House Bill Addresses Employment Visa Backlog

The House of Representatives passed a bill on Tuesday that would modify the immigration system to allow more highly skilled immigrants to obtain permanent resident visas. The goal is to reduce visa backlogs where highly skilled employees who were already approved for legal permanent resident status, primarily from India and China, would then face another 70 years of waiting in order to receive their documentation.

Currently, there are limits on the number of employment-based green cards available annually to each country.
The highly skilled immigrants work primarily for employers in the areas of science, technology, and engineering, and lived in the United States on temporary visas.

Many of these skilled foreign workers are sent from China and India, and are forced to wait many years for their green cards because of the country limit requirement. The bill would eliminate the country limits after a three-year transition period, allowing all employment-based green cards to be issued on a first-come, first-served basis, according to a report from The New York Times. However, the bill does not address the issue of undocumented immigrants in the United States.

 The bill is expected to pass in the Senate.


Glickman Turley's experienced attorneys represent individuals on a wide range of immigration matters, as well as other legal issues. Please contact our attorneys if you wish to discuss representation on immigration matters, real estate purchase and sales, condominium associations, criminal defense, non-profit law, civil litigation, business litigation, business law, probate matters including wills, powers of attorney, health care proxy, same-sex parent adoptions, guardianships, animal law, or LGBT legal matters.

Gov. Deval Patrick Signed Transgender Equal Rights Bill

Governor Deval Patrick signed the Transgender Equal Rights Bill on November 26, 2011. The new law will provide additional civil rights protections to the transgender community, including protections against hate-crimes. Transgender citizens in Massachusetts will be protected from discrimination in the areas of employment, education, and housing.

There are about 33,000 transgender residents in Massachusetts, according to the Office of the Governor. Massachusetts is the 16th state to designate transgender individuals as a protected class.

Glickman Turley's experienced attorneys represent individuals on a wide range of
immigration matters, as well as other legal issues. Please contact our attorneys if you wish to discuss representation on immigration matters, real estate purchase and sales, condominium associations, criminal defense, non-profit law, civil litigation, business litigation, business law, probate matters including wills, powers of attorney, health care proxy, same-sex parent adoptions, guardianships, animal law, orLGBT legal matters.

53 Immigrants Arrested In Massachusetts

The Boston Globe reported today that the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested 42 men and 11 women for violating federal immigration laws. Many of the immigrants had serious or violent criminal convictions. The detainees are now in ICE custody, facing deportation proceedings.

The arrests occurred in towns throughout Massachusetts, including: Attleboro, Boston, Brockton, Chelsea, Dorchester, Everett, Fall River, Framingham, Lowell, Lynn, Milford, New Bedford, Peabody, Roxbury, Waltham, and Worcester.

Spike in EB-5 Visa Applications Amidst U.S. Recession

Wealthy foreign investors are turning to the EB-5 visa program as a way to qualify for residency in the United States in the aftermath of the U.S. recession. Most of the applicants are from China, with increasing interest from the Latin American elite who are eager to leave home countries, such as Mexico and Venezuela, that are rife with drug violence and political turmoil, according to a report by The Miami Herald.

EB-5 visa applicants are required to invest either a minimum of $500,000 in a U.S. project or business within a high unemployment or rural area, or a $1 million anywhere in the U.S., so long as the investment generates at least 10 jobs for U.S. workers within 2 years. Once the petition is approved, the applicant may bring his or her family to the U.S. under a conditional EB-5 visa that may become permanent if the investment is a success.

There is a risk that if the requirements are not met by the end of the two-year period, the applicants will face deportation. If the project is modified, the applicant must complete a new application to comply with USCIS requirements. The applicant must be able to prove that the investment money was obtained legitimately.

The Obama administration hopes that by making the EB-5 visa process more efficient, wealthy foreign nationals will make investments that will create more jobs for Americans. There is a bill in the Senate that proposes a similar program to help the housing market where foreign nationals would qualify for a visa if they spend $500,000 on real estate.

Glickman Turley's experienced attorneys represent individuals on a wide range of
immigration matters, as well as other legal issues. Please contact our

attorneys if you wish to discuss representation on immigration matters, real estate purchase and sales, condominium associations, criminal defense, non-profit law, civil litigation, business litigation, business law, probate matters including wills, powers of attorney, health care proxy, same-sex parent adoptions, guardianships, animal law, or LGBT legal matters.

Spaulding Hospital North Shore Treats Libyans Injured During Revolution

Libyans who were injured during the uprising against Moammar Khadafy's regime are being treated at Spaulding Hospital North Shore in Salem, Massachusetts. The Libyan National Transitional Council cooperated with the US State Department to facilitate the transfer of the twenty-two wounded men, who are between the ages of 16 and 49. The injuries include bullet wounds, broken bones, post-traumatic stress disorder, nerve and spinal damage, according to The Boston Globe's report. Several of the patients were civilians who were protesting peacefully or transfering medical supplies when they were severely beaten by Khadafy's forces.

The hospital staff prepared for the Libyan patients by undergoing cultural training sessions, installing satellite television so that patients can watch Arabic-language programming, and providing access to computers with Skype to help the patients keep in touch with family members in Libya. One of the patients told The Boston Globe that "It has been a kind and very sincere welcome. It has changed completely my vision of America."

Department of Homeland Security to Review Immigration Court Deportation Proceedings

The Department of Homeland Security ("DHS") will review pending
immigration court removal and deportation proceedings to determine which
cases should be dismissed because they qualify for discretionary
relief. Cases involving immigrants who qualify for Dream Act benefits,
have close family relations, are elderly, or who served in the military
may be dismissed at the request of DHS. DHS will seek to more quickly
adjudicate cases where the immigrant has been convicted of a serious
criminal offense, are threats to national security or who have prior
orders of deportation. DHS intends to begin by reviewing newly filed
immigration cases and then expanding the review to longer pending
cases. DHS intends to provide their attorney with more authority to
seek dismissal of appropriate cases. DHS is quoted as stating: "We are
empowering the attorneys [DHS Trial Attorneys] nationally to make them
more like federal prosecutors who decide which cases to bring."

Prosecutorial Discretion for Deportations Handled Unevenly

The New York Times reported that the Department of Homeland Security is applying new policies encouraging consideration of prosecutorial discretion unevenly throughout the United States. In various cases, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has granted relief to immigrants facing deportation even without advocacy. Many of these cases involve immigrants who would have qualified for relief under the DREAM Act pending before Congress. In other circumstances, ICE has resisted granting prosecutorial discretion in the face of guidelines encouraging leniency.