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Photos by Andrew Markey
In Midtown, Manhattan, the Ford Foundation Building provides a lush green space where the public can escape the frenzy of NYC life. The atrium houses a garden with nearly 40 species of plants, a reflecting pool, and a reverberating fountain that permits guests to hear the garden around them. Designed in 1963 by Kevin Roche and John Dinkeloo, the indoor public garden is a calming treat for our senses, and a welcoming nirvana for all visitors.
As part of the visa application process at Embassies, applicants are subject to a background screening process. In accordance with Department of State (“DOS”) procedures the consular officer may determine that “additional information from sources other than the applicant may help establish an applicant’s eligibility for a visa” requiring “administrative processing.”
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As we unofficially kick off summer and head into the long Memorial Day weekend, wanderlust has set in. We look forward to whiling away our weekend at the Venetian Pool in Miami. Built in a former rock quarry in 1924, this freshwater marvel beckons amidst tropical trees, coral rocks, grottos, and waterfalls, transporting us to a Mediterranean get away. Wherever your travels or staycations lead you, we hope everyone has the opportunity to unplug and relax. Have a good Memorial Day!
With its roots planted upon the High Line Plinth and standing twenty-five feet tall at the Spur on 10th Avenue and West 30th Street, Swiss artist Pamela Rosenkranz has cultivated a beaming reddish pink hued tree at the elevated New York City Park. “Old Tree” prompts us to consider the interrelation between human and plant life as its color and shape “resembles the branching systems of human organs, blood vessels, and tissue.” Known for her juxtaposition of what is natural and what is human Ms. Rosenkranz’ “Old Tree” is rooted in such a way “as if the tree would like to leave its planter”, in a quest to escape the urban jungle it will call home for the next eighteen months.
With the expiration of Title 42 on May 11, 2023, we thought it apt to share the Last Week Tonight with John Oliver April 30, 2023 episode “Biden and the Border” which examines President Biden’s failure to deliver on a key campaign promise to asylum seekers allowing them back on US soil to file for asylum. The British-American comedian, political commentator, and television host, appropriately notes “we’re just entering a different phase of an immigration dystopia, particularly for asylum seekers.” Mr. Oliver shines a light on the administration’s “bad policy and s*itty apps”, namely the “CBP One” app.
Read moreFollowing up on its March 27, 2023 announcement that it had received enough initial registrations for the Fiscal Year 2024 (“FY24”) H-1B Cap, United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) has released data about the number of registrations received for the visa lottery. USCIS received a record breaking 780,884 H-1B registrations during the three week registration period. Of these over 780 thousand registrations, USCIS determined 758,994 were eligible registrations. This figure excludes duplicate registrations, those with failed payments, and those that were deleted by prospective employers prior to the closing of the registration period. The number of registrations for FY24 mark a sixty-one percent increase from 474,421 eligible registrations received for FY23. This significant increase has raised “serious concerns” and USCIS has begun to investigate potential employers who may have worked together to submit multiple registrations on behalf of the same beneficiary to increase their chance of being selected in the H-1B lottery.
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