Newsletters

Nonimmigrants - Visa Types - Business or Pleasure Visitors -Border Crossing Cards

For business and visitor travel to the United States, both citizens and permanent residents of Mexico must have nonimmigrant Border Crossing Cards (BCC), also known as laser visas, which are machine-readable, biometric visas typically issued to Mexican visitors to the U.S. BCCs are issued to both business and pleasure travelers.

Immigrant Visas - Employment-Based Visas

A legal immigrant is a citizen of a country other than the United States who has received the permission of the U.S. government to reside and work permanently in the U.S. The U.S. has an annual cap on the number of immigrants, excluding certain types of immigrants, who may receive immigrant visas each year. The law then creates preferential classes of immigrants.

Immigrant Visas - Employment-Based Visas - Labor Certification - Adverse Effect on U.S. Labor

When an employer applies for labor certification for an alien, the United States Department of Labor (DOL) evaluates, among other things, whether alien labor will adversely affect the U.S. labor market. Specifically, the DOL certifying officer considers whether wages and working conditions will be affected for similarly employed native U.S. workers. Generally speaking, if the alien's wage or working conditions would be less favorable than those typically offered to U.S. workers, the application for labor certification is denied.

Controlling Alien Admission - Applicability of Restrictions - Territorial

United States immigration laws are designed to control the entry of aliens into the U.S. from abroad. In determining the effect of these laws, it is important to understand their geographical limitations with relation to travel between the continental U.S., U.S. territories, and U.S. possessions. Not all travel is subject to immigration laws, and some travel is only partially subject to those laws.

Actions for Damages - Generally and Private Causes of Action

There are at least four types of actions for damages that may be brought by aliens as a result of their alleged treatment by governmental officials: (1) claims under the Federal Tort Claims Act; (2) actions under the federal civil rights statutes; (3) Bivens actions; and (4) private causes of action. These different theories of recovery differ in many ways, including what prerequisites exist before a lawsuit may be pursued, who may be sued, and what may be recovered.