US Immigration News

Anonymous Washington insiders have said that President Obama is to press ahead with efforts to achieve comprehensive immigration reform immediately. However, because of the almost complete lack of cooperation between the parties it is not clear that the President will succeed in forcing reform through.

US consular staff in India report that the number of H category visas granted in US consulates in India rose by 16,000 in the 2012 financial year while the number of L-1 visas granted fell slightly.

The number of L-1 visas granted in India fell by 'a few thousand' according to Indian newspaper The Economic Times while the number of H category visas granted rose from 114,000 in 2011 to 130,000 in 2012, an increase of some 15%.

The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has begun the introduction of an online manual that will inform and guide all its staff worldwide. It is hoped that this will lead to greater consistency in decision making on visa applications.

President Obama has told Latino pressure groups that he will do everything he can to reform the US's immigration system in 2013. But first, he has asked for their help in helping to pull the US back from the brink of the 'fiscal cliff'.

George W Bush speaks out in favour of immigration

The former president George W Bush has stepped into the immigration debate in the US. He has told a Washington event focussed on economic growth that immigrants can help America 'build a better tomorrow'.

Immigration is changing the racial makeup of the United States. 17% of American citizens are of Hispanic descent. Most of these are from Mexico and many are either immigrants or the children of immigrants. Hispanics are also the fastest growing minority and, even if there were to be no further immigration, they would still be expected to account for 30% of the US population by 2030.

A further 5% of citizens, about 15,000,000 people, is of Asian descent and this minority too is growing faster than the general population.