Fed Up with the Feds: States Continue Trend of Regulating Immigrants in 2008

The National Conference of State Legislatures has issued its latest report summarizing new legislation related to immigrants and refugees introduced by the states this year.

As of March 31, 2008 at least 1,106 bills have been considered in 44 states, some aimed at integrating immigrants, others aimed at deterring illegal immigration, according to the report.

The level of activity this year is comparable to this same time last year when 1169 bills and resolutions had been introduced as of April 13, 2007.

The top three areas registering the most activity are, as in recent years, law enforcement, employment, and identification documents.

The study identifies the following 10 areas attracting immigrant-related legislation this year: education, employment, health, human trafficking, id/driver’s licenses/other licenses, law enforcement, legal services, miscellaneous, omnibus/multi-issue, public benefits, voting resolutions.

The report is available here: http://www.ncsl.org/print/immig/immigreportapril2008.pdf

USCIS List of Regional Centers; 2 New Centers in CA Approved

The Immigrant Investor (EB-5) Pilot Program is designed to encourage foreign investment by providing a vehicle for investment in the form of an economic unit called a “Regional Center.” The Regional Centers are private or public entities that have received government approval to participate in the program. They enable the amassing and pooling of capital for targeted investment in designated regions in the United States.

For the Investor, these Regional Centers are attractive because they allow for a less restrictive job creation requirement. Instead of having to prove direct job creation, the investor may show indirect job creation through such methods as economic and statistic forecasting tools.

Please note that this pilot program expires in November 2008 unless reinstated

In November 2007, USCIS released to AILA the following list of “active” regional centers as of October 2007. In May 2008 it announced the approval of two new centers in California, which we have included below.

Regional Centers that may have been approved, but were not designated as “active” by USCIS are not included in this list.

As the status of these Regional Centers as participants in the Pilot Program can change, before investing any money, verify the center is still approved and active in the Pilot Program.

For more information on the EB-5 Immigrant Investor visa see our other article EB - 5 Permanent Residency through Investment.

In alphabetical order by state, the Regional Centers deemed “active” include: