U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has announced Dec. 23, 2016 as the effective date for a hike in filing fees. The fee increase will impact some Maryland residents and companies when they file forms for certain visas. Nearly all of the funding for USCIS comes from benefit request fees paid by petitioners and applicants. The greatest scheduled increases will apply to foreign investors immigrating to the U.S. and U.S. employers bringing in foreign employees who have college educations.
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Most asylum seekers crossing border have valid cases
When many Maryland residents think about illegal immigration, they picture Mexican nationals crossing the border and looking for work after evading immigration authorities. In reality, that kind of illegal immigration doesn't take place as often as it used to. Today, most of the undocumented immigrants that cross the border are families from Central America that are seeking asylum.
Managing the process for workplace immigration
No matter what happens with immigration practices and strategies following the general election in November 2016, Maryland employers will still be required to use Form I-9 to verify the identity and authorization of an immigrant employee to work in the United States. This is a requirement for all workers despite their citizenship, immigration status or national origin.
Extension approved on EB-5 visa program
When foreign investors back businesses in Maryland and other states, there could be an interest in spending time in the U.S. to oversee operations or manage other details. The EB-5 program allows those who invest substantially to obtain green cards to facilitate that need. In the past, the minimum investment in a venture that would produce jobs in the U.S. was $500,000. The program was slated to expire at the end of the 2016 fiscal year, but a bill was passed to continue the program through December.
