The lengthy wait for visa approval—over a year in some locations, for people who have over stayed previous U.S visas, will soon become a breeze.  U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) now agree with immigration advocates that the current waiver process actually creates lengthy family separation.

To correct this, USCIS has proposed changes to the process of applying for a waiver of inadmissibility based on unlawful presence of family members in the country. With the publication of a Proposed Rule in the Federal Register on April 2, USCIS now seeks public comment on changes to the current process

Under the current process, a person is barred from re-entry into the U.S. for three years if the individual had accumulated between six and 12 months of unlawful presence in the U.S. Currently those who over stay their visa for a year or more must remain outside the U.S. for a minimum of 10 years.

People who over stay their visas can still get waiver for the bar to re-entry, is if they can show that they are eligible for an immigrant visa and that their U.S. citizen or Legal Permanent Resident spouse or parent will suffer extreme hardship due to the lengthy separation.

 Those not eligible to adjust status inside the U.S must depart the U.S. in order to obtain the immigrant visa from a U.S. State Department Consular office in their home country. At that point, the three- or ten-year bar to re-entry is triggered, and the person must apply for the waiver and wait outside the U.S.

Checks by African Metro News show that USCIS is now proposing to process those waiver applications before these individuals with expired visa have left the U.S.     Such people can get approval here in the U.S and complete the process of obtaining an immigrant visa from the U.S. Consular office in their home country without the long wait for adjudication of the waiver.

The high cost of maintaining staff outside the U.S. and the inefficient process of shuffling of files back and forth between the Department of State and USCIS are the other reasons USCIS gave in the Federal Register notice, for proposing to change the process.

While the spouses of Legal Permanent Residents are also eligible for this family unity waiver, USCIS is proposing to change the application process only for U.S. citizen relatives. USCIS cites the priority given by Congress to the immigration of the family members of U.S. citizens.

The new process will also be available only to those who would be subject to the unlawful presence bars to re-entry. (USCIS says that 80% of applications for waivers to inadmissibility filed abroad are filed by individuals who are subject to the three- and 10-year bards to re-entry.

There is a 60-day public comment period; and comments should be submitted on or before June 1, 2012. The new process will not go into effect until all comments are considered and a final rule is published in the coming months. For more information click HERE

Meanwhile, the Department of Homeland Security is now tracking deportation of parents of U.S citizen children. The Fiscal Year 2011 appropriations bill that Congress passed in last included was direction to the Department of Homeland Security to begin keeping statistics on the number of parents of U.S. citizen children it is deporting, and whether the children remain in the U.S. after deportation of the parents. On March 26, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) submitted a report to Congress with some of the statistics Congress requested.

In the period between January 1 and June 30, 2011, ICE reported that it had removed 46,486 persons who claimed to have at least one U.S. citizen child. ICE databases have not yet been revised to track what happens to the U.S. citizen child when the parents are deported

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As many await the verdict of the U.S Supreme Court on the Obama Health Care Reform, and as  thousands of  immigrants hold their breath in anticipation of  a positive resolution to the supposed anti immigration rugulation (SB1070), started in the state of Arizona ,the senior judges, this week voted 5-4 ruling that the Constitution does not prohibit the government from strip searching people charged with even minor offenses.

 With Federal immigration decisions still pending and with the  fate of many immigrant families hanging in the balance, the Supreme court’s 5-4 ruling on strip searches seems like  a “discouraging signal”, a ruling that maybe used as a law enforcement tactic to target immigrants.

This Supreme court ruling is strange indeed.. For example, No fewer than seven U.S. Courts of Appeals — the powerful federal courts that are just one rung below the Supreme Court, have argued — that the Constitution prohibits strip searches of people arrested on minor offenses unless there is individualized suspicion.

Similarly, Ten states — including Michigan and Florida — actually make suspicion less strip searches illegal. The Supreme Court, by this 5-4, has now given its blessing to strip searches of people who are charged with minor crimes — even if the government has no specific reason to believe they are concealing anything. 

 The Supreme Court’s ruling came on the heels of a New Jersey man, Albert Florence, who was pulled over by New Jersey state troopers for failing to pay a fine– even though, it turned out, he actually had paid the fine. Mr Florence, who was driving to his parents’ house with his wife and young son before being pulled over was thrown into the Essex County Correctional Facility, which has a strip search policy for all new arrestees.

According to Adam Cohen of  TIME Magazine, Mr. Florence — who had not even violated the law — was subjected to one of the more degrading interactions a citizen can have with his government. He was made to disrobe, lift his genitals for the guards to show that he was not hiding anything, and cough in a squatting position. Florence said he was strip searched twice.

After he was released, Florence sued, arguing that strip searches of people arrested for minor offenses violate the Fourth Amendment. There is a lot of support for the view that strip searches are an extreme measure that should only be used when the government has reason to believe the specific person they want to search is concealing weapons, drugs, or other contraband. The American Correctional Association — the oldest and largest correctional association in the world — has a standard saying that strip searches should only be used when there is individualized suspicion. Law enforcement groups — including the U.S. Marshals Service and the Immigration and Custom Services — adhere to this standard.

