News

Immigration News Recap AS OF 04/14/23

✅H1B Lottery ended for FY2024

The H-1B Lottery for FY 2024 ended in early April.  USCIS made all the selections for FY 2024 and closed the lottery. For those interested in an H1B visa should start their application process next year around February 2024 for the FY2025.

✅Growing Number of Migrants From China Arriving at US-Mexico Border

According to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), at least 4,300 Chinese migrants have crossed the U.S.-Mexico border since January, more than double the number of crossings in 2022.

🇨🇳Several Chinese nationals interviewed by MSNBC cited dwindling economic opportunities and widespread government corruption as reasons to flee their home country.

The Migration Policy Institute estimates that about 4% of the 11 million unauthorized immigrants in the United States are from China.

☝Chinese migration experts say the increase in migrants from China at the U.S.-Mexico border is due to economic conditions, the Chinese government’s aggressive COVID-19 lockdown policies, the deterioration of religious freedom, human rights issues and the rollback of U.S. border policies put in place under former President Donald Trump that banned travelers from mainland China because of the pandemic.

Data from the U.S. Department of Justice show that Chinese nationals are granted asylum at a rate of 58%, compared with 10% for Guatemala, 9% for Honduras and 11% for El Salvador, often because it’s easier for Chinese nationals to prove their asylum claims.

✅DHS to Test Expedited Asylum Screenings at U.S.-Mexico Border for Detained Asylum Seekers

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced plans to test a new expedited asylum screening process, which would grant detained asylum seekers access to legal counsel and ensure screening interviews are conducted within 72 hours. They plan to do initial screening for asylum claims for detained migrants in telephone interviews with the interpreter and immigration attorney on a conference call. This innovation was started to help DHS deal with the border crisis in view of the ending of Covid-19 restrictions on border entries under Title 42 on May 11, 2023

✅Biden to Expand Healthcare Coverage to DACA Holders

President Biden on 04/13/23 announced plans to allow DACA recipients to enroll in a healthcare plan through Medicaid or the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

Biden said in a video posted to Twitter that “healthcare should be a right, not a privilege.”

✅Republican Presidential candidate Ron DeSantis Expands His Hardline Immigration Agenda

Presidential hopeful Gov. Ron DeSantis for the State of Florida has rolled out his plan including a list harsh measures to crackdown on undocumented immigration and push back against the Biden administration’s border policies. His policies are reminiscent of Trump’s immigration restrictions, many of which are still affecting legal immigration in U.S. today.

👉Among the bills expected to pass in the Florida legislature are proposed felony charges for anyone sheltering undocumented immigrants, a policy that would strip undocumented immigrants of driver’s licenses, and a system that would require hospitals to report patients’ immigration statuses to the state. Critics warn the new measures will encourage racial profiling and hurt Florida’s economy.