When Immigration Matters

Karen Lee Pollak Featured in D CEO Magazine

Posted by PR Team on Tue, Sep 17, 2024 @ 9:26 AM

D CEO Magazine features article about the current state of business immigration in its September 2024 issue.

The article interviews North Texas immigration experts like Karen Lee Pollak about the adverse impact that antiquated regulations are having on growth of local businesses by preventing them from bringing in the talent they need.  Here is an excerpt from the article:

Working Within The System

Pollak was born and raised in South Africa and came to the U.S. after attending law school there. She has personal experience navigating the H-1B visa system and was fortunate to secure one to be able to obtain a job as a lawyer in America and eventually open her own practice in the United States. The experience helps her empathize with her clients and the employees they are bringing in. “I have been through the gamut and can understand what they are going through from a mental and psychological perspective,” Pollak says.

She remembers questions about whether she would have to return to her home country while in the U.S. Even though she had a job lined up in America, she lived in fear that she would have to uproot everything she had worked so hard for. However, she was able to get an H-1B visa on her first try and has since gone on to become a U.S. citizen. She is one of the lucky ones. “My whole life was at stake,” Pollak says. “It caused a lot of sleepless nights.”

Others aren’t so fortunate. Many people will continue to stay in school and obtain more degrees to stay in the U.S. on a student visa, which is easier to obtain than an H-1B. Many foreigners spend years being educated in American schools only to have to return to their home country because they can’t get a H-1B visa, despite having American job offers. The increasingly important science, technology, engineering, and math professions are suffering the most. Between 1988 and 2017, STEM degrees obtained by foreign students grew by 315 percent. There are more foreign students who graduate with master’s and doctoral degrees from American schools each year than there are available visas. Immigrants earned nearly half of all doctoral degrees issued in the U.S. in 2022, according to the Center for Immigration Studies. 

Those who cannot continue to study and don’t get a visa must return to a country they may not have been back to for years. Other workers try other approaches to stay in the country and keep their jobs. A green card can get a worker out of limbo, but those are also tough to get and are limited by country quotas. Sometimes, the wait for a green card can be as long as eight or nine years.

In recent years, conservative administrations, traditionally the party of free markets, have been more restrictive toward foreign immigration, and the political fluctuations create an added layer of uncertainty.

This past summer, President Joe Biden announced that individuals who were illegally brought to this country as children, so-called Dreamers, would not be separated from their families if one of the family members was married to a U.S. citizen and they had been in the country for at least 10 years. 

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Israel Admitted to the Visa Waiver Program

Posted by Karen-Lee Pollak on Tue, Oct 03, 2023 @ 12:29 PM

On September 27, 2023, the Biden Administration announced Israel’s entry into the Visa Waiver program. Starting November 30, 2023, Israeli citizens will be able to travel to the US without the need to obtain a B-1/B-2 Visa at a US Consulate. The Visa Waiver Program, recognized worldwide, offers eligible citizens of participating countries a streamlined pathway to enter the United States for tourism, business meetings, or family visits for a period not exceeding 90 days. The traditional visa application process is replaced with a more straightforward Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) application, making travel arrangements more accessible and hassle-free. Applicants applying under the program would have to file the ESTA application on the Custom and Border Protection (CBP) portal here.

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MAY VISA BULLETIN SHOWS HUGE BACKLOGS FOR EMPLOYMENT BASED GREEN CARDS

Posted by Karen-Lee Pollak on Tue, Apr 18, 2023 @ 4:44 PM

The Department of State has released the May Visa Bulletin and there are significant delays. These delays will primarily impact workers who have not filed adjustment of status applications. Employers sponsoring foreign nationals should be aware that some cut-off dates for filing immigrant visa applications in certain employment-based (EB) preference categories have recently “retrogressed” or moved backwards in time due to increased demand.