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Tax season is here again. Parents are already trying to find ways to maximize their refunds but if a proposal now before the U.S Congress passes, low Income immigrants may soon lose the child tax credit of about $1,800, on the average.

Congress has to make a decision on whether to extend the payroll (Social Security) tax cut, due to expire at the end of February. The House is pushing a provision that would deny the child tax credit to tax filers who file using an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN), instead of a Social Security Number. That provision was included in the House-passed bill to extend the tax cut for two months back in December, but was stripped out in conference with the Senate.

Advocates are pressing the Senate to reject this House proposal. Opponents of the Republican proposal point to the state of the Union Speech of President Obama. He devoted three paragraphs to immigration—telling Congress they should be working on comprehensive immigration reform and that opponents of action have “run out of excuses.” In the alternative, he urged Congress to send him a bill that would give “responsible young people” a path to citizenship.

Meanwhile, the Obama announcement of changes in his administration to encourage tourism by speeding up the processing of tourist visas has come under criticism by immigrant’s advocacy group of African born population. President Obama, said include boosting capacity to process visas in Brazil and China, where long waits have developed for persons applying to visit the U.S. His Pilot programs will test methods to streamline the process, including the elimination of in-person interviews for certain low-risk individuals.

The question is, Will the State Department ‘s attempt to interview 80% of non-immigrant visa applicants within three weeks of applying by advising consular officers to do a quick, almost nonchalant review, which many said, often lead to situations where genuine visitors and tourist, who already have family ties in the United States, are denied visa. Many of concerns about the lack of sensitivity to cultural norms and language barriers, on the part of some consular officers, who may simply be rushing interview 80% of non-immigrant visa applicants within three weeks of applying.

The recent passing of a bill that would alleviate visa backlogs for some immigrants waiting for visas in the family-based and the employment-based immigration system continues to be applauded by advocates. Among other things, the Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants Act (H.R. 3012), would eliminate the per-country ceiling for employment-based visas, and would lift the cap for family-based immigrants from seven percent to 15 percent. The effect would be to allow more of those who have been waiting in line longest to obtain their visas, while spreading the backlog out more evenly.

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Minorities in Ohio, including legal immigrants now have the opportunity to get free money to go to college. For example, any smart high school student can now go to a private liberal arts college that will give the student a full-ride tuition scholarship for four years? Sounds crazy? Actually, it’s true. Antioch College in Yellow Spring, Ohio, is waiving the tuition for all its students, who enroll in the next three years.

The value of the free tuition for the current year is $26,500. The scholarship, based on that price, makes each scholarship worth at least $106,000. Some students, who file financial aid applications, will capture an even greater price break. If they qualify, they may get to skip the room and board charges or pay a reduced price. Antioch’s room and board is currently $8,628.

Antioch College, which was originally founded by abolitionists in 1850, shut its door in 2008 after years of decline. Now back to reclaim its past glory after a tremendous financial support from dedicated alumni, the college
Antioch welcomed 35 students into its inaugural freshmen class in 2011 and it hopes to welcome another 65 to 75 students in the fall. The school’s goal is to have about 300 students attending the school by 2015.

Attending a Liberal college, such as Antioch College, for free, is a great opportunity for smart people who might not have the money. “We are a 160-year-old start-up institution with a lot of history,” says Cezar Mesquita, Antioch’s dean of admission and financial aid. The college wants to make an investment in hard-working, engaged students, “who can help restart this great institution.”

The inaugural class, which hailed from states throughout the country, had an average unweighted high school GPA of 3.56 and an average ACT score of 27, which is roughly the equivalent of a 1250 on the SAT. If you’re a high school senior, there is still time to apply! Antioch’s admission deadline is Feb. 15.
Meanwhile, Buick and the GM Foundation announced the launch of the Buick Achievers Scholarship Program for the 2012-13 school year. Among the largest scholarships awarded over multiple years, we expanded the program even further this year to include current undergraduate students, as well as high school seniors and graduates.

The move is intended to address high drop-out rates for students unable to complete their academic goals due to financial concerns. It also helps to identify college students who have had more time to develop interests in majors covered by the program including science, technology, engineering and design, along with other areas of expertise essential to strengthening our nation’s manufacturing workforce talent. This scholarship, funded by the GM Foundation, is designed to help students who are leaders in both the classroom and their communities, but who may not have the financial means to attend college.
The Buick Achievers Scholarship Program will award: Up to $25,000 per year for 100 students ; $2,000 one-time awards for 1,000 students . You can participate if you :• Will be enrolling full-time at a 4-year college or university. • Plan to major in one of the following: Science, Technology, Engineering, Math, Business Administration, Finance, Marketing or Design. Have an interest in pursuing a career in the automotive or related industries.

More details about the scholarship program, eligibility rules and selection criteria can be found at.A pdf is available for download and printing at

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