Immigration News

USCIS Reaches FY 2009 H-1B Cap

WASHINGTON – U.S. Citizenship and
Immigration Services (USCIS) announced today that it has received
enough H-1B petitions to meet the congressionally mandated cap for
fiscal year 2009. USCIS has also received more than 20,000 H-1B
petitions filed on behalf of persons exempt from the cap under the
“advanced degree” exemption. Before running the random selection
process, USCIS will complete initial data entry for all filings
received during the filing period ending on April 7, 2008. Due to the
high number of petitions, USCIS is not yet able to announce the precise
day on which it will conduct the random selection process.

USCIS will carry out the
computer-generated random selection process for all cap-subject
petitions received. USCIS will select the number of petitions needed to
meet the caps of 65,000 for the general category and 20,000 under the
“advanced degree” exemption limit. USCIS will reject, and return filing
fees for all cap-subject petitions not randomly selected, unless found
to be a duplicate. USCIS will handle duplicate filings in accordance
with the interim final rule published on March 24, 2008 in the Federal
Register.

The agency will conduct the selection
process for “advanced degree” exemption petitions first. All “advanced
degree” petitions not selected will be part of the random selection
process for the 65,000 limit.

Related Files · Update (25KB PDF)

Media Note
Office of the Spokesman
Washington, DC
September 24, 2008

Twelve-Month Intern Work and Travel Pilot Program

U.S. Deputy Secretary of State
John D. Negroponte and Ireland Foreign Minister Micheal Martin signed a Memorandum
of Understanding on an Intern Work and Travel Pilot Program on September 24
in Washington, D.C.
The United States and Ireland soon will begin to implement a Twelve-Month Intern
Work and Travel Pilot Program for post-secondary students or young people within
twelve months of graduation. The new program is an innovative exchange program
that will allow thousands of young people from Ireland to enter the United
States for a period of twelve months on a J-1 exchange visitor visa. There
also will be reciprocal opportunities for young people from the United States
to travel to Ireland. This will allow students from both countries to participate
in a variety of internships, and to travel independently within the United
States and Ireland.

The program will be coordinated by the
private sector under the auspices of the U.S. Department of State's
Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs, and falls under the Intern
Category of the Exchange Visitor Program. This program is set to be
launched in late 2008 or early 2009. Further details and prerequisites
on the program will be available from the U.S. Embassy in Dublin and
Ireland's Embassy in Washington, DC.

The people of the United States and
Ireland have deep and abiding traditional and historical links. Today's
signing is designed to cultivate further mutual understanding between
the people of the United States and Ireland, and to strengthen the
connections between young people from our two countries. By enacting
this agreement, the United States government hopes to broaden the
international internship and travel experience for those who may not
otherwise have an opportunity to do so.

Authority for the Exchange Visitor
Program derives from the Mutual Educational and Cultural Exchange Act
of 1961, also known as the Fulbright-Hays Act. The Act's intent is to
increase mutual understanding between the peoples of the United States
and other countries through educational and cultural exchanges.

2008/772
Released on September 24, 2008

http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2008/sept/110210.htm

MARK HENNESSY, Political Correspondent
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/frontpage/2008/0919/1221773888183.html

Fri, Sep 19, 2008

TWENTY THOUSAND one-year working visas to
the United States are to be made available under a deal to be agreed in
a final round of talks in Washington today, it emerged last night.

Under the new agreement, the J visas will
be available not just to students as the existing three-month J1 visas,
but to anyone with a secondary-school education, or a trade.

The package has been worked on for
several months by the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Irish
Embassy in Washington, led by Ambassador Michael Collins, and the US
state department.

Speaking in New York in July, Taoiseach
Brian Cowen made it clear that action on visas and immigration to the
United States would be a priority during his time in office.

The visa deal to be agreed today with the
state department will come into force in the New Year, sources said
last night. So far, it is not yet clear what the top qualifying age for
applications will be.

Relations between the Irish-American
community and the Government, which were near- poisonous in the final
months before Bertie Ahern departed from office, have improved
significantly in recent times.

Mr Ahern had argued that the demand by
Irish-American groups for an amnesty for Irish illegals was
unrealistic, while they, in turn, said Ireland was failing to put any
pressure on the US authorities.

Meanwhile, Irish-American immigration
groups have urged people to be careful when they apply for another visa
scheme that offers 50,000 Green Cards.

Applications for the places in the
Diversity Visa Lottery will open between October 2nd and December 1st
this year, and applications can be downloaded from
www.dvlottery.state.gov.

However, the Coalition of Irish
Immigration Centres, in a statement released yesterday, warned
potential applicants not to deal with unverified online operators, who
are illegally charging fees for the work, and then not doing it.

"Irish citizens who are interested in
working in the USA in the next couple of years should apply for the
lottery as it will give them an opportunity to apply for a "green card"
(legal permanent residency).

"Winners should consult the Irish centres
once they have been notified to ensure that they are eligible and that
the application is completed correctly. Instructions and additional
information will be available at the department of state site during
the application period. This is the only official site, many on-line
scammers will offer to take your money and not even request your
digital photo," said the combined lobby group.

Last year, only 132 Irish applicants were chosen under the DV Lottery, but demand is likely to be higher this year.

© 2008 The Irish Times

Passports Will Be Required for Land and Sea Entry to the United States Beginning
June 1, 2009

Beginning
June 1, 2009, citizens of the United States, Canada and Bermuda will
soon be required to present a passport or an acceptable alternative
document when entering the United States by land or sea from Canada,
Mexico, the Caribbean region or Bermuda. The new requirements were put
in place by the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI), a border
security program.

U.S., Canadian and Bermudian citizens will be required
to present one of the following when entering the United States by land or
sea on or after June 1:

• A valid passport
• A valid U.S. passport card
(U.S. citizens only).
• A Department of Homeland Security trusted traveler program card, such as
a NEXUS, SENTRI or FAST program card.
• An enhanced driver's licensed (EDL).
EDLs are driver's licenses that require applicants to provide proof of their
citizenship or immigration status. Currently, EDLs are issued by some U.S.
states and Canadian provinces.
• A U.S. military identification card, with proof of military travel orders.
• A U.S. Merchant Marine Document.
• An enhanced tribal identification card,
issued by some Native American tribes.

Children
under the age of 16 will be able to enter with proof of citizenship, such as
a birth certificate, naturalization certificate or citizenship card.

Until
June 1, U.S., Canadian and Bermudian citizens will be able to enter the United
States by land or sea by presenting a document proving citizenship–such as
a birth certificate or citizenship certificate–together with government-issued
photo identification, though travelers age 18 and under may enter with proof
of citizenship alone. Note that citizens of these countries who are traveling
by air must present a passport when entering the United States; this requirement
has been in place under the WHTI since January 23, 2007.

U.S. lawful permanent residents are not affected
by the WHTI passport requirements. These individuals may continue to present
their Form I-551 permanent resident cards when entering the United States by
air, land or sea