Today, Canada became the second country in the world to legalize recreational marijuana use with the enactment of Canadian House Government Bill C-45. Pretty nice, right? Yes, it is. But citizens of Canada who travel to the United States under employment-based non-immigrant visas, visitor visas, and those seeking lawful permanent residency must be on notice: just because you can legally possess and distribute marijuana in Canada does not excuse you from the archaic and complex Immigration & Nationality Act (the “INA”). » Read More
Driver’s Licenses for New Jersey’s undocumented immigrants may have moved a step closer to reality. In a September interview on NJ 101.5, New Jersey’s Senate President Steve Sweeney endorsed the idea—which was integral in advancing any legislative measure. While Sweeney did not support any specific legislation, Nicholas Pugliese, staff writer for the Record’s Trenton Bureau, reported that the legislation at the center of the debate in Trenton is the New Jersey Safe and Responsible Driver Act. » Read More
In May, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy signed off on legislation that extended financial aid to many undocumented immigrants in New Jersey. Since then, 1,365 undocumented students have submitted applications for financial aid for the 2018-2019 academic year, according to the New Jersey Record. » Read More
Yesterday, the Freeholders of Hudson County, New Jersey, approved a resolution that renews a contract with Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE) to house immigrant detainees at the Hudson County Correctional Facility in Kearny, New Jersey. The contract was extended for 2 years until December 31, 2020, with an option for County Freeholders to further extend the immigration detention agreement with ICE beyond 2020. » Read More
In July, the Norris McLaughlin Immigration Blog reported that Teresa Giudice, best known for starring in The Real Housewives of New Jersey, would soon become a “Real Housewife of Italy.” Well, Teresa may stay in New Jersey, but her husband, Giuseppe “Joe” Giudice, will be traveling by “ICE Air” on a permanent trip to Italy. » Read More
In the first-ever comprehensive review of how each of the 100 largest U.S. cities for how each city welcomes immigrants, Newark, New Jersey, ranked first in its ability to integrate immigrant communities into the “fabric of American life.”
The study, released by the bipartisan research and advocacy thinktank, New American Economy, found Newark to be a city that is “starting to rebound after years of job and population loss that resulted in economic instability.” In Newark,
immigrants are bringing the much-needed skills and entrepreneurial spirit that can help develop a more stable and educated workforce, encourage new business creation, fill vacant housing, and expand local tax bases.
Yesterday, a federal district court entered a nationwide order stopping the Trump Administration’s recent decisions to terminate Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for nearly 300,000 immigrants in the United States from Haiti, El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Sudan. This order is temporary and only offers protection from deportation for the TPS beneficiaries until the federal case challenging TPS termination is decided. » Read More
US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced a nearly 15% fee increase for its premium processing service. The current $1,225 fee will increase to $1,410, effective October 1, 2018.
Premium processing is an optional service USCIS offers to employers that for an additional fee allows for 15-day processing of certain immigrant and non-immigrant employment-based visa petitions. » Read More
Raymond G. Lahoud, a Member with Norris McLaughlin& Marcus, P.A., and Chair of its Immigration Practice Group, is pleased to present two free seminars for all human resource professionals, business owners, compliance officers, administrators, and management at organizations and companies in every industry of every size. » Read More
