Illegal Border Crossings Near Two-Decade High, Mayorkas Says

Illegal Border Crossings Near Two-Decade High, Mayorkas Says

Post by Nick Potter. Colgate Class of 2022. Source: Hackman, M. (2021, March 17). “Illegal Border Crossings Near Two-Decade High, Mayorkas Says.” Wall Street Journal. Through the first few months of 2021, the United States in on pace to see the largest number of illegal immigrants crossing its southern border in 20 plus years, according to homeland security secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. Several factors are contributing to the massive uptick in illegal immigration: first, the Biden administration’s undoing of Trump’s anti-immigration…

Read More Read More

The Trump Administration Reforms H-1B Visa Program

The Trump Administration Reforms H-1B Visa Program

Post by Yoonjon Lee. Colgate Class of 2022. One of the most salient effects of the COVID-19 pandemic has been the drastic changes in the U.S. labor market. Unemployment spiked to 14% in April and currently remains at 7%[1]. In response to these changes, and in lieu with campaign promises, the Trump administration began producing policies that target immigration into the United States, specifically high skilled workers, through its temporary suspension of H-1B visas[2] effective since June. The underlying reasoning…

Read More Read More

The H-1B Visa Program and the Effects of High-Skilled Foreign Workers on the U.S. Economy

The H-1B Visa Program and the Effects of High-Skilled Foreign Workers on the U.S. Economy

Post by Scott Peyton. Colgate Class of 2023. At a time of high U.S. unemployment due to the Coronavirus pandemic, the H-1B visa program for high-skilled workers has become a hot-button issue. The Trump Administration introduced long-anticipated changes to the H-1B visa program on October 6 of this year, aimed to tighten eligibility for the program. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) outlined the revisions to the program which claim to bolster job prospects for unemployed Americans by ensuring that…

Read More Read More

Federal Judge Blocks Citizenship Application Fee Increase

Federal Judge Blocks Citizenship Application Fee Increase

Post by Richard Falvo. Colgate Class of 2023. Recently, a California federal judge placed a halt on a round of application fee increases for immigrants seeking citizenship in the United States. Under the proposed changes set forth by the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the fee to apply for citizenship would have increased from $640 to $1,160, an increase of 81% (Malagón, 2020). In addition, according to the Miami Herald, “The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Fee Rule…

Read More Read More

The Philippine Economy: A House of Cards

The Philippine Economy: A House of Cards

Post by Matthew Newfield. Colgate Class of 2023. Migration from the Philippines has become extremely commonplace as migration is central to the Philippines’ economy’s well-being. The persistent trend of emigration in the Philippines began when the Philippines government started the overseas employment program. This program was launched in response to the Philippines’ economic instability in the 1970s and sent Phillipino workers to middle eastern countries experiencing labor shortages. The facilitation of overseas employment had drastic repercussions where ten percent of…

Read More Read More

Remote learning among immigrants

Remote learning among immigrants

Post by Lindsay Criqui. Colgate Class of 2022. The impact of COVID-19 on the entire world is immeasurable, as all aspects of daily life have been altered due to the pandemic. One aspect of everyday life that has been dramatically changed is the approach to learning and education across the world. Immigrant and English learners (EL) students have faced many problems that come with remote learning. Their learning process has been greatly interrupted, as they benefit greatly from in person…

Read More Read More

Covid-19 Postponing the Canadian Dream

Covid-19 Postponing the Canadian Dream

Post by Kyle Baun. The onset of the Coronavirus pandemic has undoubtedly disrupted many facets of life, impacting people in a variety of ways. The global pandemic has led to border closures, lockdowns and economic disturbances, negatively affecting immigration flows into Canada, which could be detrimental to the nation for years to come. This policy brief intends to highlight the value of immigration to Canada, examine its current immigration policies and assess the impact of Covid-19 on immigration. Why does…

Read More Read More

Effects of Recent H-1B Visa Program Amendments

Effects of Recent H-1B Visa Program Amendments

Post by Joyce Zhang. Colgate Class of 2023. Immigrations of high-skilled workers will be greatly affected by the introduction of stricter eligibility requirements for the H-1B program in October 2020. DHS issued the Strengthening the H-1B Nonimmigrant Visa Classification Program Interim Final Rule revising the definition of “Specialty Occupation” and DOL issued the Strengthening Wage Protections for the Temporary and Permanent Employment of Certain Aliens in the United States Interim Final Rule that incorporate the computation of prevailing wage levels…

Read More Read More

US Immigration Reform and The Proposition of “Merit Based” Immigration

US Immigration Reform and The Proposition of “Merit Based” Immigration

Post by Elliott Duessel. Colgate Class of 2023. The election of President Donald Trump in November of 2016 brought a new regime and ideology to the White House. Trump’s regime contains a populist rhetoric towards immigration that has taken hold recently. His rhetoric has resulted in a decrease of 29% in applications for immigration status based on family ties between 2017 and 2019 alone (Pierce and Meissener, 2020). President Trump recently proposed a new, merit based immigration model after numerous…

Read More Read More

White House Changes to H-1B Visa Program Seek to Curb Merit-Based Immigration

White House Changes to H-1B Visa Program Seek to Curb Merit-Based Immigration

Post by Daniel Rose. Colgate Class of 2023. The H-1B visa program is a program that helps maintain American competitiveness, particularly in fields such as science, by providing a legal way for top scientists to come to the United States and work at the top tier research institutions. The H-1B program was established by the Immigration Act of 1965, also called the Hart-Celler Immigration Act of 1965 (Kammer, 2015). The United States relies on foreign workers who obtain H1B visas…

Read More Read More

css.php