Margaret A. Donnelly, P.C.


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nafta

CAFTA-DR Part 2: The Central American Fight for Food Sovereignty

(continued from CAFTA-DR Part 1: Poverty and Immigration Implications) In the face of mounting pressure from transnational corporations and free trade agreements such as CAFTA-DR, Central Americans who produce, distribute, and consume food are finding it increasingly difficult to maintain just and equitable local food systems. In response, small-scale farmers around the world are calling …

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CAFTA-DR Part 1: Poverty and Immigration Implications

10 years have passed since the passage of the Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR), an expansion of NAFTA to five Central American nations (Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Costa Rica and Nicaragua), and the Dominican Republic. While CAFTA was intended to spur economic growth for all parties by eliminating certain tariffs on exports between CAFTA …

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Immigration Reform: When Will It Pass? Who Benefits?

As you know, immigration reform has been a hot topic for several years in political and activist circles in the U.S. On Capitol Hill, proposals have been hammered out, dissected, decried, and after a great deal of work, the “Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act of 2013” was approved by a majority in …

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Immigration and Economic Problems Caused by NAFTA

This year marks NAFTA’s 20th anniversary (it was signed on December 12, 1992 and implemented in 1994). We find no reason to celebrate the occasion. How has NAFTA impacted us?  The goal of NAFTA was to eliminate barriers with trading and investment between the U.S., Canada and Mexico. While NAFTA may have helped boost intraregional …

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Alabama is Persecuting Hispanics instead of Creating Jobs for the People of Alabama

America is witnessing a new phase in the U. S.  immigration world:  state laws which allow local enforcement to act as federal agents and directly enforce federal   immigration laws.  Many debates are emerging as to why states like Alabama should enact these types of laws.  Those in favor claim it is simply to preserve jobs …

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Start-Up America: A two-in-one tool to invest and work in the United States

In an August 2011 press release, representatives of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced initiatives that would promote start-up enterprises and create jobs in the U.S. This was going to be done through a program called Start-Up America, an initiative to promote entrepreneurship in the country. It was started six years ago, but only now seems to be taking the spotlight against the backdrop of increasing unemployment figures and lowered GDP figures.

The Secret About NAFTA Professional Visas

The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) offers Mexican and Canadian professionals the opportunity to work in the United States. The category is known as the “TN visa.” The TN visa, however, has been widely ignored by U.S. businesses because they became accustomed to the more cumbersome H-1B visa, another category for foreign professional workers.

What U.S. businesses don’t know is that the TN offers many advantages over the H-1B visa. For instance, the TN visa includes more professions than the H-1B, and there is no time limit whereas the H-1B can be used for up to six years. Another advantage is a fast track feature for Canadian professionals who can apply for the visa at a U.S. port of entry without going through a U.S. consulate.

Visas de inversionista bajo el Tratado de Libre Comercio (NAFTA) agilizan el proceso de inversión para los mexicanos

El 1 de enero de 1994, entró en vigor el Tratado de Libre Comercio (TLC) entre los Estados Unidos, México y Canadá, que afectó directamente al proceso de visas de inversionista para ciudadanos de esos tres países.

El TLC reemplazó el viejo procedimiento que dependía del sistema tradicional que no daba oportunidades de inversión a dichos ciudadanos. En la actualidad se están otorgando estas visas a empresas y personas que pasan por una rigurosa investigación de seguridad, dispuestos a invertir una cantidad adecuada, por lo menos el 51%, del costo de la inversión. Por ejemplo, si la compra de un restaurante es 300.000$(US), se requiere el pago del 51% que cubriría equipo, muebles, inventario u otros gastos relacionados a dicha inversión. En el caso de un inversionista mexicano, el dinero sería trasladado desde México a los Estados Unidos vía giros bancarios cuyo propósito es demostrar el origen de los fondos para un propósito legal en los Estados Unidos.