Blog Archives

The Myth of the 10-Year Presence

Leave a Comment / Blog, english / Margaret Donnelly - Attorney

Unfamiliarity with the law can be the biggest downfall for those individuals who are undocumented. For example, it is a common misconception that people have the right to apply for their green card based on the fact that they have lived in the United States for 10 years. Unfortunately, there is no such law in existence today that allows for someone to obtain legal status based on that fact alone.

The only time that the physical presence is important is when an individual is already in removal proceedings, i.e. deportation, and is applying for the relief of cancellation of removal.

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Help Our Enlisted Families Remain United, Part 2

Leave a Comment / Blog, english / Margaret Donnelly - Attorney

In December of last year, the media reported on a U.S. soldier on active duty whose wife and son were barred from returning to the United States when they went to their interview for permanent residence outside of the United States. Like many people, his wife was brought to the U.S. at infancy, by her

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HELP OUR ENLISTED MEN AND WOMEN REUNITE THEIR FAMILIES, PART 1

Leave a Comment / Blog, english / Margaret Donnelly - Attorney

Joseph is enlisted in the U.S. Army and is on active duty, proudly defending the freedom of his country. He married Veronica, a 23-year-old undocumented alien from Mexico, who was brought to the U.S. by her parents at infancy.

Veronica was petitioned by Joseph, a U.S. citizen, who obtained an interview for her lawful permanent residence. The interview, however, was scheduled at the U.S. Consulate in Ciudad Juarez, across the border from El Paso, which required that Joseph be present. Herein lay the conundrum. Joseph could not travel to Mexico although both were required to attend the interview. His enlisted status forbade him from traveling to Mexico or to any other foreign country for this purpose.

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Death of a Petitioner or Principal Beneficiary and What it Means for Surviving Relatives

Leave a Comment / Blog, english / Margaret Donnelly - Attorney

The world of immigration consists largely of visa petitions filed with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). These visa petitions require a qualified individual, known as petitioner, to petition for an eligible alien, known as the beneficiary. There are two types of beneficiaries: a principal beneficiary, such as the wife of a qualified petitioner,

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Foreign Graduates: An untapped resource for U.S. economic stimulation, Part 2

Leave a Comment / Blog, english / Margaret Donnelly - Attorney

In this second installment, the focus will be placed on foreign students who enter the United States (U.S.) in order to study and earn United States degrees. The Institute of International Education reports that in the 2009/2010 year, there was a 3% increase in enrollment of foreign students in U.S. universities. Right now, a larger proportion of these students return to their home country than remain in the United States. And, as such, the capital investment in education and work experience gained by these foreign graduates in the U.S. is lost to the student’s country of origin.

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Foreign Graduates: An untapped resource for U.S. economic stimulation, Part 1

Leave a Comment / Blog, english / Margaret Donnelly - Attorney

It is a recurring theme in the United States that the economy needs an injection of investment in order to lift it out of the doldrums. In some circles, the blame for this economic situation is laid at the feet of immigration policy. On the contrary, immigration policy can be used by employers and economic

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Gobierno de EE.UU. intensifica seguridad en puertos de entrada

Leave a Comment / Blog, Spanish / Margaret Donnelly - Attorney

El gobierno de los Estados Unidos sigue anunciando que los extranjeros que están por salir al exterior por medio del aeropuerto internacional de los Estados Unidos, tendrán que pasar por una tecnología indicadora de visitantes que electrónicamente confirma la identidad y los antecedentes del pasajero. Es un proceso biométrico, por medio del cual la tecnología capta huellas digitales y foto del pasajero de forma digital.

Este proceso se ha venido implementando en los aeropuertos de Baltimore, Chicago, Denver, Dallas Fort Worth, Newark en Nueva Jersey, San Juan (Puerto Rico), San Francisco, Detroit, u otros. También se ha implementado en los aeropuertos internacionales de Filadelfia y los Ángeles. Actualmente el programa se está aplicando en la entrada de otros aeropuertos, puertos marítimos y puertos terrestres más concurridos de los Estados Unidos.

El sistema está conectado con la red que se encuentra instalada en los consulados nortemaeicanos en el exterior. También, está conectado a la base datos del FBI, la agencia de drogas DEA y el sistema de ínter agencia de inspección fronteriza, conocida como IBIS.

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Canadá, Estados Unidos y México ofrecen un mercado laboral capaz de solucionar cualquier necesidad

Leave a Comment / Blog, Spanish / Margaret Donnelly - Attorney

Cada vez que veo el Internet, y veo los blogs anti-inmigrantes, no puedo creer lo que dicen en contra de cualquier reforma inmigratoria, especialmente todo lo que tiene la apariencia de una “amnistía.” Dichas campañas anti-inmigrantes incluyen ataques contra compañías norteamericanas que están exportando trabajos para reducir sus costos de operación. Me hace recordar acerca de las mismas corrientes ideológicas que siempre se han asomado cuando hay una crisis económica en los Estados Unidos.

Es importante recordar lo que nos ofreció la revolución industrial en los Estados Unidos cuando Ford creó la manera de mecanizar la manufacturación de carros, desplazando la mano de obra de miles y miles de trabajadores, pero revolucionando la economía estadounidense.

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¿La Ley 245(i) y qué está sucediendo en el congreso estadounidense?

Leave a Comment / Blog, Spanish / Margaret Donnelly - Attorney

Es una pregunta que surge después de conocer la victoria del partido Republicano en la Cámara de Representantes. Lo que sigue es esperar los acontecimientos que se avecinan hasta que termine la sesión de las dos cámaras del Congreso, una dominada por los Republicanos y la otra por el partido Demócrata. En el 2011 se estará realizando una sesión de transición, en la cual propuestas de ley que no benefician a la comunidad indocumentada absorberán la atención del congreso porque no hay un espacio para ello, ni con las mejores intenciones del Presidente Obama. Vivimos por lo mismo cuando el Presidente George W. Bush trató de impulsar la ley 245(i) sin éxito. La ley 245(i) permite que una persona que haya sido pedida por un familiar o por su patrón antes del 30 de abril de 2001 tramite su cita dentro de los Estados Unidos si paga una multa de $1,000.00. Los beneficios de la ley 245(i) pueden cubrir una persona que no está directamente solicitada, por ejemplo, el hijo soltero menor de 21 años de una persona pedida por su hermana(o) ciudadana de los Estados Unidos. Por eso es importante que un abogado que conoce la materia de ley de inmigración analize la situación familiar para ver si existen beneficios bajo la 245(i).

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Bring back 245(i): A Matter of Family Unity

Leave a Comment / Blog, english / Margaret Donnelly - Attorney

Every reputable immigration lawyer in the United States should be up in arms that Congress has not brought back section 245(i) of the Immigration and Nationality Act.

Section 245(i) sunset on April 30, 2001, even though it has proven to be an important provision of U.S. Immigration law in preserving the unity of the family.

Section 245(i) allows eligible aliens on the verge of getting their green cards (lawful permanent residence) through a petition filed by a qualified family member (U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident), to get their cards in the United States without traveling abroad to their home countries. Those who apply under section 245(i) are screened by the government for any criminal history, health impediments and any other grounds of inadmissibility. They also have to pay a fine of $1,000.00 for entering illegally to the United States in addition to other processing fees.

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