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September Visa Bulletin and What Lies Ahead for Fiscal Year 2017

Posted by Karen-Lee Pollak on Tue, Aug 16, 2016 @ 3:47 PM

The U.S. Department of State (DOS) issues a monthly visa bulletin summarizing the availability of immigrant visa numbers.  The DOS has now issued the September 2016 Visa Bulletin.  This is the final visa bulletin for fiscal year 2016, and the new FY will begin October 1st.   

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White House Leaks President Obama's Immigration Reform Early

Posted by Karen-Lee Pollak on Thu, Nov 20, 2014 @ 3:51 PM

Extracts of President Obama's Immigration Action have been leaked by the White House.docs/White-House-Details-on-Anticipated-Administrative-Relief.pdf  Essentially, you must pass criminal and background checks, pay taxes and a fee and show the following:

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Don't Miss Fareed Zakaria's "Global Lessons: The GPS Roadmap for Making Immigration Work"

Posted by Michael Pollak on Fri, Jun 08, 2012 @ 8:33 AM

Fareed Zakaria looks at how the immigration systems work - and don't work - in Japan, Europe, Canada and the U.S. in a prime-time special: "Global Lessons: The GPS Roadmap for Making Immigration Work" on CNN at 8 p.m. ET on Sunday, June 10

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Easier Path to Green Card for Some Illegal Immigrants Announced

Posted by Karen-Lee Pollak on Fri, Jan 06, 2012 @ 9:33 AM

The Obama Administration announced today January 6th that it would pass legislation facilitating a path to a Green Card for some illegal immigrants. 

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Happy Thanksgiving: An Immigrant's Perspective

Posted by Karen-Lee Pollak on Thu, Nov 24, 2011 @ 12:10 PM
                                    Dear Friends,

Thanksgiving is the time of year when we are reminded of all the things we are grateful for. This year, I am looking forward to my husband's parents ' Thanksgiving dinner.  This is a great time of year to enjoy time with family and friends, and of course, watch the Dallas Cowboys.

 

Thanksgiving is a relatively new holiday for me.  It is the holiday of my adopted home and I look forward to passing on all its family traditions to my children.  The United States is a place of improbable stories, of lives that never could have been realized anywhere else in the world.  I do not believe that my life as a lawyer amd all the possibilities that have grown from my career would have been possible in any other country. 

 

You cannot choose the country where you are born.  But  a lucky few have the opportunity to choose the country where they live.  When I was growing up, I never imagined that one day I woud be an immigrant. The United States has allowed me to shape my future and to assist many others in shaping theirs.  Thank you America for giving me this opportunity. 

 

I am so grateful for all the blessings in my life, including each of you-my family, friends, colleagues, and clients. Reflecting on the year, I can truly say that I enjoy my work, I am passionate about the causes I choose to fight, and I cherish the people I get to work with and for.

 

Happy Thanksgiving to each of you, and thank you for allowing me to be a part of your lives.

 
Sincerely,

 

 

Karen-Lee Pollak

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Survey finds Immigration Inconsistent in Applying Prosecutorial Discretion

Posted by Michael Pollak on Wed, Nov 09, 2011 @ 5:13 PM

Today, the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) and the American Immigration Council (AIC) released a new survey today finding that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers and attorneys across the country are applying different standards on prosecutorial discretion despite the issuance of national policy memoranda this summer.  The June 17, 2011, memo outlines for ICE agents and attorneys the criteria that would make an immigration removal case a low priority for enforcement action. These criteria include ties to America including service in the U.S. armed forces, schooling, contributions to the community, and other equities for enforcement officials to consider when deciding what course of action to take in a particular case.

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Immigrant Entrepreneurs Critical For Long-Term US Economic Growth

Posted by Michael Pollak on Wed, Feb 09, 2011 @ 3:50 PM

The Brookings Institution releases report:  Immigration and High-Impact, High-Tech Entrepreneurship by David M. Hart and Zoltan J. Acs.

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