It is usually fair to assume that the laws that have been put into place
have all been derived from the perspective of rational and logical thinking.
After all these policies and guidelines are generally constructed for the
betterment of society as a whole and are intended to be followed by the
letter… Or are they?
Many by-laws of old, that had carried significance in their times, still
remain present today. Serving as a reminder of just how far we have come as a global
community and how much further we still have yet to travel. Here are 10 examples
of such laws:
10. It is an act of treason to place a postage stamp bearing the British monarch upside down.
9. Under the UK's Tax Avoidance Schemes Regulations 2006, it is illegal not to tell the taxman
anything you don't want him to know, though you don't have to tell him anything you don't mind
him knowing.
8. In Florida, unmarried women who parachute on Sundays can be jailed.
7. In Vermont, women must obtain written permission from their husbands to wear false teeth.
6. In Lebanon men are allowed to engage in sexual intercourse with female animals. If caught with
a male animal the punishment is death.
5. In Singapore chewing gum is illegal.
4. In Turkey, it was illegal to drink coffee during the 16th and 17th century. It was punishable by
death.
3. In Ohio, getting a fish drunk is against state law.
2. In Toronto, Canada, it is illegal to drive a street car on a Sunday if you have been eating garlic.
1. In North Carolina it is illegal for dogs and cats to fight.
Choosing to remain unaware of the many intricacies involving Canadian
immigration law when applying for either a visa or citizenship, can be just
absurd as many of the aforementioned policies. In many cases employing the counseling
services of skilled L A immigration lawyers can greatly increase your
chances of application approval.
As 2012 continues to forge its place into history, we should take this time
to look back at some of the pressing immigration issues that have paved the way
for change. Many U.S. policies and immigration acts have set precedents that
resonate in both regions of North America and will continue to have their
impacts felt well into the future.
The ever changing platform for immigration rights and laws, have made way for
some monumental changes. And, although the illegal immigration issues had dominated
much of the U.S. immigration focus for the past year, here is a brief look at
the Top 5 U.S. Legal Immigration Stories of 2011 as documented by
immigrationroad.com:
1. H.R. 3012 and
Efforts to Eliminate Per-Country Limit
On November 29, 2011 the House passed H.R. 3012, the Fairness for High-Skilled
Immigrants Act by a vote of 389-15. The bill aims to eliminate the
employment-based per-country annual cap, currently at 7%, and raise the
family-sponsored cap to 15%. If enacted, H.R. 3012 would re-shuffle the waiting
lines for green cards, effectively altering the current system in which EB
immigrants born in India and China have to wait much longer than people from
other countries. However; Senator Grassley (R-IA) placed a hold on the bill the
next day stating -“concerned that it [H.R. 3012] does nothing to better protect
Americans at home who seek high-skilled jobs during this time of record high
unemployment.” On December, 15 2011, Senator Grassley offered an amendment
making dramatic changes to the bill. But, since then it has been untouched and
still up for examination.
2. The Green Card Lottery Blunder
In early May, the Department of State notified 22,000 people worldwide that
they had won the green card lottery, which offers a quick and easy
path to U.S. permanent residence. On May 13, they were told the results were
invalid, and the drawing would be held again.
DOS blamed a computer software glitch that caused 90% of the lottery winners to
be selected from the first two days of registration, rather than the entire
30-day period.
Disappointed and shocked, the early winners rushed to Facebook and other online
forums in an attempt to persuade DOS to honor their initial selection. A
class-action lawsuit was also filed on behalf of the applicants. All efforts
failed, however, and a second drawing was conducted in the summer.
3. Rapid Visa Bulletin Movement
For EB2 India and China, all is good. The visa bulletin cutoff dates jumped
from April 15, 2007 all the way to January 1, 2009, over the last four months
of 2011. Given the long black-out period following the 2007 visa bulletin
fiasco, this is more phenomenal than it appears. In addition to long-awaited
green card approvals, many people were finally eligible to submit I-485
applications, along with employment authorization and travel documents.
Unfortunately, EB3 continues to be in limbo. Most EB3 categories advanced only
a few months for the entire year. Without additional visa numbers due to
“spill-over,” it is hard to imagine the situation would improve anytime soon.
4. Renewed Focus on Immigrant
Investors and Entrepreneurs
The EB5 investor visa has been around for 20 years, but 2011 witnessed
rejuvenated interest from the U.S. government and private businesses.
On May 19, USCIS outlined a series of policy enhancements to make the EB-5
program more attractive to foreign investors. Among them, a premium processing
option and a direct email communication venue for applicants and petitioners.
On August 2, USCIS unveiled a series of initiatives to promote the so-called
“start-up visas” which would allow entrepreneurs to obtain H-1B visas and EB-2
green card classification. Several policy, operational and outreach efforts
were also outlined as part of the White House’s “Startup America” campaign.
A slew of commercial EB5 and regional center Websites popped up one after
another on the Internet this year, as businesses try to seize the opportunity
by acting as bridges between foreign investors and investment projects in the
U.S.
5. Ongoing Digital Transformation
USCIS has been undertaking a multi-year initiative to move immigration services
from a paper-based system to a new electronic, account-based system. Over the
next several years, USCIS will deploy a simplified, web-based system that will
allow customers to apply online and also easily track their case status.
The first release of the new system was originally planned for December 2011,
using the stand-alone Application to Extend/Change Non-Immigrant Status (Form
I-539). But the launch was delayed due to the need for more”post-development
testing.” Despite the setback, the trend toward digital is inevitable.
Although the overall consensus seems optimistic that 2012 will not repeat the
same mistake as its proceeding year, it is still anybody’s guess as to what
outcomes these acts will actually achieve. Those who have an invested
interest in such legal matters may benefit by consulting a Toronto based immigration lawyer to gain further clarity into their immigration options.
