Latest news with #USimmigration
Globe and Mail
21-07-2025
- Business
- Globe and Mail
Shamayev Business Law Launches Client Onboarding System to Streamline U.S. Visa Process
Navigating the U.S. immigration system involves a maze of legal complexities and paperwork – a daunting task for those without specialized knowledge. According to the U.S. Department of State, more than 152,000 immigrant visas were issued to immediate relatives of U.S. citizens in the first six months of the 2024 fiscal year – a record-setting figure. Yet, approval rates for work-related petitions, such as the EB-2 NIW category, dropped sharply from 80% to 43%, underscoring the growing importance of precision and completeness in immigration filings. Shamayev Business Law (SBL), a Florida-based legal corporation, that specializes in legal support for talent, business and investor immigration to the U.S. since 2015, in July 2025 announced the rollout of a client onboarding system designed to reduce the risk of procedural delays – a common and costly issue when a client is not in time with information or documents requested for the case filing. 'The onboarding process is a step-by-step engagement plan that establishes a six-month framework for legal partnership,' the firm's press office stated. 'It ensures timely, structured information exchange to build a strong evidentiary foundation. By improving our internal workflow, we're minimizing case preparation delays and enhancing overall efficiency'. SBL's attorneys emphasize a structured, end-to-end approach to each case. The first month of the immigration process is considered particularly critical – it's the stage where the client's full involvement is essential. Some information may need to be clarified; other materials may prove irrelevant or insufficient. The new onboarding model breaks the process into manageable phases, supported by pre-designed templates and document tables that applicants must complete within specific deadlines. Shamayev Business Law notes that the new onboarding system not only improves client interaction but also marks a strategic step toward internal process automation. About the firm: Founded in 2015, Shamayev Business Law focuses on talent and business immigration. Over the past decade, the firm has helped secure more than 3,400 visas for clients ranging from entrepreneurs and investors to tech professionals and creatives. In the last three years alone, SBL has received inquiries from individuals across 44 countries, reflecting the enduring global appeal of the United States as a hub for business and professional growth. The firm also offers free preliminary case evaluations, allowing prospective clients to assess their eligibility, understand the risks involved, and explore the most suitable visa strategy based on their profile. Media Contact Company Name: Shamayev Business Law Contact Person: PR team Email: Send Email Country: United States Website:
BBC News
21-07-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Fake documents, oda tins wey fit lead to life ban from di United States
Di United States Mission for Nigeria don drop anoda update for Nigerians and oda pipo wey dey try enta dia kontri or already dey dia. Dem say dia interagency efforts dey combat fraud and go end illegal immigration. For one statement for dia social media handle, U.S. tok say dem go ban anybody wey commit visa fraud from di United States for life. Dis statement na di latest development for di United States clamp down on illegal migration. "A nation without borders no be nation", di U.S. further tok. Wit promise say dem go pursue criminal charges against those wey engage in visa fraud and those wey dey bring in and harbour illegal aliens. Exactly one week ago, di United States bin send one strong reminder give foreigners wey dey plan or already dey di kontri say make dem no overstay dia visa or di time wey immigration give dem to stay. U.S. Embassy tok say anybodi wey stay pass di allowed time wey dem give am for America fit face serious wahala. Recently, di United States Mission for Nigeria bin don announce say dem go sweep changes to dia non-immigrant visa policy for Nigeria, wey reduce di duration and conditions under which most Nigerian travellers go fit enta America. Documents wey fit count as fake for U.S. visa application To commit Fraud or lie fit cause serious wahala for U.S. immigration matter wey include visa denials, deportation, and lifetime bans from entering di U.S. Immigration officials dey take lies seriously, and even small misstatements fit lead to serious penalties. Dis na list of tins wey fit attract legal consequences for immigration proccess. Under U.S. immigration law, fraud and misrepresentation na wen pesin provide false informate or withhold important details so e go fit get immigration benefit. One section of di U.S. immigration policy tok say any foreign national wey "by fraud or willfully misrepresent a material fact seeks to procure (or dey try to procure or don procure) visa, oda documentation, or admission into di United States or oda benefit" dey permanently inadmissible. Anoda section tok say anypesin wey make false claim to be U.S. citizen for any immigration benefit or oda purposes fit also lead to permanent ban. Examples According to di U.S. mission Nigeria statement, dis kain tins wey we list above fit cause key penalties wey include: Permanent Ban: Wetin dis one mean be say pesin wey di U.S. sama permanent ban no fit obtain visa, green card, or enta di U.S. unless America grant am waiver. Visa and Green Card Denials: U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and di Department of State (DOS) dey review applications for fraud. If dem detect any kind fraud, di application go dey denied. Removal (Deportation) Any pesin U.S. and is found to have committed fraud or misrepresentation, fit dey placed for deportation proceedings. Criminal Charges For some cases, immigration fraud fit lead to criminal prosecution wey cover fraudulent immigration documents. Convictions fit result in fines and imprisonment.
