World One Law Group has contacted members of the U.S. House of Representatives, urging them to oppose Speaker Ryan’s “Border Security and Immigration Reform Act of 2018” and Representative Goodlatte’s “Securing America’s Future Act of 2018” (H.R. 4760). Both bills hold Dreamers hostage in return for provisions that would upend our immigration system and betray our values.
 
Speaker Ryan’s “Border Security and Immigration Reform Act of 2018” pairs Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) provisions with severe cuts to legal immigration, policies that undermine vital protections for vulnerable populations, and dramatic increases in funding for immigration enforcement. Among other provisions, the current bill would:

• Drastically reduce legal immigration by eliminating several family-based immigration categories and eliminating the diversity visa program.
• Undermine protections for vulnerable populations, including raising the credible fear standard for asylum seekers and eliminating certain TVPRA protections, sending children more quickly back to the countries from which they fled.
• Does NOT address the family separation crisis, which can be stopped right now by this Administration. Instead, the bill would jail children and their families for long periods of time.
• Balloon funding for enforcement, including additional Border Patrol agents, a $25 billion appropriation for the border wall, and funding to keep children and families in jail.
• Does NOT adequately protect Dreamers. The bill provides for contingent nonimmigrant status and creates a “point system” that would leave many Dreamers without protection.

Representative Goodlatte’s “Securing America’s Future Act of 2018”( H.R. 4760) is an anti-immigrant wish list that slashes legal immigration to untenably low levels, mandates unnecessary and harsh enforcement tactics, creates millions of criminals out of thin air by making unlawful presence a crime, and seems focused on excluding the largest number of Dreamers from the very few weak protections it claims to provide. Among other provisions, the bill would:

• Eviscerate legal immigration by gutting the family-based immigration system and eliminating the diversity visa program.
• Make employment verification mandatory for all employers.
• Criminalize unlawful presence, creating millions of criminals out of thin air.
• Mandate long-term detention of nearly everyone in removal proceedings despite due process, capacity, and cost prohibitions.
• Undermine access to asylum for individuals who have been persecuted abroad, including heightening the credible fear standard.
• Eliminate safeguards for vulnerable children by amending the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008 (TVPRA).
• Require a massive buildup of immigration enforcement, including construction of a wall, hiring of additional CBP, and waiving crucial polygraph requirements.
• NOT adequately protect Dreamers. As written, the bill provides only a contingent nonimmigrant status to eligible applicants for renewable three-year periods, excludes anyone who does not have valid DACA on the date of enactment, and imposes punitive eligibility requirements.

World One will continue to fight to protect the rights of all who seek to make a new life in the United States.  If you think you may need immigration help, please contact our office at (425) 250-8110, or by email at info@world1law.com.

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 The American Immigration Lawyers Association provides Know Your Rights handouts for several scenarios: ICE worksite raids (for employers), ICE home visits, and ICE public stops.

For each language, there are three versions of each handout for the scenarios outlined above: a PDF with a link to AILA's Immigration Lawyer Search, a PDF that members can customize with their own contact information, and a Word version of the customizable version.

The handouts are available in English, Spanish, Chinese, Portuguese, Arabic, Haitian Creole, and Punjabi. You can download them today from the AILA website linked below.

Federal Judge Derrick Watson in Hawaii has blocked President Donald Trump's revised travel ban, saying  Trump's third version of the policy "plainly discriminates based on nationality." The President's executive order "suffers from precisely the same maladies as its predecessor: it lacks sufficient findings that the entry of more than 150 million nationals from six specified countries would be 'detrimental to the interests of the United States,'" Watson wrote.
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• On October 17, 2017, U.S. District Court Judge Derrick Watson in Hawaii issued a nationwide temporary restraining order blocking the majority of the travel restrictions set forth in President Trump's September 24, 2017, proclamation.
• Also on October 17, U.S. District Court Judge Theodore Chuang in Maryland issued a nationwide preliminary injunction against the travel ban.
• In light of these rulings, nationals of Chad, Iran, Libya, Syria, Yemen, and Somalia will not be restricted from traveling to the United States under the proclamation. On the other hand, all immigrants and nonimmigrants from North Korea and certain government officials and their family members from Venezuela traveling on business or tourist visas (B-1/B-2) will continue to be restricted from travel to the U.S. pursuant to the presidential proclamation.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced on Tuesday, October 3rd that it will resume premium processing all types of H-1B petitions and for all H-1B visa extension of stay petitions. This change is effective immediately.

