Silicon Valley Immigration Lawyer Blog

Today the USCIS unveiled a newly redesigned "green card' that is supposed to have stronger security measures to make the cards harder to counterfeit and tamper. The new card is provided by local Silicon Valley company, LaserCard. And it's green again. The nickname "green card" is derived from the first Alien Registration Receipt Card introduced in 1946. It was green, and remained green over the next two decades. The card has been revised numerous times since then, and has been officially called a Resident Alien card and a Permanent Resident Card. Despite these official names, it's still commonly known as a green card.

The pictures below show the front and back of the cards, and detail some of the security features. One feature to note is embedded Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), which allows inspectors to read unique, 192-bit serial number (192-bits) from a distance and link the information to the personal data on file. The card incorporates high resolution security artwork, resolved at up to 25,000 dots per inch, making it beyond the capability of scanning, copying and printing technologies. It also has laser etching on the hologram, making it that much more difficult to counterfeit. As an immigration lawyer, I'm looking forward to seeing one of these new cards soon.

Permanent residents do not need to replace their existing green card until their current one expires, or if they lose or damage their current one.

A quick review of the list of largest H-1B users for FY 2009 shows high tech and Silicon Valley topping the list. The top users of the H-1B program for 2009 included multi-national technology companies headquartered, and with branch offices in Silicon Valley. Wipro tops the list with 1,964 new H-1B visas. Microsoft is second with 1318, but then Intel Corp has a big drop off at 723 H-1B's The list of Silicon Valley companies continues, including Infosys Technologies (440), Qualcomm (320), Cisco (308), Oracle (272), Google (211), Yahoo (183), Apple (168), Nvidia (130), and Hewlett Packard (115). While there is no way to know whether these companies sponsored employees located in Silicon Valley, as opposed to another office location, it is clear that high-tech and Silicon Valley are standouts on the list of H-1B employers.

Those who assume the H-1B is a tool used primarily by IT companies may be surprised to see the number of prestigious universities and medical facilities also nearing the top of the list. H-1B visas are work visas for professional workers who typically require at least a Bachelor's degree for entry into their profession. This includes teachers, professors, doctors, and scientists in addition to engineers.

The first two pages of the list are below:

H-1B Users Fy2009

California Senator Feinstein is amongst a group of Democratic Senators (including Senate Marjoity leader Reid, and Senators Durbin, Schumer, Leahy, and Menendez) that set forth an immigration law reform "proposal" last week, called the Real Enforcement with Practical Answers for Immigration Reform (REPAIR) Proposal. This proposal is not an actual bill, or a proposed bill. It is a "proposal". While it is a purely Democratic proposal, it contains provisions that show a willingness to reach out to Republications and incorporate the immigration reforms critical to any Republican support.

The proposal acknowledges that in order to accomplish any immigration reform, achieving greater border security and improving methods for fighting crimes connected to illegal immigration is a prerequisite to addressing the millions of undocumented immigrants living here. The proposal addresses: (1) increased border enforcement, (2) increased interior enforcement; (3) biometric identification and employment verification; (4) family and employment visas; and (5) registration and legalization of the millions of undocumented immigrants living here.

As an immigration lawyer often representing highly-skilled foreign nationals, the most exciting provision is the change for graduates of U.S. universities. Graduates of U.S. universities obtaining advanced degrees in the fields of science, technology, engineering, or mathematics, who have an offer of employment from a U.S employer in a field related to their degree, would be eligible for a green card. As has been said repeatedly on this blog, it only makes sense to allow these folks to remain in the U.S. and use their intelligence and knowledge to benefit the U.S.

Continue reading "California Senator Supports Immigration Law Proposal" »