US Immigration News

In the middle of a critical shortage of nursing staff in the United States, it is being alleged that major hospital chains have been conspiring to depress salaries for nurses for years. A class-action lawsuit was filed in four American cities on Tuesday claims that human resources staff illegally contacted each other and exchanged private salary information on nurses in an effort to prevent them from receiving competitive salaries.

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops is advocating what it calls a "compassionate" approach to immigration reform that de-emphasizes harsh penalties in favour of more rational and long-term solutions. Three months earlier, Cardinal Roger M. Mahony strongly condemned anti-immigrant sentiment as "hysterical." In a Lenten address, he urged that policy be reformed in a way that balances the nation's security needs against rights of immigrants.

As previously reported, all of the 66,000 H-1B visas for the Fiscal Year 2007 (FY 2007) have been allocated and further applications have not been accepted since 26 May, 2006. Holders of an H-1B may begin work on the first day of the new fiscal year, which starts on 01 October.

There has been steady growth in the E2 visa over the past few years. An option open to people with substantial money, basically it is a way to buy entry into the U.S. without actually "immigrating." Due to technical definition, an E2 visa is considered a non-immigration visa. However, once an investor is able to qualify and enter into the U.S. in this category, they are able to look for other opportunities and to apply for green cards and eventually citizenship.

Over the past several weeks while debate has raged over immigration reform, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has been engaged in a "massive operation" to identify, locate and arrest illegal immigrants. From Boston to Mexico, more than 2,100 illegal immigrants have been arrested and detailed pending deportation proceedings in the past three weeks, and U.S. officials indicate that the current effort will be sustained throughout the summer, at least.

New arrivals to this country (U.S.) must adopt American values and learn English, President Bush said June 8, pushing anew for his proposal to overhaul immigration rules.

To gain passage during this midterm election year, Bush must win over many in his own party who are opposed to provisions he demands besides stepped-up border enforcement. Those provisions include providing a path to citizenship for many illegal immigrants and allowing additional work visas for foreigners. Stronger enforcement against employers who hire illegals is also creating friction between sides.