New York Times Op-Ed: "Tomorrow’s America, in Queens"

When fifty years ago the 1964-65 World's Fair opened in Flushing Meadow Park, critics did not love it, says Joseph Tirella, author of Tomorrow-Land: The 1964-65 World’s Fair and the Transformation of America. These critics, who called it backward and middlebrow, missed the point:

It wasn’t about fancy pavilions or gee-whiz technology. By introducing the country to cultures beyond Western Europe, the World’s Fair laid the groundwork for the demographic revolution that would transform America in subsequent decades.

Although the fair exhibited Michelangelo’s “La Pietà" on loan from the Vatican (thanks, guys) as well as many American exhibits (such as Disney's “It’s a Small World” ride), due to a boycott by most Western European countries, Mr. Tirella writes that "Flushing Meadow was populated by the rest: Africa and Asia, the Middle East and the Caribbean, and Central and South America all came to Queens, bringing with them their peoples, their languages and their cultures." In 1965, the same month the fair closed, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed into law the 1965 Immigration Act, which opened up the US to millions and helped create the diverse ethnic groups seen today in Queens and the US.

The NY Times has published recollections by some of the fifty-one million fairgoers, and also detailed some the activism and protests that occurred at the fair. The Brian Lehrer Show discussed the fair's significance (Belgian waffles and color TV!). And in case you're curious, here according to General Motors Futurama 2 ride, is what the future--"a world of awesome beauty"--was supposed to look like (perhaps still will):


A New N-400

When US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) makes changes to an application form, usually they are minor--a few new questions, an added bar code, a new font. Not so with the new N-400, Application for Naturalization. This form, filed by foreign nationals who are Lawful Permanent Residents (i.e., have Green Cards) and want to become US citizens, has just had a major overhaul, though the eligibility requirements to apply haven’t changed. USCIS states that the revisions “provide USCIS with additional tools to make important eligibility determinations, present customers with clearer instructions, and incorporate technology that improves efficiency and accuracy for both USCIS and our customers.”

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BBC News: "US refuses visa for Iran's UN envoy choice Hamid Aboutalebi"

The US has refused to grant a visa to Iran's new ambassador to the United Nations, due to his alleged involvement in the group behind the 1979 takeover of the US Embassy in Tehran. This would effectively prevent him from assuming his duties at the New York-based United Nations.

CNN reports that Hamid Aboutalebi--a veteran diplomat with posts in Australia, Belgium, and Italy--was a member of the Muslim Students Following the Imam's Line, which held fifty-two Americans hostage for 444 days at the Embassy.

He reportedly denies involvement and says he was only later asked to translate for the group. He is also alleged to be involved in the murder of an Iranian government defector, Mohamed Hossein Naghdi, who was shot dead in Rome.

CNN reports that Iran is standing by his nomination despite the visa refusal.

The BBC states: "It is believed the US has never before denied a visa for a UN ambassador and correspondents say there is concern among diplomats about the precedent that could be set."

The Telegraph: "Nigella Lawson barred from boarding US-bound flight"

British author and television personality Nigella Lawson was not permitted to board a US-bound flight to LA, after having admitting to drug use during court testimony last year, the Telegraph reports. While a US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) spokesman declined to comment specifically regarding Ms. Lawson, a spokesman did say that "'foreigners who had admitted committing drugs offences in the US or another country were deemed to be liable to be refused admission.'" In this case, Ms. Lawson was never charged in the UK and had reportedly been allowed to enter the US even after the admission of drug use.

Matt Bray has discussed inadmissibility, visa issuance, and criminal waivers in the context of alcohol-related incidents, and the State Department also has information about ineligibilities and waivers. Regarding Ms. Lawson, writer Judith Woods calls the incident a "cheap shot" and to "please leave Nigella alone!"

H-1B Cap Reached!

