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Migration 2022: challenges and crises

During these 12 months, the United States border has seen unprecedented numbers of migrants, causing a migration crisis due to the difficult economic and political situation in Latin America, especially in countries like Venezuela, Cuba, and Nicaragua.  

VENEZUELAN EXODUS 

Venezuelan migration has been recognized as one of the world's largest displacement and migration crises, surpassing that of Syria, according to the International Organization for Migration.

The number of displaced Venezuelans has exceeded 7.1 million, according to the Inter-Agency Coordination Platform for Refugees and Migrants from Venezuela (RAV).

Cubans in the USA

According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), approximately 224,607 Cubans attempted to enter the United States during 2022, a number that surpasses the combined records of the Mariel Boatlift in 1980 and the Balseros Crisis in 1994, the worst migration crises in the history of the Caribbean island to date.

MIGRATION RECORD IN THE DARIEN

According to forecasts from the International Organization for Migration (IOM), an estimated 200,000 irregular travelers will have crossed the Darien Gap border crossing located between Colombia and Panama in 2022.

HISTORICAL MIGRATION IN THE USA

Political and economic crises in the region, coupled with the effects of COVID-19, have influenced the record numbers of migrants arriving in the US.

US border patrols recorded contact with more than 2.7 million migrants in 2022 and 1.6 million in 2021, a dramatic spike compared to previous reports of 405,036 (2020), 859,501 (2019) and 404,142 (2018).

VISAS FOR VENEZUELANS

The U.S. government has implemented a humanitarian visa program for Venezuelans* that will allow 24,000 applicants to enter the country and live and work legally for two years. *This new measure was implemented to reduce the record number of people arriving daily at the U.S. southern border.

RECORD OF NATURALIZATION IN THE USA

Nearly 1 million immigrants became U.S. citizens in 2022, the highest number of naturalizations in the past 15 years, according to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. *The top five countries of birth for the new citizens were Mexico, India, the Philippines, Cuba, and the Dominican Republic.

TITLE 42 REMAINS 

The administration of US President Joe Biden intended to repeal Title 42, a measure that allows for the expulsion of people who cross the border illegally. Although it was officially set to expire on December 21, the Supreme Court issued an order postponing its repeal. The decision on whether the law will remain in effect could still be delayed until February.

Do you think 2023 poses a challenge for Joe Biden's government on immigration issues?

News story created with information from Voice of America

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US labor shortage

Many wonder why the country's labor shortage persists almost three years after the COVID-19 pandemic, and the answer is simple: they don't have enough immigrants. Furthermore, immigration has long been a political tool in the United States, rather than a genuine priority, says journalist Vanessa Yurkevich. 

“Part of the reason there are so many vacancies and unfilled jobs in the U.S. is that many immigrants who came regularly before COVID are no longer here,” said Giovanni Peri*. The reality is that migrants are filling thousands of positions that many Americans don't want to do. *Author of the research at the University of California and director of the UC Davis Center for Global Migration.

According to research from the University of California, by the end of 2021 there were about 2 million fewer working-age immigrants in the United States than there would have been if pre-pandemic immigration had continued unchanged.

Illegal migration is one of the factors that has affected the labor shortage over the past two years for American companies focused on construction, agriculture, and hospitality. 

Similarly, the lack of available workers has driven up wages, leading to higher inflation. Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell said that in addition to an aging workforce, a shortage of foreign labor is contributing to the labor shortage.

The greatest impact is felt in industries such as construction, agriculture, and hospitality, which rely on immigrant workers. There are currently 10.3 million job openings in the US: 377,000 in construction and 1.6 million in hospitality. This number has been increasing in recent months. *According to research from the University of California, Davis. 

The only solution that many of the industries directly affected by Covid-19 see is that through immigration reform, industries affected by unskilled labor will be improved, in addition to allowing more legal immigrants who need the job and contribute to the progress of the American nation. 

Written from: CNN en español

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Even without Title 42, they will continue to deport

Title 42 is a 1944 law that Trump recently used to expel immigrants from the US. This law empowers the federal government to take extraordinary measures to prevent the introduction of easily transmissible diseases into the country. Trump used this legislation to expel thousands of immigrants under the pretext of COVID-19.

After a long legal battle between Democrats and Republicans over the legality of this policy, Title 42 will expire this Wednesday, December 21. This represents a victory for the Democrats, but leaves a bitter taste for the immigration system.

With the end of Title 42, we return to Title 8, regulations that are more rigid and strict than 42. Under these regulations, people who enter irregularly must be interviewed by a border agent and demonstrate a "credible fear" of returning to their country
of origin.

The penalties for those who have entered the country illegally on repeated occasions are more severe. Furthermore, the situation is unclear for individuals who were removed under Title 42 and are now attempting to enter under Title 8, since removal under Title 42 is based on public health concerns, while removal under Title 8 is based on admissibility or inadmissibility under immigration law.

In other words, this means that deportations under Title 42 did not take into account a person's merits for remaining in the U.S. Therefore, the government could deport people to Mexico and make them wait there for their hearing, regardless of whether or not they had a strong asylum case. This discouraged many people from crossing irregularly.

With the end of this policy, the door is opened for thousands of immigrants to attempt to enter irregularly starting Wednesday. This is for two reasons: first, there is no mechanism to deport anyone who fails the credible fear interview; and second, those who were deported under Title 42 have not been deported under Title 8, which has a different standard.

Faced with the surge of migrants waiting to cross the border, the Biden team claimed to have increased resources for the area, improved application processing, imposed penalties for illegal entry, and targeted smugglers. Even so, the issue of immigration is a ticking time bomb that could explode at any moment.

News report compiled from: CNN and San Diego Union Tribune

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Job crisis in the United States due to lack of professional qualifications

Imagine this scenario: you find a job offer that's perfect for you, requiring exactly the kind of skills you have. But you can't apply, or if you do, you're rejected because the position requires a university degree you don't possess.

WORK LIMITATIONS

More than 70 million people in the USA are affected by not having a degree, including many undocumented professionals or self-taught individuals who cross the border in search of a better quality of life and with the desire to find jobs that match their skills, according to estimates from the NGO Opportunity at Work.

WHO HITS THE CEILING?

Workers known as STARs* who acquired their skills and knowledge on the job, through non-university training courses and/or programs, among other means. * (acronym for "trained through alternative pathways") 

LABOR CRISIS 

In general, the number of workers without a bachelor's degree is even higher among minorities; 62.1% of those over 25 do not have a bachelor's degree, but that percentage increases to 72.1% for African Americans and 79.1% for Latinos. *According to the U.S. Census Bureau. 

WHAT EFFECTS DOES IT HAVE?

Unskilled jobs such as construction, agriculture, waiters, baristas and/or hotels among others, that is, cheap and poorly paid labor, in addition to having a wage gap between those with a university degree and those without, which has doubled during the last 40 years, according to Opportunity at Work.  

REQUIREMENTS

Job offers that were generally for people with average skills who could apply with high school diplomas, now establish a university degree as a minimum requirement, a credential that only a third of the adult population possesses according to the NGO report Opportunity at Work.

REALITY

According to Opportunity at Work, STARs* represent more than 501,000 people in the U.S. workforce, including 611,000 African Americans and 551,000 Hispanics. 

THE SOLUTION

The more large companies that join organizations like Chevron, Accenture (where only 261% of their positions require a degree), Google, IBM (where 291% of positions require a degree), LinkedIn, Comcast, and Walmart to raise awareness in the United States about the "paper ceiling" and encourage employers to abandon this practice.

News report compiled from: Washington Examiner and BBC News

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Appointments at the Embassy, don't let them pull this stunt on you

During the last few months, news has been circulating regarding the advancement of appointments at the American embassy in Colombia, stating that scheduling times have been reduced from 2 years to 2 months.

How true is this?

The U.S. government constantly updates average wait times for scheduling appointments. Furthermore, the U.S. Embassy in Colombia is working tirelessly to reduce wait times for tourist visa interviews; in fact, they have even deployed an additional team to support them.

This mission has already begun to yield results. Currently, applications from people who do not require a consular interview for the granting of their tourist visa have an estimated wait time of 23 calendar days.

Who does NOT require a consular interview?
Visa renewals that have expired in the previous 48 months, children under 13 years old and adults over 80 years old. However, not everyone in this group qualifies; the appointment scheduling system decides whether or not you should proceed with the process, just like most people in the 2-year-old group.

Why some yes and others no?

Many people have already been able to reschedule their appointment, however, others have not. This may be because, despite being on the correct team, you have obtained a new passport, your fingerprints have not been taken in the past, or you have been denied another visa recently.

Waiting times according to visa type

In the case of the most common visas, which are the B1 (for visitors arriving in the United States for business) and the B2 (for tourists), the waiting time for an interview appointment at the embassy of that country in Colombia is currently 799 days.

However, if the applicant is requesting a different type of visa, the processing times are much shorter. For students or visitors participating in an exchange program (F, M, and J visas) and for petition-based temporary workers (H, L, O, P, and Q visas), the waiting time for an appointment is only 13 calendar days.

If you are eligible to be exempt from an interview (check the website of the United States embassy), the waiting time for any type of visa is on average 23 calendar days.

It is important to remember that the estimated wait time to receive an interview appointment at a U.S. embassy or consulate can change weekly and is based on the actual incoming workload and staffing levels.

