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Beach-Oswald is a full-service law firm, concentrating on immigration law. We have special expertise in work visas, family based visas, visa waivers, green cards through family and employment and asylum. We have staff members who speak many different languages to assist you.
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NEW!!! WE NOW HAVE A BLOG - SEE "QUICK LINKS"
April - 6 NEW ARTICLES
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FREEDOM OF RELIGION | |
Religious Problems and Persecution:
ARTICLES on Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan, Iraq, Burma, Bhutan, Morocco, Malta and India.
FREEDOM OF SPEECH
FREEDOM FROM WANT
FREEDOM OF WORSHIP
FREEDOM FROM FEAR
Our religious liberty freedoms in the words of Franklin Delano Roosevelt are "the arsenal of democracy". They are intrinsically linked to our Judeo-Christian culture based on the Bible. Religious freedom is the fruit of the tree and stems as early as John Wycliffe in 1377.
We have espoused and championed human rights and the ability of free exercise of one's religion. The post reformation Protestant culture promoted and encouraged Christian liberty. Thus the fruit of the tree must be nourished and we must establish safeguards to prevent elimination of this precious right.
Countries that have the majority of one religion often are the least tolerant of others. Their infringements on the religious right to practice and proselytize has led to often egregious violations of liberties - that some of us take for granted. Trampling and callous disregard of these freedoms can only extend intolerance and often deaths and persecution result.
Contact BOILA PC if you are from any one of these countries and have a fear of persecution if you return. |
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 There is a Religion Law in Azerbaijan that requires churches and religious communities to register with the government for permission to practice their religion. As of April 6, 2010, only 252 of the 534 communities who were registered under the old Religion law had been able to successfully reregister with the government.
These people have been waiting for months and all they want to do is to be able to legally practice their religion. The authorities have told some of these communities that their applications for re-registration will not be considered because the government does not like the way they practice their religions or because it doesn't like the name of their mosque or church, etc. Some have been told that they have "no basis for being in the country." The Juma Mosque is among these, being the only Sunni mosque in the city of Gyanja. Other mosques are in danger of being demolished for the same reasons. Other examples of this injustice include the New Apostolic Church, which already had to amend its statue twice and still has not been approved by the government.
The government of Azerbaijan is guilty of infringing upon its citizens' rights to be able to freely practice their religions. It is time that the international community held the Azerbaijan government accountable for its actions and took measures to stop this violation of human rights. |
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 There is currently much unrest taking place in Kyrgyzstan in response to the new restrictions on religion. Kyrgyzstan's president Bakiev issued the Religion Law in 2009. This law is very harsh and violates human rights because it:
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does not allow children to participate in religious organizations;
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does not allow the distribution of religious books, audiotapes, or any other similar material;
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does not allow any religious activity to take place if it is not registered with the government
There has been much opposition to this law by religious communities in both Kyrgyzstan and abroad. As a result, the government, at one point, agreed to amend the Religion Law, but it has not done so. Because all human beings are entitled to religious freedom, the Kyrgyzstan government needs to take responsibility and see to it that its citizens' are granted their human rights. |
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IRAQ, BURMA, BHUTAN | |
 In the 2010 fiscal year, the U.S. has seeing an influx of refugees, mainly from three countries: Iraq, Burma, and Bhutan. The fiscal year is only halfway through its course, but already there are 8,734 Iraqi refugees, 7,731 Burmese refugees, and 6,632 Bhutanese refugees. Many of these refugees were forced to live in camps before they came to the US. Yet, even here conditions are difficult for them. Many of these refugees are unable to find jobs because of the ongoing economic situation. As a result, these people who have already suffered so much continue to experience hardship as they struggle to provide for themselves and their families.
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 Morocco is a Muslim nation, and has, in the past, been tolerant of Christians living there. As of recent, however, the Moroccan government has been deporting foreign Christians by the dozens.
In March alone, approximately 40 foreigners were deported from the country on grounds that they were attempting to convert Moroccan citizens to Christianity. Although the foreigners denied doing this, many of them were interrogated for several hours straight and then deported the following morning without even being allowed to return to their homes to pack their things and say good bye to their families. Sixteen of the foreigners who were deported worked in the Village of Hope orphanage, where they were wrenched away from the children they took care of for years.
The Moroccan government is denying the claim that they are cracking down on the Christians living in Morocco. The Moroccan ambassador to the US insists that the Christians who were deported were only forced to do so because they were guilty of trying to convert Muslims to Christianity, which is against Moroccan law. Yet he did acknowledge the fact that these Christians were exiled without being given the chance to plead their cases in court. |
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 Malta is 98 % Catholic and over 50% of the population are fervent mass attending citizens.
