Immigration Direct Newsletter   |   February 2011

With the failure of the U.S. Senate to enact the DREAM Act during the lame duck session in December 2010, the lives of many undocumented youths have been turned upside down. Data from the National Immigration Law Center state that approximately 65,000 undocumented students graduate from U.S. high schools every year.
>> Read More

Will it cost more to apply for U.S. Citizenship, for sponsoring a relative or for renewing your Green Card ? I hope not but the current 112th U.S. Congress is more conservative and definitely does not look at constructive Immigration Reform favorably. The House Republican Leadership wants to cut the budget for fiscal year 2011 substantially and one of my concerns is that this may include cutting any congressional funding to the USCIS.
>> Read More

In November 2010, USCIS transferred approximately 36,000 Form I-130 Immediate Relative petitions from their California Service Center to their Texas Service Center. They did this in order to redistribute the work, allowing for speedier processing of the petitions.
>> Read More

The controversial Arizona immigration law, SB-1070, makes failure to carry immigration documents a crime. It also extends the authority of police to detain anyone they suspect of being in the country illegally, which can open the doors to profiling. It was reported last year that Arizona lost at least $140 million in revenue due to boycotts.
>>Read more

Born Cristeta Pasia in 1962 in the Philippines and grew up in Sampaloc, Manila, Ms Comerford is the current White House executive chef and the first female and first person of ethnic minority origin to hold this position.
>>Read more

2 ½ cups canola oil,1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite-size pieces ,12 medium cloves garlic, 6 of them finely minced,1 tablespoon finely minced ginger root,1 small onion, thinly sliced,1 cup uncooked jasmine rice or medium-grain rice