USCIS also resumed premium processing for H-1B petitions subject to the annual cap, which is set at 65,000 visas for 2018, and 20,000 for workers with a U.S. master’s degree or higher educational degree. Premium processing is also reinstated for petitions filed on behalf of physicians under the Conrad 30 waiver program, interested government agency waivers, and certain other H-1B petitions that are not subject to the cap.
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The H-1B visa is a nonimmigrant visa that allows a U.S. company to hire foreign workers in specialty occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise. More than 40,000 companies submitted H-1B visa applications in 2016, predominantly in the IT and computer-related sectors.

However, Fortune magazine reported in early August that the number of H-1B visa petitions for Indian candidates in 2017 actually declined for the first time in 7 years. The number of computer-related petitions also decreased for the first time in 4 years – “indicating that
foreign interest in these sorts of American jobs may be declining under the Trump administration.”

What Happened
​Since taking office on January 20th of this year, President Trump has signed several travel bans. The first, Executive Order 13769, “Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States,” was signed on January 27, 2017 and took immediate effect. Though some people called this order the “Muslim ban” because six of the seven affected countries have majority Muslim populations, the order actually affects all nationals of those countries, regardless of their religion.

The Executive Order was quickly challenged in the federal courts, where it was “put on hold.” The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals issued what is known as a Temporary Restraining Order, which prevented the administration for enforcing some parts of the travel ban.

On March 6, 2017, Mr. Trump issued Executive Order 13780, which superseded the previous travel ban. This second version of the travel ban went into effect on March 16, dropping Iraq from the list of affected countries. It also did not apply to Legal Permanent Residents (so-called “green-card holders”), dual nationals, and people who have been granted asylum or refugee status. This second order also removed language that gave priority to religious minorities.

Travel Ban 2.0 was set to expire on Sunday, September 24, 2017. That same day, the White House announced a third version of the travel ban. This  new Presidential proclamation, “Enhancing Vetting Capabilities and Processes for Detecting Attempted Entry into the United States by Terrorists or Other Public-Safety Threats,” places restrictions on eight countries and will take effect on October 18, 2018.

The Department of Homeland Security developed a set of immigration criteria and used that to evaluate the information-sharing practices, policies, and capabilities of foreign governments, as well as risks that may be posed by allowing nationals of the foreign country to enter the United States.

Who Is Affected
​Travel ban 3.0 applies to eight countries — Chad, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Somalia, Syria, Venezuala, and Yemen. This new travel ban replaces the majority of the second travel ban signed in March. The restrictions vary country by country, and unlike the previous temporary travel ban which was limited to 90 days, travel ban 3.0 is indefinite.  

 The new ban also gives consular officers the discretion to waive the new restrictions on a "case-by-case basis" if a foreign national demonstrates that denying entry into the US would cause "undue hardship" and he or she does not pose a threat to national security. This means the burden of proof is on you to show that you would suffer undue hardship if you are not allowed to enter the United States and that you do not pose a risk to the nation. 

But There Are Always Exceptions! 
These restrictions only apply to foreign nationals who are outside the United States and do not already have or qualify for a valid visa at this time.
If you have a validly issued Legal Permanent Resident card (“LPR card” or “green card”), valid visa, or other travel document, do not worry! Any of these documents which are currently valid will not be revoked. The new travel ban also does not apply to people seeking asylum or refugee status. However, entry of refugees is currently limited by the original travel ban issued in January, and new rules for refugees are expected to be announced within the next few weeks.
There are also several exceptions to the travel ban. The restrictions listed in the table above do not apply to:

• Legal permanent residents (“green-card” holders);
• A foreign national who is admitted to or paroled into the United States by October 18, 2017;
• Foreign nationals with valid visas, transportation letters, boarding foils, or advance parole documents which will be valid by October 18, 2017;
• Dual citizens traveling using a passport from unrestricted country;
• Foreign nationals traveling on a diplomatic visa, a NATO visa, a C-2 visa, or a G visa;
• Foreign nationals who have been granted asylum in the U.S.; and,
• Anyone granted withholding of removal, advance parole, or protection under the Convention Against Torture.