April 29, 2011. Taking another stride to facilitate lawful international travel, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Korea Immigration Service last week signed a joint statement agreeing to work toward mutually recognized, expedited international travel initiatives, making Korea the first Asian country to commit to a trusted traveler arrangement.CBP Commissioner Alan D. Bersin welcomed Korea Immigration Service Commissioner Dong-hyeon Seok and a delegation from the Korean agency to CBP’s Washington, D.C., headquarters for the signing. “By declaring our joint intention to enter into a trusted traveler program that is mutually recognized,” said Bersin, “we not only extend courtesies to our respective peoples, but we signal a commitment to a shared approach to immigration and border security.”

(April 1, 2011). Yesterday a House Immigration Subcommittee hearing emphasized that the U.S. economy is currently heavily dependent on foreign scientists and engineers. The hearing, entitled "H-1B Visas: Designing a Program to Meet the Needs of the U.S. Economy and U.S. Workers" debated how the current H-1B program for highly skilled foreign professionals should be best structured in terms of wage protections and job portability. However, most politicians were in agreement that foreign-born scientists and engineers, including many who come to the United States on the H-1B visas make critical contributions to the U.S. economy.

To read the full USCIS notice please click here.

While the effects of the recession are certainly something that worry U.S. workers, some representatives such as Lamar Smith, Steve King, and Elton Gallegly are using the period of uncertainty to attempt to pass more restrictive immigration laws. However, with the aging population in the U.S., there is a dire need for well trained and educated doctors. Currently, the U.S. is not producing enough U.S. doctors and there is a real concern that without increased immigration for professional doctors, the U.S. could be facing a very dangerous shortage of doctors.

Florida Man Sentenced to 30 Months in Prison for Immigration Fraud Scheme

(Feb 6, 2011) A federal judge at the request of the Federal Trade Commission has shut down an immigration website service that posed as a U.S. government website and collected fees from duped consumers. The defendants, "Immigration Center and Immigration Forms and Publications, Inc. ran various websites with official sounding URLS and used deceptive telemarketing operation to convince users that they were affiliated with the U.S. government. According the FTC's complaint the operation also charged fees for the government forms that were the same amount as the government processing fees.

If you suspect that anyone you know has fallen victim to one of these scams, please contact the FTC at www.ftc.gov.