Catholicism is thought to have been brought by Paul who wrote several books in the Bible and was shipwrecked to its shores. Malta is islands of contrasts as it has been influenced by Phoenicians, Arabs and Romans. As early as 2000 BC the Ancient Phoenicians and Carthaginians inhabited the island.
The Knights of St. John ( also known as the Knights of Malta) around the mid 1500's brought prosperity and population back to Malta and created the Maltese Golden Age. In 1800 the British Empire took over for 160 years until 1964 and Malta became influential as a naval base with English as a predominant language rather than Maltese.
Pope Benedict XVI will visit this Mediterranean island for the first time to celebrate the 1950th year of St. Paul's shipwreck on Malta. Malta is a secular state and part of the European Union. Due to the haphazard immigration policy on the islands, there is a need for change to assist migrants who are often victims of unscrupulous criminal organizations and to prevent the continued influx of new migrants.
The European court has determined that the crucifix, which has always been a symbol of unity and tolerance for humanity as well as compassion for one's fellow human beings should be removed and this creates a strong revivalist current encouraged by the Pope to reinstate and appeal to Italy to the European Union concerning their disagreement.
Sources: www.guidetomalta.net Adventist News Agency ADP APD@stanet.ch |
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 The history of India is strewn with turbulent conflicts between various religious groups. The most publicized disputes are those that arise between the two largest religious groups in the country: Hindus and Muslims. However, there have recently been a number of incidents involving the persecution of Christians in India. This may come as a surprise since, according to the 2001 India Census, Christians constitute only 2.3% of India's population. On the other hand, Hindus and Muslims make up 80.5% and 13.4% of the population respectively. Thus, one would think that the larger groups would not feel threatened by the Christians. Nevertheless, there is deep resentment towards this group which stems from the period (1700s - 1900s) when Great Britain colonized India. During this time, the bitterness towards the English extended to include animosity towards Britain's main religion.
The recent outbursts of violence against Christians are predominantly acts of Hindu extremists. These people attempt to justify their actions by charging Christians of forceful conversions although conversion is, in fact, legal in India. For instance, in Andhra Pradesh, a group of Hindu extremists beat a pastor and his wife and accused them of forceful conversion. In another example, extremists in Karnataka used the same excuse to beat two Christians until they fell unconscious. Additionally, they suffered broken bones, damaged ear drums, as well as head injuries. In New Delhi, extremists stopped Christians on the road and beat them with cricket stumps and hockey sticks.
A major issue in these cases is police inactivity. Often, Christians are released without charges; however, police are clearly biased towards the Hindus. In the first situation, police declined to file the pastor's complaint and in the Karnataka and New Delhi cases, no arrests were made. Thus, most Christian victims are unable to acquire relief or justice from their sufferings. What, if anything, can we do to improve this situation? Must we simply wait for time to alleviate these tensions? Based on its history, it is probable that religious conflicts in India ever end?
Citations:
India Religious Demographic Profile. The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life. Retrieved from http://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/southasia/History/Current_Affairs/ Current_affairs.htm |
POLITICAL UNREST IN THAILAND | |
Protesters are flooding the streets in Thailand demanding that Parliament be dissolved and new elections held to elect new leaders. These peaceful demonstrations have been going on for weeks. The protestors are met with much violence from the Thai government, however. Authorities have are repelling the protestors with water cannons, tear gas, rubber bullets, and live ammunition. Hundreds of people have been injured and twenty three people have died.
It is very unfortunate that so many people have had to die in a peaceful attempt to bring democracy to their country. Their struggle has been ongoing for many years. In fact, the conflict initially began with elections in 2005, was followed by a coup in 2006, and was further escalated by the 2007 elections, and then escalated again in 2008. The people of Thailand have been demanding a fair government for a very long time now, and deserve to have fair elections.
If you know anybody from Thailand who needs help, please contanct BOILA immediately. |
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Frighteningly antiquated laws have been proposed in Arizona state legislature that are as oppressive as they are unconstitutional. S.B. 1070 includes clauses that would require officials to check the status of a person they deemed "reasonably suspicious" without any regulation or monitoring. Such a clause not only encourages racial profiling, but it also forces government officials to stereotype the world around them in order to do their job.
Not only does the proposed legislation allow this unconscionable behavior towards minorities, it encourages it. A second clause in the legislation allows any law enforcement officer to arrest a person at their own discretion - "an Arizona...cop has the right to unilaterally decide whether a particular offense is one for which a person could be deported" (Leopold, "Razing Arizona"). Such an interpretation of the law has always been left in the hands of a select few - judges. With this legislation, it seems that the interpretation is left open to anyone with a badge.
