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.
*****
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 1st.
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.
*****
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.
*****
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