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Breaking: It’s second in a row for Trump as Hawaii puts revised travel ban on hold. A judge in Hawaii just blocked President Donald Trump’s revised executive order on Wednesday, March 15, saying that its implementation would significantly harm the tourism industry and the labor market in general. US District Judge Derrick Watson also stated that there is substantial and unrebutted evidence of religious animosity driving the declaration of the new order and its predecessor.
His ruling has legally stopped core provisions of the EO from being carried out today, March 16, its supposed execution date. “The illogic of the Government’s contentions is palpable. The notion that one can demonstrate animus toward any group of people only by targeting all of them at once is fundamentally flawed,” wrote Watson, “Any reasonable, objective observer would conclude…that the stated secular purpose of the Executive Order is, at the very least, 'secondary to a religious objective' of temporarily suspending the entry of Muslims.” Breaking: The number of states challenging Trump’s revised ban is growing. After Hawaii, five more states followed suit to boost the nationwide call to scrap the revised executive order that bars citizens from select Islamic nations from entering the US. Washington, which played a significant role in suspending the first ban, initiated the move on March 9 just a few hours after Hawaii.
The five other states to seek a temporary restraining order (TRO) from the federal court are Oregon, Minnesota, New York, and Massachusetts, which all filed their respective complaints. On Monday, California joined the six states, saying that a large fraction of its constituents will be affected by the ban. It will also inflict a financial harm that could cost up to over $US40 in tax revenues if visitors from several Middle Eastern nations will no longer be allowed to visit the country. Every complainant echoes the same sentiment that the ban will hit the country in all aspects, including financial and moral, needless to mention how it aggravates the US’s waning global reputation.
USCIS: Opening date for new H-1B petitions for 2018 is on April 3, 2017. The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that it will begin accepting H1-B petitions for fiscal year (FY) 2018 on April 3, 2017. This means that those who will obtain approval from the US government for FY 2018 H1B petitions will be eligible to start work in the country on October 1 of this year. “All cap-subject H-1B petitions filed before April 3, 2017, for the FY 2018 cap will be rejected. H-1B petitioners must follow all statutory and regulatory requirements as they prepare petitions to avoid delays in processing and possible requests for evidence,” USCIS said in a statement published on its website.
The H-1B visa program was designed by the US government to allow US-based companies to acquire foreign workers temporarily in select high-level positions; mainly in the fields of engineering, science, and information technology. However, the country can accept only a limited number of foreign citizens for this particular program. Why the E-2 Investor Visa is Popular and How to Qualify | Migration Expert US Blog. On E-2 Investor Visa: Why It’s Popular and How to Qualify The E-2 Investor Visa, a little-known visa program that allows foreign citizens to start up a business or invest in an existing industry, has been increasing in popularity over the past few years.
According to data from the US government, it has brought more immigrants than the EB-5 visas by over 400 percent since 1994 to 2013 and grown by 61 percent over the 5-year-period from 2010 to 2015. Unlike the EB-5, the E-2 investor visa is a nonimmigrant visa. This means that it is intended only for a limited, temporary stay — with a maximum stay of 2 years, (though can be extended multiple times) —and is available to individuals from countries that are treaty partners with the United States. The great thing about this visa is that the current administration has not issued any crackdown on it yet.
Hawaii issues first legal move to challenge Trump’s revised travel ban | Migration Expert US Blog. Hawaii issues first legal move to challenge Trump’s revised travel ban The Pacific state has become the first US state to take legal action to stop President Donald Trump’s newest travel ban that prohibits citizens from select Islamic countries from entering the country. On Thursday, March 9, the state asked the federal court to issue a nationwide temporary restraining order (TRO) that would reopen all US ports of entry to affected travelers. Just a few days after Trump assumed office, he issued an executive order imposed solely on the citizens of Iraq, Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen.
This also included the suspension of all refugee programs initiated by the previous administration. It was then met with criticisms from all over the world and mass protests at airports across the country. On January 28, New York Federal Judge, Ann Donnelly, blocked part of the order, forcing to the president to rewrite the EO and issued an “eased” version in February. President Trump signs revised travel ban executive order | Migration Expert US Blog. BREAKING: President Trump signs revised travel ban executive order Starting March 16, 2017, citizens of various Muslim-majority countries such as Iran, Libya, Syria, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen will no longer gain access to all US ports of entry. The executive order, signed by US President Donald Trump on Tuesday, March 7, will last up to 90 days or until further notice.
"Whenever the President finds that the entry of any aliens or of any class of aliens into the United States would be detrimental to the interests of the United States, he may by proclamation, and for such period as he shall deem necessary, suspend the entry of all aliens or any class of aliens as immigrants or nonimmigrants, or impose on the entry of aliens any restrictions he may deem to be appropriate,” the EO reads, asserting President Trump’s authority to conduct a nationwide ban on select citizens. Questions you are asking us...English-Speaking Countries | Migration Expert UK Blog. At Migration Expert, we often get certain questions frequently. So in this series, we decided to answer a few of them at one time. Question: Which countries are considered English-speaking countries by the UK Home Office for the purposes of the English language requirement? This question often comes up because candidates applying for a visa to the United Kingdom have to satisfy a "Knowledge of English" requirement.
Meaning: they have to prove sound use of the English language by taking - and passing - a test from an approved test centre. However, nationals of certain countries are exempt from this condition. For the purposes of the English Language requirement, the UK Home Office considers the following countries as English-speaking countries: Will you be exempted from the English-language requirement? Everything an immigrant parent should know when enrolling a child in a Canadian school | MigrationExpert Blog. Canada is among the most welcoming countries in the world.
Coming in fourth to China, Germany, and the UK (according to Amnesty International’s survey on admitting refugees), the Great White North has the most unique and aggressive immigration policy that continues to attract people from various parts of the globe. Its education system is as equally commendable since Canada currently ranks 5th in the latest OECD global education report and 2nd in US News’s Best Countries report for the same category (and actually topping in almost every category).
Surely, it’s the reason a lot of parents want a Canadian visa for their children. Who doesn’t want a slice of quality education for their kids? However, immigrant parents must understand how the education system works in Canada. It can be a bit confusing at first, especially if they’re from a country where schooling is centralized or run by the national government.
Foreign entrepreneurs taste initial success through New York's Innovators visa program. With the ever increasing difficulty of being selected in the H-1B program, many US universities are developing their own gateway to help foreign workers obtain a visa and invest in the US. The City University of New York (CUNY) schools, for instance, created the International Innovators Initiative (IN2NYC) last year for the same purpose. After less than a year, two from its initial beneficiaries are now setting up their respective businesses in the city. The first one is Hungarian firm Dartboard, which would commence its operations by helping the students of La Guardia Community College on Long Island manage their student loans. Indian website Mogul, the second one, is set to mentor the students of City College of New York’s Zahn Innovation Center this year. The CUNY's unique visa gateway program successfully enables entrepreneurs to qualify for cap-exempt H-1B visas, while contributing to the central mission of a particular community or institution.
Suspension of Groups of Five Community Sponsors. The temporary public policy set up last December to allow Group of Five and Community Sponsors to submit applications to sponsor Syrian and Iraqi refugees officially ended last week. As defined by the government, a Group of Five (G5) is five or more Canadian citizens or permanent residents who have arranged to sponsor a refugee living abroad to come to Canada. They must be at least 18 years of age and should live or have representatives in their chosen refugee settlement area. They are also expected to provide emotional and financial support to the beneficiaries for at least one year. According to a statement published by the Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), the government reached the allocated 1000-headcount on January 25, 2017.
“We are taking steps to reduce the number of pending applications for private sponsors in order to significantly reduce long wait times,” assured the government. IRCC: New changes to enhance access to Parent and Grandparent Program. The Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) said that the new changes to the Parent and Grandparent Program (PGP) would pave the way to a more efficient application processing system. According to IRCC Minister John McCallum, the online application will encourage more foreign nationals to apply for sponsorship since they no longer have to take time off from work just to visit the immigration office. "We're listening to what past applicants had to say and making the process fairer for people who want to sponsor their parents or grandparents. We're ensuring everyone can access the application process by giving them the same chance to have their name chosen," he explained.
Just recently, the immigration department announced that sponsors are now required to submit an online form on indicating their interests to the PGP. The form will be available for download from January 3 to February 2, 2017. Express Entry tweaks to benefit skilled workers and students. The changes to the Express Entry scheme implemented by the former immigration minister John McCallum last November have been benefiting two important sectors: the students and the skilled workers.
The newly tweaked Comprehensive Ranking System (CSR) puts a premium on applicants with a higher level of English/French proficiency and educational attainment, which helps international students who obtained a degree at a Canadian institution. In the past, the maximum points awarded to education were 150, but the recent tweaks made it possible for an international student to earn an additional maximum 30 points by simply obtaining a degree from an eligible Canadian university/college.
