The polls have closed and the ballots have been counted and one thing is for certain: Senator Barack Obama will be the next President of the United States.  Senator Obama campaigned on a platform of change and voters responded with a resounding “yes we can.” 

These are hard times for Americans, especially for immigrants.  The current financial crisis has dominated the media’s headlines and the political discourse among the presidential candidates. 

There are several employment based visa categories that allow for immigration to the US.  Some categories are more over subscribed than others creating a backlog of several years before immigrant visas can be issued. 

On April 11, 2008 the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services approved the Adjustment of Status applications of Mr. Reynaldo Abad and his family. This joyful event occurred merely 45 days after the Abad family had their immigration hopes placed in doubt upon receiving a “Notice of Intent to Deny” their applications from the USCIS. Reeves & Associates filed a timely response with the USCIS, resulting in another success story.

The current immigration political climate is both toxic and uncertain.  John McCain has said that if he becomes president, he will not push for any immigration reform until the Department of Homeland Security confirms our borders are secure. 

United States immigration laws permit foreign workers to enter the U.S. to meet U.S. labor demands, and the legal status of these workers is tied to their employers. Whether the foreign worker on an H-1B specialty occupation visa or is being petitioned by their employer for permanent residency, any changes in the employment relationship may affect the foreign worker’s immigration status.

An important immigration decision was just issued (August 12, 2008) by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals which held that aliens who marry their fiancés after entering the United States with a fiancé visa and who subsequently obtain a divorce prior to obtaining permanent resident status are still entitled to adjust to resident status. 

Because many people seek to become a permanent resident through marriage, it is important to know what CIS considers a “marriage”. CIS will investigate the legal bona fides of the marriage. There are severe consequences if  the CIS determines that the marriage is a sham, including permanent banishment from the United States. 

People who has used or possessed drugs in the past will likely face significant problems in obtaining an immigrant visa.  Federal law makes aliens who used drugs inadmissible under several different immigration provisions.