Alien smugglers target Indians to bring though Guatemala and Mexico to the US

As a result Mexico asked neighboring Guatemala to restore the visa requirement for Indians, which it did June 6, 2011.

Green Card Lottery Email Scam – Beware

Have you or someone you know recently received an e-mail claiming you’ve won the Green Card lottery and asking you to send or wire money? Don’t fall for it – the sender is trying to steal your money!
Learn more and spread the word: http://blog.uscis.gov/2011/03/e-mail-scam-avoid-green-card-lottery.html

Diversity Lottery Results Are In

Check here to see if you won:
http://www.dvlottery.state.gov/

Public School District agrees to pay $4.2 million in back wages for violations of H-1B temporary foreign worker program

The H-1B visa program requires that employers pay certain fees, including an anti-fraud fee and a training fee, when they utilize the program. Instead of paying these fees and other costs associated with recruiting H-1B workers and filing their visa petitions, This School District required the foreign workers to pay them. As a result, the workers’ earnings were reduced below the amount legally required to be paid. The ruling is controversial though, because as a result of the fine and restrictions on future H-1B filings, many of the teachers will lose their jobs.
See:
http://www.dol.gov/opa/media/press/whd/WHD20110996.htm

ALABAMA PASSED THE TOUGHEST IMMIGRATION LAW IN THE NATION

Alabama set for toughest immigration law in nation
By Julia Preston / New York Times News Service
Published: June 04. 2011 4:00AM PST

Alabama has passed a sweeping bill to crack down on illegal immigrants that both supporters and opponents say is the toughest one of its kind in the country, going well beyond a law Arizona passed last year that caused a furor there.

The measure enjoyed large margins of support in the Republican-controlled Legislature. Gov. Robert Bentley, a Republican, is expected to sign the bill into law.

The Alabama bill includes a provision similar to one that caused controversy in Arizona, which authorizes state and local police officers to inquire about the immigration status of anyone they stop based on a “reasonable suspicion” that the person is an illegal immigrant. Federal courts have suspended most of that law.

But Alabama’s bill goes past Arizona’s. It bars illegal immigrants from enrolling in any public college or other educational institution after high school. It also requires public schools to determine the immigration status of all students, obligating parents of foreign-born students to report the immigration status of their children.

The bill requires Alabama’s public schools to publish figures on the number of immigrants — both legal and illegal — who are enrolled and on any costs associated with their education. It also makes it a crime to knowingly rent housing to an illegal immigrant and bars businesses from taking tax deductions on wages paid to unauthorized immigrant workers. It also makes it a crime for an immigrant to fail to carry a document proving legal status.

Remember that Immigration Inspectors can look at your social media

This story illustrates that when you make an entry to the US you should assume that Customs and Border Protection Agents can not only look in your bags, but the can check out your face book or my space accounts too. This is also the case when you make an application for a visa at a US Consulate or Embassy.

http://bangordailynews.com/2011/07/07/news/downeast/canadian-folk-singers-charged-with-illegal-entry-across-calais-border/

New Visa Application Form is Announced

The Department of State (DOS) has posted new version of the Form DS-160 Nonimmigrant Visa Application.
The form’s new version makes even more certain that the applicant must electronically sign and submit the form.
Other changes on the new form include six new questions relating to possible grounds of inadmissibility.
The DOS instructions and Frequently Asked Questions can be found here:
https://ceac.state.gov/genniv/