US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced today that it has received sufficient H-1B cases (both bachelor's degree general category and US master's degree level) to reach the annual fiscal year 2015 cap numbers. (The 2015 fiscal year begins on October 1, 2014, and the caps are set at 65,000 for the bachelor's degree general category cases and 20,000 for master's degree cases). The petitions received will be entered into a lottery and randomly selected via computer process. USCIS notes that while a date for the lottery is not set yet, the master's degree lottery will take place first and any master's cases not selected will then be entered in the bachelor's level lottery. Stand by for the date the lottery will occur.

For more information about the H-1B cap, see Protima's post. And for all the gritty details on the H-1B visa (along with E-3, TN, and H-1B1 and a super helpful chart), see Lizzie B.'s post.

UPDATE: USCIS announced that a lottery was conducted on April 10, 2014 for the approximately 172,500 H-1B cap petitions received beginning April 1. For cases not selected in the lottery, USCIS will reject and return the petition with filing fees, unless it is found to be a duplicate filing. 

Also noted in press release: for H-1B cap cases filed via premium processing, USCIS will begin the fifteen calendar day processing no later than April 28. And, of course, USCIS is normally processing H-1B petitions not subject to the cap.

Immigration Scams

No one ever calls me on my home line. I am not sure why I even have one. But sure enough one Saturday morning my home phone was ringing. As always, I ignored it. Probably a sales call, I thought. Ten minutes later the phone rang again so I glanced at the caller ID. It was a US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) number. Why was Immigration calling my home number? I wondered. When I answered, the person said he was “Kevin Smith” with USCIS.  He said there was a security flag on my file which could result in my citizenship being revoked. I panicked for a moment. I had received my US citizenship last year. How could this have happened? What did Bri, my superstar of a paralegal, fill in on the forms? Had I mistakenly checked the wrong box and admitted I was a terrorist, Nazi sympathizer, or polygamist? The officer said he could correct the problem but needed to check some information at which point he asked for several key items to “verify my identity,” including my social security number. This was when the alarm bells really started going off. When I refused to give him the information “Kevin” became belligerent and threatening. The calmer I became, the angrier he became. I told him he would have to send me his requests in writing, as is normal for USCIS when they have a question or concern about my file and then I hung up.

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Immigration Impact: "High-Tech Immigrant Entrepreneurs are Crucial to Local Economies"

Immigration Impact examines a report by the Kauffman Foundation on the impact of high-tech immigrant entrepreneurs on local economics:

Specifically, the report emphasizes the importance of “open and culturally diverse” environments in fostering high-tech entrepreneurship in metropolitan areas.  This is true for both immigrants and the U.S.-born. However, the study found that “higher ethnic diversity and a larger share of the foreign-born population are crucial factors in attracting or fostering immigrant high-tech entrepreneurship on the metropolitan level.”

Moreover, Dane Stangler, vice president of Research & Policy at the Kauffman Foundation, notes: "'Because immigrants are far more likely to start businesses – particularly high-tech companies – than are the native-born, their importance in the U.S. economy is increasing[.]" Not surprising then that some cities have strategies to attract such entrepreneurs.

The report is titled "Lessons for U.S. Metro Areas: Characteristics and Clustering of High-Tech Immigrant Entrepreneurs" and is viewable along with white paper here.

Men's Journal: "The Interpreters We Left Behind"

Janis Shinwari, an Afghan interpreter who worked for many dangerous years as a translator for American forces and who saved "at least five American lives," struggled for years to get an immigrant visa to the US, even though he qualified for the special immigrant visa for Afghans and was in hiding because of the death threats. Paul Solotaroff in Men's Journal reports on Shinwari's plight (his immigrant visa was approved, revoked, and then approved, and now he is in the US) along with other interpreters and fixers who risked their lives to help American forces and now face death threats in their home country and incredible difficulties in obtaining the Congressional-approved immigrant visas for Afghans who worked for the US government. Shinwari says of his fellow interpreters: "'They have two options: America or die, because the people there, they think we are traitors[.]"

(via Longreads)