Al Jazeera
17-07-2025
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
How will the US immigration system change?
How will the US immigration system change? By the Numbers Video Duration 02 minutes 28 seconds 02:28 Video Duration 02 minutes 28 seconds 02:28 Video Duration 01 minutes 18 seconds 01:18 Video Duration 01 minutes 40 seconds 01:40 Video Duration 01 minutes 49 seconds 01:49 Video Duration 02 minutes 18 seconds 02:18 Video Duration 01 minutes 51 seconds 01:51
The Independent
15-07-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
‘It's a concentration camp': Everything we know about Trump's new ‘Alligator Alcatraz' in the Florida Everglades
The name given by Donald Trump and his allies to Florida 's new barebones immigrant detention camp is ghoulish enough: 'Alligator Alcatraz'. Critics, however, argue that it is nothing less than a concentration camp on American soil, designed to round up disfavored minorities even if they have committed no crimes. Rapidly built and opened in the space of just two weeks on a remote and rarely used airstrip in Florida's reptile-rich Everglades, the camp is intended to hold up to 5,000 people arrested by U.S. immigration authorities while they await deportation. Numerous detainees, their families, and their lawyers have already alleged inhumane and unsafe conditions, including maggoty food and overflowing toilets. Polling suggests that almost half of all Americans disapprove of the facility, with only 26 per cent of independent voters being in favor. So what exactly is Alligator Alcatraz, and what will happen to the so far 700-odd people detained there? Surrounded by alligators and pythons Long before his 2024 election victory, Donald Trump and his team were drawing up plans to deport millions of people every year — and hold them in vast new detention camps while their cases were processed. Alligator Alcatraz is a preview of that potential future. Rather than being the federal government, it's actually a project of Florida's Republican governor — and former Trump election rival — Ron DeSantis, who invoked emergency powers to seize the land last month. Who funded this remains unclear. DeSantis has said he will be reimbursed by the federal government, and Trump's homeland security secretary, Kristi Noem, has said it will be "largely funded" by FEMA. Yet in court filings, the U.S. Justice Department has claimed that "not implemented, authorized, directed, or funded Florida's temporary detention center" — despite the fact that immigration enforcement is handled by the federal government. Regardless, Republicans have made no secret of their rationale. "You don't need to invest that much in the perimeter," claimed Florida's attorney general James Uthmeier. "If people get out, there's not much waiting for them other than alligators and pythons." And yes, 'Alligator Alcatraz' is now its official name. It's even emblazoned on road signs that lead to the facility. 'Packed into cages' The facility's construction is extremely basic — and its conditions are allegedly brutal. Detainees are kept in metal cages, with dozens of people packed into each one, housed inside gigantic heavy-duty tents in the sweltering heat. Even the staff appear to be based in temporary prefab huts and mobile trailers parked nearby. Detainees and their families have reported worm-infested food, routine medical neglect, unreliable air conditioning, and inadequate toilets that overflow and cover the floor with feces. Government officials have adamantly disputed these accusations, but have provided few details and have denied access to the media. In total, there are currently around 3,000 beds. 'They have no way to bathe, no way to wash their mouths, the toilet overflows and the floor is flooded with pee and poop,' said the wife of one 35-year-old Cuban detainee. "They eat once a day and have two minutes to eat. The meals have worms." At one point, detainees "all went on a hunger strike" in protest against the conditions, she said, adding that her calls with him were interrupted every three minutes by an automated voice saying the conversation was recorded. Lawyers have also reported being refused access and prevented from speaking to their clients. Leamsy 'La Figura' Izquierdo, a Cuban reggaeton artist arrested last week in Miami-Dade County for assault with a deadly weapon and transferred to Alligator Alcatraz, likewise told CBS News: 'There's no water to take a bath, it's been four days since I've taken a bath. "They only brought a meal once a day and it has maggots. They never take off the lights for 24 hours. The mosquitoes are as big as elephants." Another detainee said guards had taken away his Bible and told him that "here there is no right to religion". Democratic legislators who visited the camp say they're deeply concerned. While a bipartisan group was allowed to visit on July 12 — as required by state law — they were given a "sanitized" tour of still-empty areas with no detainees. Even then, their review was harsh. 