In a final blow to individual rights, the legislation requires that a lawful permanent resident carry their green cards on them at all times - a requirement too reminiscent of armband wearing to feel comfortable.
This legislation seems extraordinarily misguided and insensitive, as well as a violation of basic human rights. It is a monumental blow to the betterment of American society - antiquated and prejudiced legislation that can only negatively affect the world - and people - around us. While regulation is important and crucial to the immigration process, oppression is not, and this legislation seems to be more focused on the latter of the two.
SB 1070 has continued to cause uproar across the country, citing not only social damages that might be caused by the passing of the act, but now economic effects as well. The implementation of SB1070 would have a detrimental effect on Arizona's economy - as elaborated upon in Wendy Sefsaf's recent article. According to Sefsaf's article, the economic repercussion in Arizona if SB 1070 were passed would be significant. For a state with a 3 billion dollar budget deficit, SB 1070 proves to be a frivolous and irresponsible fiscal decision.
The Yuma County Sherriff's office estimated costs include:
- $775,880 to $1,163,820 to cover processing
- $21,195,600 to $96,086,720 to cover jail costs
- $810,067 to $1,620,134 to cover Attorney and staff fees
Maryland's Prince William County serves as a prime example of this flawed policy. In 2007, the county would not use county police force to enforce an immigration law because of the whopping 14 million dollars more per fiscal year it would cost them. When it comes to Arizona, this price tag is significantly larger.
Not only was the economic output of Arizona's immigrant population alone around 44 billion dollars, but over 35,000 businesses in Arizona are Latino owned. This is not to say that these 35,000 Latino business owners are illegal immigrants. However, SB 1070 would allow police to detain and question anyone at their own discretion - allowing the Arizona government to racially profile any of these minority business owners
The real question Arizona must ask itself before passing SB 1070 is whether or not it can afford to do so, both economically and socially.
Can the state afford such a societal setback? Or is it as big a step backwards as it seems in the constant fight towards racial equality? Can Arizona afford to enforce such a law, or would the funds it would require be better allocated to other state run programs? Most importantly, can Arizona afford to ostracize an entire population of people upon which the economic recovery of the state could very well depend? |
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The information contained on this email is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. The transmission of information to or from this email does not create an attorney-client relationship between the sender and receiver. We take our privacy policy seriously and will never sell, rent or share our email list. View our Privacy Policy here. To schedule a consultation with one of our immigration lawyers, please click here. |
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| May 2010 |  | |
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Quote of the Month | |
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"Let there be peace on earth
And let it begin with me."
~Seymour Miller & Jill Jackson
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| REMINDER:
APPLY FOR TPS | |
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If you are a Haitian national that has been continually living in the US since January 12, 2010 and still have not applied for TPS, you need to so now. The Department of Homeland Security predicts that 100,000 to 200,000 of the Haitians living in the US will be eligible for TPS - which is 24-40% of current TPS beneficiaries.
The deadline to register for TPS is July 20, 2010. So far USCIS has received over 44,500 Haitian TPS applications, 10% of which were rejected. These rejections were results of applicants not including the appropriate filing fees, not completely filling out biographical information, forgetting to sign the application, or filing the wrong forms. Time is running out, so you need to make sure that your application is filled out and filed correctly. If you are unsure of how to do so, schedule an appointment with one of the experienced lawyers at BOILA PC and we will assist you in this process.
For more information, please visit: http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site /usc is/menui tem.5af9bb9591 9f35e66f6 14176543f6d1a/?vgnextoid=7d30bf4a26df7210Vgn VC M10000008 2ca60aRCRD |
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TPS for CHILE | |
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 As a result of the recent natural disasters in Chile, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services is giving Chileans access to certain temporary relief measures. These include: · Granting of change or extension of nonimmigrant status for Chileans who are currently living in the US. · Re-parole of Chileans or extensions on advanced parole. · Speedy processing of employment authorization for off-campus F-1 students who are undergoing severe economic hardship. · Speedy processing of Alien-Relative Petitions and green card and employment authorization applications. · Assistance for those Chileans who are US permanent residents and are stranded overseas, in coordination with the State Department. If you are eligible for any of these benefits but aren't sure how to proceed with USCIS paperwork, come to BOILA PC, where will gladly help you with any immigration applications. Don't wait - it is time you got the immigration benefits you deserve. For more information, visit: http://www.usics.gov /portal/site/uscis/ menuitem.5af9bb95919f35 e66f614176543f6d1a/? vgnextoid=c618d043 8c947210VgnVCM 100000082ca60a RCRD&vgnextchannel= 68439c7755cb90 10V gnVCM10000045f3d6a1RCRD |
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TPS for HONDURAS AND NICARAGUA | |
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USCIS recently extended Temporary Protection Status (TPS) for Honduras and Nicaragua nationals because conditions are still inadequate for them to return to their home countries. Instead of the expiration date being July 5, 2010, the new expiration date is now January 5, 2012 - that's an additional 18 months.