For instance, an applicant is awarded 15 points if he/she has eligible credentials from a one or two-year post-secondary program. Now, an LMIA might not be required, if the applicant: has a valid work permit OR has been employed under an international trade agreement (e.g. 48 Hours Later: Where Things Stand on President Trump's Executive Order. On January 27, 2017, President Trump issued an Executive Order (EO) entitled "Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States.
" People all over the United States are rallying in opposition to this EO and showing their support for all of those individuals affected by President Trump's EOs. The national outcry arose after the issuance of President Donald Trump's executive order (EO) on restricting a handful of Islamic nations and Syrian refugees from entering the country until further notice, as well as the suspension of refugee admission for at least four months. The EO, which received both applause and hatred across and outside the country, was said to be among the new administration’s initial steps to maneuver the country away from Obama’s comparably more open and accessible immigration policy.
On Sunday night (January 29), lawyers filed actions across the country to halt the January 27 EO. “We are and will remain in compliance with judicial orders. US government announces new processing times posting approach. The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that it has changed how it posts processing times. The new approach will provide specific dates instead of just listing weeks or months. According to the USCIS, the move is the first step in improving its service and providing processing times that are “timelier” and “easier to understand.”
The full implementation of the new update started on January 4, 2017. The government also admitted that the changes were initiated after the Ombudsman urged the immigration agency to explore new avenues that would make the posting method faster and comprehensible to applicants. The USCIS believes that accurate and transparent processing times are highly critical for both regular individuals and employers. The USCIS also encourages applicants to refer to the “receipt date” on their I-797C, Notice of Action to determine the specific acceptance date of their case.
Tips for Job Hunting in Australia | Migration Expert Australia Blog. According to a new data released by the Australian government, there are still over 159,000 job vacancies across the country today. But the number could be a bit higher since it doesn’t include offline job advertisements or those published in newspapers and other print media. Also, the country’s stellar economic run last year is predicted to continue until the first half of 2017.
This could translate to a healthier job market as entrepreneurs gain more confidence in expanding their businesses. Therefore, there will be jobs. Online Job Portals Every employer has gone online these days, so for jobs not on this list, better check these online portals for future openings: Resume tips Australian employers are not yet into the ultra-short resume popular now in the UK, US, and other Western countries. 4 Qualities of a Reliable Australian Migration Consultant | Migration Expert Australia Blog. Getting Around Melbourne: 4 Modes to Choose from | Migration Expert Australia Blog. 35 Local Expressions You’ll Hear When in Australia | Migration Expert Australia Blog. 11 Things you Need to Know Before Moving to Canada | MigrationExpert Blog. Canada Celebrates International Customs Day, and Why It Needs To | MigrationExpert Blog.
Manitoba Caps 2016 with 2 draws and 316 Letters of Advice to Apply. Quebec suspends Private Refugee Sponsorship to prioritize backlogs. New Immigration Rule: Foreign Worker Visa Sponsorships. San Marino Citizens now part of International Experience Canada Program. First Express Entry draw for 2017 breaks record. The 10 most in-demand jobs in the United Kingdom | Migration Expert UK Blog. Canadian International Graduates Visa | Canadian Immigration Services | Migration Expert Canada. Express Entry - Experience Class Visa Canada| Migration Expert Canada.
IRCC announces changes to 2017 Parent and Grandparent Program application rules. Canadian government puts Temporary Foreign Work program on priority list. Pilot program for work permit for spousal sponsorship applicants extended for 1 year. Proposed $500 fee hike for immigrants to Manitoba earns criticism. IRCC announces changes to Confirmation of Permanent Residence Document. McCallum announces update to overseas spousal sponsorship applications. Toronto Symphony Orchestra records national anthem in different languages to celebrate diversity. Canada announces changes to point distribution scheme for Permanent Residency under Express Entry. UK government reminds public about autumn changes to immigration policies. House of Commons supports EU divorce timetable. Work Visa | UK Tier 2 - General Visa - Migration Expert. Work Visa | UK Tier 2 Sportsperson Visa - Migration Expert. B-1 Temporary Business Visitor | U.S. Visa Services. ICE quarterly international student data: academic, vocational, and STEM enrollments soar.
The difference between permanent residence and British citizenship. Number of EU migrants sets a new historical high. UK government releases FAQs on its EU departure. UK immigration expands Registered Traveller Service for additional countries. US B2 Tourist Visa | Travel Visa. 457 Australia | Candidate Eligibility Assessment. Work Visa | UK Tier 1 - Exceptional Talent Visa - Migration Expert. USCIS announces publication of revised Employment Eligibility Verification form.