US Immigration action plan from President Obama released
President Obama recently released an “action plan” for his approach to US immigration law and policies.
While it appears that he may be taking a hard look at NAFTA, it seems that, in the near future, US Immigration regulations may be relaxed for foreign skilled workers who now experience often long waiting times for their US Visa applications to process, and for the growing number undocumented immigrants living in the US today.
List of US Immigration policy changes
Obama’s website lists a variety of changes to US Immigration policies. Firstly, the Obama administration intends to crack down on US employers hiring undocumented or illegal workers. But at the same time, such workers who have proven that they contribute to the US economy and have a workable understanding of English may be given a clear path to US citizenship in the future through a special US citizenship application process designed for them. Conflicting as this approach may be, doors to legal US immigration may swing open to workers in the US who have proven themselves worthy, and in this economy, the more skilled labour the better.
In terms of applications for legal skilled workers, US immigration and visa application processing times may be reduced along with the application fees. More good news for US immigration and the US economy.
The details of these proposals, if enacted, will be worked out and stay tuned for more information.
And while these proposals and ideas are just that–proposals and ideas, the political will to implement them seems to be there. If some become law, then our US immigration lawyers in Toronto, Hamilton and Buffalo have more options to present to our clients who want to live, work and immigrate to the US.
Intake
President & CEO
Michael Niren
Mr. Niren is CEO of VisaPlace LLC and the President and Managing Partner of VisaPlace Legal Canada, an immigration law firm based in Toronto, and VisaPlace Legal US a law firm registered in The District of Columbia, USA. Mr. Niren is a graduate of Osgoode Hall Law School in Toronto, a member of the Law Society of Upper Canada, the Canadian Bar Association’s Citizenship and Immigration Section, American Lawyers Association, and an Associate Member of the American Bar Association.
