DHS announced today that it supports the FAR E-Verify regulation for federal contractors to enroll in E-Verify as of 9/8/09.  This means that most federal contractors and subcontractors will be required to enroll in E-Verify.  Secretary Napolitano also announced DHS’ intention to rescind the Social Security No-Match regulation that would have sent “no-match” letters to 140,000 US employers.  The notices would have warned companies to resolve discrepancies or fire workers within 90 days or face criminal charges.

For more on this

…Outlines and analyzes problems with USCIS and offers useful recommendations

The report includes:

A review of USCIS Transformation

· The most pervasive and serious problems USCIS customers experience such as Requests for Evidence, customer service, and FBI name checks

· Eight Annual Report recommendations that cover file transfers and tracking, DNA testing, and more…

· Eight formal recommendations that cover motions to reopen, EB-5 investor visas, T and U visas, EADs; and more….

· A description of Ombudsman facilitation of interagency meetings

We link here

July 1,2009 CBP (Customs and Border Protection) notifies that all Visa Waiver Program emergency or temporary passports must be electronic passports.  Only travelers holding these E-Passports will be able to travel to the USA under the VWP.  Passports that do not comply with this regulation  (with the exception of those that are traveling for emergency reasons and have been given discretionary approval) may be detained for processing and may potentially be denied admission to the USA.

We link to the CBP website for more information.

Senator Schumer issues a game plan that he thinks will get a CIR bill passed.

We link to the ILW.com article.

Form I-140 Immigration Petition for Alien Worker is used to petition USCIS to classify an alien beneficiary as eligible for an immigrant visa (green-card) based on employment.  We link to the instructions

(Reuters, San Francisco)…..

Silicon Valley is facing a brain drain of high achieving foreign-born students, more of whom are leaving in the face of a chilly local immigration environment in a trend experts say will hurt U.S. high-tech industry competitiveness in the long run.

We link to the article. “We’re simply not producing, in relative terms, significant numbers of engineers or scientists from people who have already been here for a number of generations”, said Wilcox, who specializes in helping the start-ups that gave his bank its name.  “You’ve got to bring them in from the outside.”

The Immigratiion Policy Center HAS issued an excellent “primer” on Comprehensive Immigration Reform (CIR).  We link to this for your reference and information.

As of 6/19/09, 44,500 H-1B cap-subject petitions have beenr received by USCIS for FY 2010 and 20,000 petitions seeking the advanced degree exemption.  As of this writing, USCIS will continue to receive cap subject and advanced degree petitions until the cap is met.

Reviews:  The inspection process, what does the law say, what can I expect to happen at a US port of entry and more….

http://www.ilw.com/immigdaily/news/2009,0624-admission.shtm

We link to this document:

http://www.docstoc.com/docs/7499686/AILA-Open-Forum—Dept-of-Labor