US Immigration News

In a 6-3 ruling, the Supreme Court of the United States decided this week that foreigners who have been arrested and are not told they have a right to contact their consulate for assistance may still have evidence gathered by police used against them. Under the Vienna Convention, all signatory states must allow foreigners arrested on their soil to contact their consulate. The United States is a signatory.

When applying for a U.S. green card, a person must have an Affidavit of Support. This is a document required by a green card applicant that any American citizen sponsoring them must submit. Usually this is a relative, and is used to prove that the applicant will have financial support so that they don't end up on public assistance once in the U.S.

The United States Supreme Court handed down an opinion on 22 June, 2006 that allows long-term illegal residents to be deported under a 1996 law that became effective on 01 April, 1997.

Nurse Practitioners (NP's) are Registered Nurses (RN's) with specialized training and advanced degrees. A trend has been developing in the health care field for these persons to take on more and more work of doctors as doctors themselves become scarce in relation to demand. Strong opportunities for work permits and immigrant & non-immigrant visas are being created.

The on-going debate on immigration reform for the United States took a nasty partisan turn this week as the controlling conservative faction dug in its heels on several points. "There will be no path to citizenship," [for illegal immigrants in the U.S.] one Republican Congressman who attended intense backroom meetings reported, under condition of anonymity.

Since 1997 there have been nine attempts in the US Senate to increase the minimum wage for working class people in America. Wednesday marked the ninth time that such a stand-alone proposal has been killed, and there have been several other failed attempts to attach such measures by amendment to other legislation.