ImmigrationAmerica.org

E-Verify Program: How It Works & the Pros and Cons

Employers in all states can use E-Verify to verify that new employees are allowed to work in the USA. The web-based program previously known as the E-Verify “basic pilot” is voluntary. The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is in the process of making the program mandatory for those who want to extend Optional Practical Training (OPT) for their F-1 student employees.

Immigration Creates Jobs: Why H-1B Visas Are Good

During the 19th century, the powerful nations around the world fought amongst themselves because of limited natural resources and territory, trying to obtain colonies in the developing nations, coal, and iron ore. Today, the struggle continues, but countries are fighting each other for skilled workers, such as engineers, IT experts, and scientists.

How to Qualify for an E-2 Visa

E-2 visas are a great option for anyone whose entrepreneurial spirit inspires them to move to the US to start a business. Check to make sure the United States has a treaty of commerce and navigation with your home nation so that you qualify to apply for an E-2 visa. You should also be sure you are coming to the United States to start up (or grow) and run a business you have invested in or in which you are currently investing.

How to Get an H-1B Visa After the Cap is Reached

H-1B visas are one of the categories of working visas with an annual limit.  For the 2012 fiscal year, the cap was reached by November 22, 2011.  Employers wishing to sponsor an H-1B worker before the 2013 applications open up on April 1, 2012 (for an October 1, 2012 start date) may feel like they are out of options. But they are not. If you want to know how to sponsor an employee after the H-1B visa cap is reached, here are some ideas!

Weighing the Benefits & Disadvantages: A Look at E-verify Pros & Cons

E-verify is a voluntary program that enables employers to validate personal identification information provided by employees. The program checks if the information presented by the employee matches with the Social Security Administration’s (SSA’s) information. The program can be used via phone or online, which supposedly enables employers to access E-verify easily without any extra cost.

Frequently Asked Questions About Maintaining H1B Visa Status

After obtaining an H1B visa, ensure that you retain the H1B visa standing that you have already acquired. Below are some of the most common questions people ask about maintaining their H1B status:

Is it possible for me to obtain an H-1B Visa after starting my own corporation in the United States?

Earlier on, I gave you information on the prospects for business people who carry on their businesses outside the United States but would like to get United States work visa. Here, I will talk about whether there is a possibility, as well as the procedure, for business people who carry out their businesses outside the United States to start their own companies in the United States, and consequently, get an H1-B visa so as to be able to work in the US.

If you’re in the United States on an F-1 student visa, or you are thinking about getting a student visa, you will have to remember that you are not allowed to get a job. However, the prohibition on working has bigger effects than just not allowing you to get a job for pay. In some cases, you will not even be allowed to do volunteer work.

Although issuing working visas and green cards to highly educated and innovative foreign entrepreneurs sounds like the kind of immigration plan everybody should agree on, increasing quotas on these visas hasn't happened yet.  And although plans are in the works to reduce wait times for specialized worker green cards, it hasn't yet been put into practice.  So now employers are taking matters into their own hands.

Not long ago, at the President’s Council on Jobs and Competitiveness in Pittsburgh, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Director Alejandro Mayorkas announced the introduction of a new program called “Entrepreneurs in Residence.”  This is a program designed to help foreign entrepreneurs by improving the way USCIS interacts with them.

Despite individuals in the United States military being paid, the decision to join is entirely voluntary. The US military has branches that include: the Air Force, the Army, Coast Guard, Marines, and Navy. Each of these branches has its own different qualifications for entrance. Nevertheless, there are general qualifications that are similar for all the branches. Continue reading for more information about joining the US military when you are an immigrant.

Previously, only green card holders or US citizens could join the military. But that all changed recently. Now even those immigrants currently residing in the U.S. on temporary visa can now join the army; a first since the Vietnam War.

Every year, the US will accept up to 65,000 H-1B petitions, plus 20,000 additional ones for the Master's exemption.  As of the last count, on November 14, 2011 (yesterday), the US government has accepted 56,300 cap-subject H-1B petitions and all 20,000 Master's exemption H-1B petitions.

H-1B visas are temporary employment visas to the US.  You can be sponsored by an employer in the US if you have a specialty occupation.  The first 20,000 people with a Master's degree or higher are not counted toward the 65,000 visa quota.  However, if you have a Master's degree or higher, you can still apply, you will just be counted in the normal 65,000 petition quota.

Read more about temporary worker's visas to the US HERE!

One of the most common reasons people give as to why they want immigrants gone is that they take American jobs.  This could not be further from the truth.  What the immigrants' rights advocates say is actually true: Immigrants take the jobs Americans won't take.  The proof is clearly visible in Alabama.

E-Verify seems to be constantly changing. The most recent upgrade of E-Verify has incorporated a feature that can validate a driver’s licence. The driver’s licence is used by over 80% of new employees as identification for the verification process that is part of determining one’s employment suitability, making this a major upgrade.