Obama issues Executive Order to expedite visitor and other non-immigrant visa processing at U.S. Consulates to increase tourism in America

On January 19, 2012, President Obama issued an Executive Order to improve the U.S. visa issuance and visa processing times for foreign visitors abroad to encourage more travel and visitation to the United States. This policy comes in response to economic statistics which show that travel and tourism in the U.S. has fallen more than 30 percent, with America's share of the world's international tourism market spending declining from 17 percent in 2000 to 11 percent in 2010. Among the major goals of the new program are to ensure that 80 percent of nonimmigrant visa applicants are interviewed within three weeks of application.The program also should expand the Visa Waiver Program, which allows citizens of countries under the program to visit the U.S. without obtaining a visa – a reform that could increase nonimmigrant visa-processing for Brazil and China by 40 percent in 2012. As part of this new initiative, foreign nationals in select countries will also soon be able to renew visas without being required to attend an interview at the U.S. Consulate. Also, some young and elderly first-time visa applicants will be able to obtain streamlined visa processing.

You can view the full text of the Executive Order by visiting our website at: www.ImmigrateToday.com and clicking on the link to our Weekly Immigration Newsletter. Click on the January 23 issue.

Presidential candidate Mitt Romney vows to veto DREAM Act if he becomes president

Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney recently announced that if he were elected president, he would veto any DREAM Act bills passed by Congress to make sure that children who are in the U.S. without legal immigration status do not receive any benefits. There are several Dream Act Bills pending in Congress, which if enacted would provide legal status, a path to U.S. residency (Green Card) and eventual U.S. citizenship for millions of innocent children in the U.S. Under the current proposals, the law would benefit children who arrived in the U.S. before the age of 16 and who attend college or join the U.S. military for at least two years.

Reminder that revised immigration medical form now required

The immigration Medical Exam Form I-693, revised version, dated October 11, 2011 is now required as of January 1, 2012 for all medical exams conducted after that date. Immigrants are advised to request a copy of the medical exam to confirm that the physician used the correct version. The sealed envelope with the original medical exam cannot be opened before being submitted to the USCIS. The revision date is printed in the lower right margin of each page of the form.

IMMIGRATION Q&A

Question: Hi! I am a naturalized U.S. citizen and my dad came to visit me for the holidays and we have decided that he should stay with me and my wife in the U.S. But my question is about whether my dad can get his Green Card here, or does he have to go back home and immigrate through the Embassy. If he can stay and get his Green Card here, can you please tell me what happens if his I-94 card expires while he is waiting for his Green Card and how long it will take for him to get his work permit and social security number? Thanks.

Answer: As a U.S. citizen, you can sponsor your parents to immigrate to the U.S. through the U.S. Consulate if they are abroad, or by an adjustment of status to U.S. residency if they are in the U.S. Parents who are already in the U.S. (who entered legally), can stay in the U.S. and wait to receive their Green Card here; there is no need to travel back to the home country. Parents of U.S. citizens are in a special immigration category called "Immediate Relatives," which allows them to obtain a Green Card in the U.S. even if their I-94 cards are expired. Therefore, if you decide to adjust your dad's status to U.S. permanent residency, it will not be a problem if his I-94 expires, even before applying. After applying for residency, it currently takes about two months to receive a work permit and several more weeks to be issued a Social Security card. The entire residency process for parents of U.S. citizens is very quick right now in South Florida, taking only about three-four months from start to finish to receive a Green Card. You can learn more about obtaining Green Cards for parents through family immigration by visiting our website at: www.Immigratetoday.com

** Contributions to this column are made by Attorney Caroly Pedersen, Esq. of the American Immigration Law Center – Call 954-382-5378