Given this extension, Honduran and Nicaraguan nationals can reregister for TPS if they have entered the US before December 30, 1998 and have remained continually present in the US since that time. The re-registration period is between May 5 and July 5, 2010. Those who re-register on time will be issued new work permit cards.
If you are a Honduras or Nicaragua national who is eligible for TPS renewal, the time to do so is NOW. Do not wait a day longer - you only have until July 5 to have your application submitted, so schedule an appointment with a BOILA lawyer today.
For more information, please visit:
http://www.uscis.gov/
portal/site/uscis/
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DED for LIBERIANS | |
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Many Liberian nationals have fled the armed conflict and civil strife in their country and fled to the United States to seek shelter. The conflict ended in 2003, and, as a result, TPS ended on October 1, 2007. However, conditions were, and still are, unfavorable in Liberia for its nationals to return.
Thus, President Bush decided to defer the enforced departure of Liberian nationals and allowed them to remain in the US longer. President Obama has extended the grant of Deferred Enforcement Departure (DED) also, and is now doing so again.
The DED is being extended for another 18 months, but only for those Liberian nationals who have continually resided in the US since October 1, 2002. In addition to the 18 month DED extension, Liberians will be issued new work permits which will be effective for the next 18 months.
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MAY DAY | |
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May Day (May 1) is not a holiday usually celebrated or observed in the United States. It has its origin in European Pagan roots, yet it has significance for Americans because of the reform efforts in the United States to demand equity for workers that are tied to that day alongside turbulence and bloodshed. It is probably the day of the year with the most holidays!It's a celebration of Spring. It's a day of political protests. It's a neopagan festival, a saint's feast day, and a day for organized labor. In many countries, it is a national holiday.
For the ancient druids of the British Isles, May 1 divided the year into two halves and was celebrated with fire rituals during the Feast of Beltane and included fertility symbolism. For the Romans who later occupied Britain, it was a time devoted to the worship of Flora, goddess of flowers. By the Middle Ages all English villages had a maypole around which they danced. Villages competed to have the tallest maypole which was cut from a tree brought to the village from the forest. The cutting of the tree and the lopping of its branches unites the Celtic and Roman traditions. Going into the woods to gather flowers and greeneryto celebrate the start of spring was referred to as "going a-maying." In 1644 the Puritans put an end to the Maypole tradition. It was revived, however, under the Stuarts.
In France it was King Charles IX who having received a lily of the valley May 1, 1561, decided to offer lilies of the valley flowers to the ladies of his court each year on May 1. Around 1900, men started to present a bouquet of lily of the valley flowers to women to express their affection. The tradition of offering a "muguet" or lily of the valley on May 1 continues in France and Belgium (the government does not tax the buying and selling of these flowers on that day), and it is a token of appreciation between close friends and family. May 1 is an observed public holiday there and is also know as La Fete du Travail (Labor Day). In England the 1st Monday in May is a national holiday. The Maypole dance still a ritual in many towns along with the crowning of a May Queen and Morris dancing.
So what does this have to do with immigrants to the United States? It is the European immigrants to the United States that led out in these efforts in the 19th century. Today all immigrants whether they have full legal status or are undocumented have a right to fair and humane treatment and deserve equal pay for equal work. |
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2011 H-1B Filing Cap Count |
The United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) has updated the count of H-1B petitions received and counted towards the 65,000 cap.
As of April 27, 2010, 16,500 H-1B Regular CAP subject non-immigrant visa petitions have been filed with the USCIS towards the 65,000 cap.
As of April 27, 2010, 6,900 H-1B Masters Degree CAP subject non-immigrant visa petitions have been filed with the USCIS towards the 20,000 cap.
USCIS will continue to accept both cap-subject petitions and advanced degree petitions until a sufficient number of H-1B petitions have been received to reach the statutory limits, taking into account the fact that some of these petitions may be denied, revoked, or withdrawn. | |
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Perm Processing Times |
To check the processing times for PERMS, go to our website: www.boilapc.com and click on resources. | |
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