Dear Readers:  

A few major news items have dominated headlines in the United States for the last several months – the weakening economy, the war in Iraq and the feisty presidential campaign. But this week, the arrival of Pope Benedict for his first visit as pontiff to the US took top spot in the headlines. And the visit has had an impact on the immigration system in the US .  

Earlier this week, the US House of Representatives expedited consideration of legislation to extend the religious worker visa program that was set to expire this coming October. Congressional leaders noted that the timing was meant to signal the value the country places on the work of its religious communities in anticipation of the Pope’s visit.  

The special immigration religious worker green card category is used by all of the major religious faiths in the US and those communities came together in a coalition to push Congress to extend the popular program. By voice vote, the House passed HR 5570. The bill extends the religious worker green card category by two years and if USCIS releases anti-fraud regulations by that date, the program will automatically extend until 2016. This is the first time I’ve seen immigration legislation drawn with an extension provision of this nature and I think it was a creative way to deal with concerns some in Congress had about the future of the program. HR 5570 must now pass in the Senate, something that is expected in the coming months.  

It is no small feat by the way that the bill passed. This is only the second immigration bill to pass the House in this session of Congress.  

The Pope’s visit has also stirred discussion on the broader issue of immigration reform. Nearly a third of the US ’ 60 million Catholics are immigrants and the issue of immigration is of particular importance to a large segment of the American Catholic community. This morning’s New York Times featured a front page story on how the Pope is prominently discussing the need to humanely treat immigrants during his trip to this country. You can read the Times story here.  

Speaking of religion and immigration, a Chag Sameach to Jewish readers on the occasion of Passover, the original holiday honoring the freedom of movement. The Hebrew slaves in Egypt so fled Egypt were the original refugees. They entered Egypt as guest workers hundreds of years beforehand. They wandered as refugees for forty years before reaching the Promised Land. The Hebrews depended on miracles to reach freedom. Today we have the ability to offer such freedom to refugees around the world. The Jewish faith teaches its children to remember that "We were slaves in Egypt " and that each generation must be redeemed. Part of the way that happens is to help people today seeking freedom no matter their faith, race or nationality.  

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The other major news for the week was hardly a surprise. The H-1B cap was reached immediately for fiscal year after the application period opened on April 1^st. This year the bonus cap for master’s degree holders was hit immediately as well, something that was not entirely unexpected, but nevertheless was bad news. The pressure on Congress to address the problem will be severe.  

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For readers who are members of the American Immigration Lawyers Association, you will have the opportunity to vote for our board and executive committee members in the coming days. I don’t often make endorsements, but I did want to suggest you carefully consider voting for my long time friend Doug Stump of Oklahoma who is running for AILA Secretary. Doug has been a tireless advocate on immigration issues both in Congress and with government agencies that regulate immigration. He’ll be a great addition to the AILA executive committee.  

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Finally, as always, if you are interested in becoming a Siskind Susser Bland client, please feel welcome to email me at gsiskind@visalaw.com or contact us at 800-748-3819 to arrange for a telephone or in person consultation with one of our lawyers.

Regards, 

Greg Siskind