactics. There have been full frontal assaults, such as the Muslim ban, cancellation of DACA, the border wall, and the RAISE Act. Simultaneously, the Trump administration is using the tactic of death by a thousand cuts: numerous assaults in the administrative agencies and courts…
National Day and Mid-Autumn Festival
Chodorow Law Offices will be closed during the upcoming Chinese National Day and Mid-Autumn Festival holidays. Sept. 30 (Saturday): Open. Oct. 2-8: Closed. Oct. 9 (Monday): Open. Similarly, the U.S. Embassy and Consulates General will be closed, on the following schedule: Oct. 2-8: Closed. Oct. 9: Closed for Columbus Day (U.S. holiday). Best wishes for…
Steve Miller, Meet Saum Song Bo: What the Statue of Liberty Symbolizes
On August 2, White House adviser Stephen Miller held a press conference defending President Donald Trump’s support for the RAISE Act, legislation that would reduce legal immigration to the United States. CNN reporter Jim Acosta asked whether the bill is in keeping with Emma Lazarus’ sonnet, The New Colossus, at the base of the Statue…
What Are Automated Passport Control and Mobile Passport Control?
Automated Passport Control (APC) is a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) program that expedites the entry process by providing an automated process through CBP’s Primary Inspection area.
USCIS Ombudsman: China EB-5 Backlog May Be 10 Years
In case you missed it, the USCIS Ombudsman Annual Report, 2017, reveals some astounding information about EB-5 China backlogs: recent applicants may face waits of 10 years or longer to immigrate:
The RAISE Act Would Harm U.S. Families and Businesses
The Reforming American Immigration for a Strong Economy Act (RAISE) Act – introduced by Senators Tom Cotton and David Perdue, with the support of President Trump – would eliminate the immigration system that we know today and replace it with a points-based system that ignores the benefits of family unity and the needs of U.S.…
Quick Takes on Visa Law News
Daniel Bell, Why Anyone Can Be Chinese (Wall St. Journal, July 14, 2017): Daniel Bell is a Canadian by birth who has who has taught political science in China for twenty years, speaks Chinese, and studies Confucian philosophy. In this essay, he writes, “I identify with Chinese culture” but objects that “no one considers me…
Should the Visa Function Be Transferred from State to Homeland Security?
A report commissioned by Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and disseminated agencywide recommends that the Department of Homeland Security take over the issuance of U.S. visas, passports and other travel documents as a cost-saving mechanism, according to media reports.
Members of Congress Probing Potential EB-5 Related Securities Fraud by Kushner Companies
Members of Congress from both parties are investigating whether Kushner Companies’ EB-5 fundraising activities constitute securities fraud. As has been widely reported, Kushner Companies recently put on a roadshow to market to Chinese investors a New Jersey real estate project called One Journal Square. The investments are structured such that investors may qualify for green…
Kushner Companies EB-5 Activities Reported by Reuters and NY Times May Constitute Securities Fraud
As has been widely reported, Kushner Companies recently put on a roadshow to market to Chinese investors a New Jersey real estate project called One Journal Square. The investments are structured such that investors may qualify for green cards through the EB-5 program, which requires a minimum $500,000 investment resulting in the creation of at…
AmCham China 2017 White Paper: Visa Policy
AmCham China just published its 2017 White Paper on American Business in China. “With uncertainty stemming from political and economic transitions in both the US and China, perceptions of a deteriorating investment environment for foreign companies in China, and a slowing economy, 2017 will likely be one of the most challenging years in decades for…
Event: AmCham Young Professionals Lunch: Discussion on U.S. and China Visas (Mar. 8)
Make your lunch productive by joining 12-15 motivated young professionals from within the AmCham China community to discuss U.S. and China visa issues. Mar. 8, 12pm, Deloitte Beijing Office. Read more.
Be Prepared for Likely H-1B Visa Changes
This year’s H-1B season has many of us nervously watching President Trump’s moves. Just last week the President signed executive orders to build his promised wall at the border with Mexico and to find and deport unauthorized immigrants. A third executive order last Friday barring refugees and travelers from seven countries deemed predominantly Muslim has…
Trump Issues Executive Order on “Interior Immigration Enforcement”
Executive Order: Enhancing Public Safety in the Interior of the United States (on whitehouse.gov)
Trump Issues Executive Order on “Border Security and Immigration Enforcement Improvements”
Executive Order: Border Security and Immigration Enforcement Improvements (on whitehouse.gov)
Women Under the Qing Dynasty’s Nationality Law
Nationality laws regulate the citizenship rights of women who marry, divorce, and have children. Historically, many nationality laws discriminated against women. The Qing Dynasty’s Nationality Law (1909) is but one example: