Alla was born and grew up in the Moscow region in Russia. When she was a teenager, her stepdad received a job in the Washington D.C. area, and her family moved to the United States, just as she was set to attend Moscow State University. Although her family moved away, she still attended the university, one of the oldest and most prestigious in Russia, and majored in philosophy. “I knew I was always good with languages and humanities,” she says. “Philosophy seemed like a good match.” She specialized in cultural studies, which would be close to American studies in anthropology. After graduation, she moved to the US to attend graduate school at The George Washington University, where she studied international policy.
Read moreThe New York Times: “Forced Searches of Phones and Laptops at U.S. Border are Illegal, Lawsuit Claims”
Two civil rights groups filed a lawsuit last week against the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on behalf of eleven people whose cellphones and laptops were confiscated or searched at the nation’s border. The lawsuit alleges that their First and Fourth Amendment rights were violated when their devices were seized and searched without a warrant. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) filed the lawsuit for these eleven individuals, which includes ten American citizens and one permanent resident. These individuals, a journalist, student, US military veteran, artist, and NASA engineer, among others, hope that the lawsuit will force courts to place limits on the agency’s broad authority to search all travelers entering the country, including US citizens. The lawsuit argues that the current laws in place that established rules for searching luggage for all individuals (unless exempt by diplomatic status) regardless of nationality should not apply to electronic devices such as smartphones, tablets, and laptops because these types of devices contain immense amounts of personal data and information.
Read moreUSCIS Resumes Premium Processing for H-1B Cap Petitions
US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has resumed premium processing effective September 18, 2017 for all H-1B visa petitions subject to the Fiscal Year (FY) 2018 cap including for the 20,000 additional petitions for those workers with a US master’s degree or higher educational degree. Premium processing is only available for pending H-1B cap petitions, not new submissions, since USCIS received more than enough petitions during the April filing window to meet the FY 2018 cap.
Read moreExile
Joseph and Radford Got Married!
While some of you may have noticed Joseph’s brief hiatus from our blog, we are happy to share that it is only because he recently got married to Radford, in Begur, Spain! Begur is a small, historic town located in Catalonia, Spain where tourists can see breathtaking views of the Mediterranean Sea from Castell De Begur, or enjoy some tapas and wine in the center square. Joseph and Radford chose Begur as their wedding location because it has been the location of several milestones of their relationship together, including their first international trip together and where they got engaged! Their wedding date also coincided with Fira d’Indians, a three day festival that takes place in Begur every year. The festival celebrates the town’s strong ties to Cuba, as many families migrated from Begur to Cuba during the 19th century. Fira d’Indians is filled with food, music, performances, and crafts. Joseph and Radford’s wedding guests were able to enjoy the festival, while celebrating the wedding over several days. There was no shortage of dancing and good cheer! All of us here at DLG wish Joseph and Radford a lifetime of health, happiness, and adventure!
5 Misconceptions about the I-94
Hardly a week goes by when a client doesn’t tell us, “I don’t have an I-94. They got rid of I-94s.” And it’s understandable, since there has been a lot of confusion after Customs and Border Protection (CBP) converted from paper I-94s to electronic I-94s in 2013. To recap: the I-94 is an electronic document (formerly paper) issued to foreign nationals that:
- Tracks arrivals and (indirectly) departures to and from the United States; and
- Is evidence of legal status in the US for foreign nationals in their category of admission (for example, H-1, O-1, L-1, F-1, and so on).
The lack of a paper stapled into a passport has led to many misunderstandings. We try to address five of the most common.
Read moreNBC News: “Homeland Security Cancels Massive Roundups of Undocumented Immigrants”
In response to reports of a nationwide immigration raid that was scheduled to target approximately 8,400 undocumented immigrants later this month, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) issued a statementlast Thursday saying that there are no nationwide enforcement actions planned at this time, as all upcoming operations have been reviewed and “adjusted accordingly” given the impact of the recent hurricanes in Texas and Florida . In this statement, ICE spokeswoman Sarah Rodriguez stated there is no nationwide operation planned at this time because “the priority in the affected areas should remain focused on life-saving and life-sustaining activities.” While the statement released by ICE officials was an attempt to encourage undocumented immigrants in the affected areas to seek help, many undocumented foreign nationals still fear that the devastating effects of Hurricane Irma and Hurricane Harvey will still not stop immigration officials from enforcing policies.
Read moreOne of His Last
Sagrada Familia
While all of us here at DLG are getting ready for fall, our very own Lizzie B. is soaking up the warm weather in Barcelona! She recently visited Barcelona’s most breathtaking Basilica, Sagrada Familia. Renowned architect Antoni Gaudí originally masterminded the church’s design in 1883, taking inspiration from both nature and Christianity. Sagrada Familia's construction relied solely on private donations, so progress was slow. This progress was interrupted during the Spanish Civil War, but construction resumed in 1939 and has continued for the last seventy-eight years. With only seventy-percent of the church presently completed, it is not expected to be finished until 2026. A wonderful example of Gothic architecture and Catalan modernism, the Sagrada Familia is also an excellent example of Gaudi’s love of color, which he said was the expression of life. Natural light was a primary focus, which Gaudí used to uniquely compliment his architectural designs by allowing the sunlight to glisten through the tall towers and beautiful stained glass windows. As you can see, when the sunlight hits the stained glass windows, the whole church shimmers with bright colors!
Visa Options for Graphic Designers and Art/Creative Directors
Everyday life is filled with images—from advertisements in the subway and inside magazines and on billboards to artwork and visual designs on websites, t-shirts, product packaging, book covers, and, okay, pretty much everywhere else. We can thank graphic designers and art and creative directors for using their talents to come up with the overall creative vision and design of all those images we see on a daily basis.
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