Immigration Law

If your practice involves immigration, you’ve come to the right place. FindLaw’s collection of Immigration Law articles, part of the Corporate Counsel Center Law Library, contains a wealth of information covering key topics like the manner in which the United States federal government controls the flow of foreign nationals into our country to the nuances of obtaining legal status of persons born outside the U.S. If you need more information on distinctions between natural born citizens and foreign nationals seeking immigrant or nonimmigrant visas, click on the links below. Keep in mind: states have very little control over visa procedures or regulations, with the Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution trumping nearly all attempted state or local legislation surrounding immigration. You will also find articles on H-1B visas and related immigration legislation as well as a useful guide on the steps to help your clients become legal U.S. citizens.

Law Library

Immigration Law Articles

Most Recent INS Approval Figures; 1999 H-1B Cap is Being Rapidly Reached

The Immigration and Naturalization Service ("INS") announced today that 80,983 new H-1B petitions have been approved as of February 28 of this year. As indicated in our most recent Cooley Alert on this issue, the INS may approve no more than 115,000 ...
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New Immigration Law Takes Effect on April 1

The Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996, enacted by Congress on September 30, 1996, took full effect on April 1, 1997. The new law is restrictive and harsh. The new law will have a dramatic impact on the American ...
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New Law Changes Employment Veritifcation (I-9) & Citizenship Status Discrimination Rules

The new legislation discussed elsewhere in this newsletter also contains some changes to the employment verification process. Under the new law, if an employer makes a good faith effort to comply with the I-9 verification requirements, that employer ...
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New Wave or Flash Flood: 11th Circuit Allows RICO/Immigration Lawsuit to Proceed

New test cases claim that it is not just coincidence when a large pool of illegal immigrants migrate to an area while an employer, without fear of liability, blithely accepts a series of bogus identification documents from workers. By using the ...
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Nonimmigrant “Working” Visas

Although the term "working visa" does not exist in the law, it has come to refer to the class of visas that allow the alien to be gainfully employed in the United States. Usually the employment authorization is strictly limited to specific employer ...
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Notaries, Immigration and the Law

Some people in Florida are confused as to what services a Latin American notary public -- "notaria," "consultoria" or "notario publico" -- can provide regarding immigration matters. In fact, these persons are not attorneys unless properly licensed ...
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Outstanding Professors and Researchers

Some employers can bypass the labor certification process and file an I-140 petition directly with the INS under a highly favorable category for outstanding professors and researchers (first preference, priority worker). A petition for an ...
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Para las personas de Centro America

Many of you may employ or know a national of Central America. The laws concerning the treatment of Central Americans have been in a state of flux, and may be closer to a resolution. Before the passage of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant ...
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Permanent Residency Immigrant Visas

Permanent residency or immigrant visas are granted to foreign nationals who have the intent to permanently reside in the US. These foreign nationals may be called legal or lawful permanent residents, and green card holders. Green cards are the ...
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Permanent Residency Options

Becoming a resident is a two-step process: An immigrant petition may be filed on behalf of the spouse, parent, child or a sibling of a US citizen, or the spouse or son/daughter of a permanent resident. There are different processing times for each ...
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