The process to obtain a passport in Canada may change significantly as of July 2, 2013. Primary responsibility for Passport Canada will move from the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade to Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC). The decision was felt to be in line with the duties CIC already performs, such as...

As if June 2013, over four million people have been helped by CIC'snew online Help Centre since it was launched just six months ago. "The government is committed to improving service and the new online Help Centre is part of that plan," said Minister Kenney. "People have questions about how to come to Canada...

On April 11, 2013, the AILA Verification and Documentation Liaison Committee met with the USCIS Verification Division and with ICE Homeland Security Investigations regarding the implementation of the new I-9 Form.

The following practice tips are based on the Agencies' responses to questions raised during the meeting:

  Advise employers that they must begin using the...

The Senate Judiciary Committee endorsed the Immigration Reform Bill which was a key step towards solving the problem that has bedeviled the nation for decades.

That was noteworthy in itself, but what was truly encouraging was that the bill was backed by three of the committee's eight Republicans. That bipartisan support bodes well when the...

When Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) issues a Notice of Inspection (NOI) to audit a company's Employment Eligibility Verification forms (Form I-9 or I-9 form), the company will often panic and want to jump right into things. However, a careful response to an NOI can set the tone for the rest of the...

The U.S. Senate's Gang of Eight fended off poison-pill amendments, meant to derail a bipartisan immigration reform bill supporters say is gaining steam.

The Senate Judiciary Committee, during a markup session last week, voted down Republican-sponsored amendments that sought to delay putting 11 million illegal immigrants on a path to citizenship and dramatically increase the...

International Students to Be Subject to Increased Scrutiny Upon Return to the U.S.

According to an internal memorandum from a senior official at Customs and Border Protection (CBP), all F-1 visa holders seeking admission to the United States will now have the validity of their student status checked by a border agent prior to being...

On October 2012, USCIS announced that it was transferring certain filings from the four USCIS service centers to either a field office or the National Benefits Center (NBC) in order to balance the workload and processing times. As part of this workload shift, USCIS transferred interview-waivable family-based Forms I-485 from the California Service Center...