Rachel Browning’s Legal Blog

Not wanting to remain out of the ever-expanding loop of social networking, the Department of Homeland Security has created a new website called Our Border to promote an open dialogue among wide network of people interested in Southwest border issues. The website features groups such as Comprehensive Immigration Reform, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service, Customs [...]

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            The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) announced today that as of August 14, 2009, it had received approximately 45,000 H-1B cap-subject petitions.  In addition, approximately 20,000 petitions qualifying for the advanced degree cap exemption had been filed. USCIS will therefore continue to accept both cap-subject petitions and advanced degree petitions until a sufficient [...]

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            In a signal that the Obama Administration and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) are serious about responding to the criticisms of immigrant and human rights advocates, the Assistant Secretary of DHS announced this week that the DHS will be undertaking a series of reforms, effective immediately, to overhaul U.S. immigration detention system.  These reforms [...]

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            U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced that it is reopening the fiscal year 2009 H-2B petition filing period and will now accept new H-2B petitions.  Although USCIS had previously determined on Jan. 7, 2009, that it had approved a sufficient number of H-2B petitions to meet the annual cap of 66,000, the [...]

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The Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has extended the designation of Somalia for temporary protected status (TPS) for another 18 months, from its current expiration date of September 17, 2009 through March 17, 2011.  Somali nationals in the U.S. under TPS can re-register and extend their status, pending the U.S. government’s further [...]

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