'They are essentially packed into cages, wall-to-wall humans," said Florida congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz. 'This place needs to be shut the hell down. They're abusing human beings." A spokesperson for the Florida state government said, "The reporting on the conditions in the facility is completely false. The facility meets all required standards and is in good working order." Who is detained there? In early July, Donald Trump claimed that the Florida facility would "handle the most menacing migrants, some of the most vicious people on the planet" — and said he wants to see similar facilities built in "many states". But what we know of Alligator Alcatraz's inmates conflicts with his description. According to The Miami Herald and Tampa Bay Times, only one-third of the 700 people currently being held there have any criminal conviction whatsoever. 250 detainees have been judged to have broken immigration law, which is a civil offence and not a criminal one. One detainee, who described the conditions as potentially "a form of torture", told CBS: "A lot of us have our residency documents and we don't understand why we're here." That fits the general pattern of Trump's detentions so far. Despite promising to prioritize "the worst of the worst", data suggests that only 8 percent of the estimated 185,000 people detained by ICE between October 1, 2024 and May 31, 2025 had been convicted of a serious crime. One-third of detainees had some kind of criminal conviction, but among that group, 75 percent had only committed low-level crimes such as traffic offenses. How long detainees will stay at Alligator Alcatraz is unclear, but immigration court proceedings can take months or years, and the Trump administration has said it will deny bail en masse. Hence, it could be a long time for some. Is it a concentration camp? Some critics believe so. Among them is the journalist Andrea Pitzer, author of One Long Night: A Global History of Concentration Camps, who made her case in a recent op-ed for MSNBC. "This facility's purpose fits the classic model: mass civilian detention without real trials targeting vulnerable groups for political gain based on ethnicity, race, religion or political affiliation rather than for crimes committed," Pitzer wrote. "We're still in the early stages of this arc, but... the history of this kind of detention underlines that it would be a mistake to think the current cruelties are the endpoint. America is likely just getting started." While the term 'concentration camp' is most associated with the Nazis, such camps have been widely used by numerous nations, including the U.K., the U.S., Spain, and the Soviet Union. Immigration lawyer Raul A. Reyes likewise argued in The Los Angeles Times that Alligator Alcatraz is a "national disgrace" that "will place detainees in life-threatening conditions". He further claimed the facility "appears intentionally designed to inflict suffering on detainees", citing supporters' "gleeful" attitude to the idea of federal detainees being eaten by alligators. The Florida Republican Party, and Uthmeier himself, are even selling Alligator Alcatraz merchandise, including baseball caps, water bottles, and beer koozies.
Washington Post
11-07-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
Trump administration has floated deporting third-party nationals to Africa. Here's what we know
DAKAR, Senegal — South Sudan has accepted eight third-country deportees from the U.S. and Rwanda says it's in talk with the administration of President Donald Trump on a similar deal, while Nigeria says it's rejecting pressure to do the same. Although few details are known, these initiatives in Africa mark an expansion in U.S. efforts to deport people to countries other than their own. The United States has sent hundreds of Venezuelans and others to Costa Rica, El Salvador and Panama but has yet to announce any major deals with governments in Africa, Asia or Europe.
