US Immigration News

The White House has announced a proposal to allow some spouses of foreign workers in the US with H-1B temporary work visas to work in the US. The announcement is designed as part of President Obama's plan to make life easier for highly skilled workers and entrepreneurs in the US.

In his State of the Union address on January 28th 2014, the President said 'Let's do more to help the entrepreneurs and small business owners who create most new jobs in America'.

The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has revealed that it received 172,000 applications for H-1B visas in the first five working days of April this year, 40% more than over the same period last year. It has since held ballots to allocate the H-1B visa quota. It will now notify all the chosen applicants whose applications can be considered further for an H-1B visa.

The US has refused to grant a visa to Iran's chosen delegate to the United Nations, Hamid Aboutalebi. Because the UN meets in New York, this in effect prevents Mr Aboutalebi from taking up his post. The Iranians have protested that the US is in breach of international law.

Rand Paul, a right-wing Republican and a potential challenger for the presidency in 2016, has said that the Republican Party has to 'get beyond' its problem with illegal immigration or it will never gain significant support from the Hispanic community.

Mr Paul was speaking at the launch of MRC Latino, a right-wing media lobbying group that will campaign against left-wing bias in the Spanish-speaking media in the US. He said 'The bottom line is the Hispanic community is not going to hear us until we get beyond this issue'.

Jeb Bush, the brother of George W Bush, who is seen as a frontrunner to be the Republican candidate for the presidency in 2016, has called on the Republicans to abandon their 'harsh political rhetoric' on illegal immigration and said that illegal immigration is 'not a felony'.

Mr Bush's words have been seen as the opening shot in his campaign to become president in 2016. They are an indication that, if he stands for President, the Republican Party will drop its opposition to the introduction of an amnesty for illegal immigrants in the US.

On Sunday 30th March, the celebrity chef Nigella Lawson boarded a plane for a holiday in the US. However, the US immigration authorities informed British Airways that Ms Lawson would not be allowed entry to the US and she was subsequently asked to leave the plane.

It is reported that US immigration intended to deny her entry to the US to Ms Lawson because of a public admission that she had taken cocaine. Ms Lawson admitted cocaine use while giving evidence in the trial of two former employees last year.