Tuesday 24 April 2012

Strange Laws From Across the Globe



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.

Image Source: sodahead.com

Sunday 22 April 2012

Top 5 U.S. Legal Immigration Stories of 2011



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.


Video Source: You Tube