H-1B visa holders hope Biden administration will reform "unpredictable" process

Dec 28, 2020
The Trump administration increased renewal fees and made the process "more cumbersome," says a reform advocate.
President-elect Joe Biden backs more visas for highly skilled immigrants, but the issue remains politically divisive.
Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images

DACA ruling protects recipients and allows for new applicants

Dec 9, 2020
But Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals status is still temporary, and offers no clear path to citizenship.
People hold signs during a rally in support of the Supreme Court's ruling in favor of the DACA program in San Diego, Calif., on June 18, 2020.
Sandy Huffaker/AFP via Getty Images

Pandemic remittances have rebounded. Can that last?

Nov 30, 2020
Immigrants from Mexico and the Dominican Republic have been sending more money home than they were before the pandemic.
A woman waits outside a Western Union office in Havana, Cuba, on Oct. 28, 2020.
Yamil Lage/AFP via Getty Images

How low numbers of refugees coming in hurts this town

Oct 28, 2020
Refugee resettlement is dropping in Erie, Pennsylvania, affecting its economy.
Dylanna Jackson is a director of a resettlement program in Erie. 
Maitham Basha-Agha/Marketplace

USCIS budget shortfall could mean a longer wait for immigrants

Jul 21, 2020
The department said staff furloughs could be coming unless Congress sends $1.2 billion its way.
In this file photo, immigrants await their turn for green card and citizenship interviews at the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Queens office on May 30, 2013 in the Long Island City neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City.
John Moore/Getty Images

Supreme Court justices rule for Trump administration in deportation case

Jun 25, 2020
The high court ruled that the administration can deport some people seeking asylum without allowing them to make their case to a federal judge.
The Supreme Court ruled recently that states can prosecute crimes allegedly committed by non-Natives on tribal land.
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H-1B visa freeze might hurt rural areas in need of doctors

Jun 23, 2020
In America, around 28% of doctors, 35% of home aides and 20% of nursing assistants are foreign born.
Spencer Platt/Getty Images

For public good, not for profit.

Limits on work visas could send more jobs overseas

Jun 23, 2020
Trump's executive order restricting foreign workers could have unintended economic effects.
A medical scientist runs a test at a University of Washington lab. The H-1B visa freeze affects jobs in science-related as well as other fields.
Karen Ducey/Getty Images

How a forgotten 1965 law paved the way for today's battles over immigration

Jun 23, 2020
Author Jia Lynn Yang describes how a law meant to maintain the country's white racial majority led to more diversity.
The sun sets behind the Statue of Liberty, an iconic symbol of welcome.
Angela Weiss/Getty Images

DACA recipient on Supreme Court decision: "I don't think it's enough"

Jun 19, 2020
For Carlos Rodriguez Cortez, the ruling is a relief for now, but "it being repealed later on is still a very viable thing that can happen."
Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images