The U.S. government clarifies that the above are only estimates and do not guarantee appointment availability. Interview waiver application wait times refer to the average number of days between acceptance of an interview waiver application and its adjudication by a consular officer; they do not include the time required for passport or other document processing.

Consular sections abroad can expedite your interview date if there is an urgent and unforeseen situation, such as a funeral, a medical emergency, or the start date of classes.

News written from: Portfolio, USCIS

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Status Change for Dummies

When you enter the United States and your original reason for coming changes, in those cases you can request to change your nonimmigrant status to a different status before your authorized stay in the United States expires.

A common example of Change of Status cases is when a person enters as a tourist and wishes to stay to study in the United States.

What requirements do you need to know to apply for the Change of Status process?

  • Having entered the USA legally.
  • Have a valid stay throughout the entire process.
  • Financial capacity to cover housing and study costs.
  • Demonstrate a strong connection to your country of origin.

How long can a Change of Status process take?

The average processing time is 8 to 14 months. During which you can remain in American territory.

When can you request to change your status?

Employment-based categories:
If you want to change your status to one of the following employment-based nonimmigrant categories, your prospective employer must submit the corresponding form, Nonimmigrant Worker Application, before your Form I-94 expires.

  • E-1 and E-2 (Traders and investors and employees of traders and investors) E-3 (Skilled professionals from Australia)
  • H-1B, H-2A, H-2B, or H-3 (Skilled or unskilled apprentices and temporary workers)
  • L-1A or L-1B (Intracompany Transferees)
  • O-1 or O-2 (Foreigners with extraordinary abilities)
  • P-1, P-2, or P-3 (Athletes and artists)
  • Q-1 (International visitors for cultural exchanges)
  • R-1 (Religious representatives)
  • TN-1 or TN-2 (Canadians and Mexicans under the North American Free Trade Agreement)
    Each of the categories mentioned above has its own specific limitations and requirements, and even limitations on the length of your stay in this country.

Other categories:
If you wish to change your status to one of the following nonimmigrant categories, you must submit Form I-539:

  • A (Diplomats and other government officials, immediate family members, and employees)
  • B-1 and B-2 (Visitors on business or leisure trips)
  • E-1 and E-2 (Dependents of traders and investors who have made treaties and
    your employees)
  • E-3 (Dependents of trained professionals from Australia)
  • F (Academic students and their dependents)
  • G (Foreign government officials, certain immediate family members and their employees)
  • H-4 (Dependents of skilled or unskilled temporary workers and apprentices)
  • L-2 (Intracompany transferees dependents)
  • M (Vocational students and their dependents)
  • N (Parents and children of certain persons who have been granted a special status of
    immigrant)
  • NATO (NATO representatives, officials, employees and immediate family members)
  • O-3 (Dependents of foreigners with extraordinary abilities and their assistants)
  • P-4 (Dependents of athletes and artists)
  • R-2 (Dependents of religious representatives)

Tips you should know

  • Even if it seems simple, it's best to get advice.
  • If you switch to F1, make sure you always use the same SEVIS number on your I-20 form.
  • If your application is denied, you will accumulate irregular presence from the expiration of your
  • I-94, I-20 or DS-2019 as applicable.

How can you do it?

News written from: USCIS

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Permanent Residence for Low-Income Migrants

In the year 2021 United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) received an estimated 648,000 green card applications, and during the first half of 2022 the agency registered 280,000 new applications, a figure that is expected to improve with this new regulation that will make it easier for low-income immigrants to become permanent residents of the United States. 

The vast majority of immigrants who come to the USA are in search of a better life and aim to eventually achieve permanent residency, with the purpose of securing their legal future in the United States. 

However, The policies established in the Trump administration would have made the procedures and requirements for obtaining a 'green card' more difficult.’', expanding the number and types of government benefits used by some immigrants, which could make them ineligible for residency. Such as: food stamps, housing subsidies, or Medicaid health insurance.

What will the new measure be like?

Through this new regulation that will come into effect on December 23, 2022 The aim is to examine the situation of each particular case, analyzing the standards that establish when an immigrant is considered an economic burden on the country or a public charge.

An immigrant who falls into the “public charge” category will not be eligible for a Green Card or permanent residency. However, according to new regulations from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), The category is restricted to cases where it is “likely” that the migrant “will at some point depend primarily on the Government for their subsistence”.

Points to consider 

This measure Joe Biden's administration It seeks to control and curb the adverse effect that previous regulations had on immigrants. Many of them refused to accept benefits such as food stamps, housing subsidies, and Medicaid health insurance, for which they might have qualified, for fear of not having access to a Green Card that would secure their future in the country.

News written from: Telemundo, Infobae and Semana.

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Deportation priorities, lack of immigration authority

Discussions have been underway since September 2021 the Biden administration's deportation priorities policy, which, They are focused on deporting any immigrant with a criminal record, NOT just any immigrant. that have entered through the border without posing a danger to society.

However, The Supreme Court will review a lawsuit from Texas and Louisiana to stop this policy. at the end of next month. According to Texas and Louisiana, Biden's deportation priorities are unconstitutional and do not follow standard legal procedures under American law.

For now, Biden's policy is blocked by the Court of Appeals, which means that Any immigrant who has entered illegally and does not have papers could be detained and deported.

Democrats believe that Citizenship and Immigration Services officers should assess an immigrant's overall situation and not just detain them for not having papers, but consider their criminal history and make a decision on the case.

What is expected from all this back and forth is that after these midterm elections that will take place this November, political parties can align themselves in favor of immigration reform that contributes to resolving this crisis.

In other words, it is expected that by the end of the year the arguments of both sides will be available and that the Supreme Court justices will decide whether or not to continue with this immigration guide.

News compiled from: Univision and San Diego Union Tribune.

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Mental health conditions suffered by migrants

Among the most common diseases found in migrants are:
anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, substance abuse, and feelings of low self-esteem.

“Mental health conditions constitute a silent epidemic that has affected the Americas long before COVID-19, with depression and anxiety being two of the leading causes of illness. The Region of the Americas also has the second highest level of alcohol consumption in the world,” said Carissa F. Etienne, Director of the Pan American Health Organization.

Why do they suffer from these diseases?

It is the lack of employment, poor housing conditions, and traumatic events before, during, and after migration that lead to psychological distress.

According to research by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and the World Health Organization (WHO), factors such as lack of language proficiency and unfair treatment by the host country may be triggering states of loneliness and isolation.

On the other hand, in the results of post-traumatic stress disorders The greatest impact has been observed on refugees and asylum seekers, yielding a 31,46% in people exposed to conditions of violence, family separation and administrative barriers, among others.

Furthermore, there is evidence to support that immigrants in the United States use and have alcohol dependence. For example, among the refugees of Iraq and Cambodia, the prevalence rate of alcohol consumption ranged between 13% and 38%. 

How can we contribute to the solution?

According to German Cardenas, professor of psychology at Lehigh University, «activism social justice serve as a "coping mechanism that It helps protect your mental health.«

Collective struggles increase self-esteem and personal effectiveness, thus creating solidarity and offering a social perspective, which contributes to healing or treating mental health illnesses.

News report based on information taken from: Summary of a review of scientific literature on Health of International Migrants of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and the World Health Organization (WHO)

Schedule your initial consultation https://asisvisa.com/asesoria-1-a-1/  

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The hell that migrants experience between the Darien Gap and the Rio Grande

To achieve the American dream, human beings have used different illegal routes, which allow some to fulfill their goal. 

They don't take into account whether it's jungle or river, they overlook the various dangers that lurk in places like these, men, women, children, all at the mercy of time. 

Throughout the year, numerous headlines have been published in various media outlets related to the Darien jungle, also known as "the green hell," where people from different countries arrive to begin their journey to the United States in search of better opportunities. 

Of the migrants in transit, 671% are Venezuelan nationals; Haitian, Ecuadorian, African, and Colombian citizens are also registered. According to the NGO Human Rights Watch (HRW), 23,000 Venezuelans crossed the Darién jungle in August of this year, an increase of 4,060% compared to the same month in 2021.

It is warned that people crossing the Darien Gap on their way to the U.S. are at risk of abuse, robbery, rape, human trafficking, kidnapping, and even death from natural causes. 

According to Panamanian immigration authorities, the flow of migrants through the Darien Gap has increased by 43% in 2022 compared to 2021.

The Darien Gap route is considered one of the most dangerous in the world. No one knows for sure how many people have died trying to reach the United States.  

On the other hand, there is the increase in the number of people drowning while trying to cross the Rio Grande, also seeking to enter U.S. territory. This year the numbers have reached unprecedented levels, and funeral homes and morgues are overwhelmed. 

In the Del Rio sector of the southern border, more than 376,000 migrant encounters have been recorded since October 2021, equivalent to about 1,100 per day, according to data from Customs and Border Protection (CBP). Across the entire border, 1.8 million encounters were reported during the past 11 months.

Many immigrants have died in that attempt to cross the river, and some who succeed are later detained. 

We understand that the situation is difficult for many people in Latin America. However, we want to encourage you not to despair, but to explore other options, legal solutions that do not put your life at risk. 

With AsisVisa, you have a better chance of achieving the American dream, legally and safely. If you have any questions…

 Schedule your initial consultation https://asisvisa.com/asesoria-1-a-1/

News report based on information from: El País and El Diario.