[December 15, 2006]

¨ù                 that H-2B visas are available for certain foreign nationals seeking to enter the U.S. to perform labor or services for which no qualified U.S. workers are available?

¨ù                 that the company must intend to employ the worker for a temporary period?

¨ù                that typically, the intention is to allow employers to bring workers during peak workload or for intermittent or seasonal employment?

¨ù                 that most H-2B visas are granted for landscape laborers, hotel resort helpers, kitchen workers, etc.?

¨ù                 that employers must first obtain a labor certification from the Department of Labor?

SENATE HOLDS HEARING ON GLOBAL

COMPETITION FOR TALENT

¨ù                 that as a part of a series of hearings that Congress held on immigration reform, the Senate sub-committee on Immigration, Border Security and Citizenship held a field hearing regarding the immigration of highly-skilled professionals?

¨ù                 that Senator John Cronyn, a Republican from Texas, introduced the issues by claiming that American universities, companies and government entities are waging a global battle for talent, and by all accounts, our immigration laws and policies place our country at a competitive disadvantage to retain our economic and military superiority?

¨ù                 that the United States needs to compete aggressively for the world’s talent?

¨ù                that the lack of visa numbers means that talented foreign students who are educated in American institutions have no means to remain in the U.S. for lack of immigration numbers though they want to stay and enrich the country?

¨ù                that also, countries like India and China, make great efforts to bring their educated youth back?

¨ù                that there is definitely a need for increased H-1B numbers in the fields of technology, engineering,  math, etc.?

¨ù                 that Immigration will accept for premium processing (fast adjudication) not just I-140 petitions but also the following: 1) employment first preference (EB-1) outstanding professors and researchers; 2) employment second preference (EB-2) members of professions with advanced degrees or exceptional ability and 3) third employment preference (EB-3) workers who are not classifiable as skilled workers or professionals but referred to as “other workers”.

¨ù                 that a new form G-325 (Biographic Information) is required as of October 1, 2006?

¨ù                that under a new policy, children born in the U.S. to undocumented immigrants with low income, will no longer be automatically entitled to health insurance through Medicaid, according to Federal officials?

¨ù                that doctors and hospitals claim that such policy change will make it more difficult for such infants who are U.S. citizens to obtain health care needed in the first year of life?

¨ù                 that undocumented immigrants are generally barred from Medicaid, but can get coverage for treatment of emergency medical conditions, including labor and delivery? that in the past, once a woman received emergency care under Medicaid for the birth of a baby, the child was deemed eligible for coverage as well, and states had to cover them for one year from the date of birth?

¨ù                that under the new policy, an application must be filed for the child, and the parents must provide documents to prove the child’s citizenship?

¨ù                that the documentation requirements took effect in July, but some states have been slow to enforce them, and many doctors are only now becoming aware of the effects on newborns?

¨ù                 that doctors, childrens hospitals and advocacy groups like the National Health Law Program, have been urging states to preserve the old policy on Medicaid eligibility for children born to undocumented immigrants?

FUTURE LEGISLATION

¨ù                 that business and labor groups are joining efforts now that the political upheaval took place?

¨ù                 that AFL-CIO President gave an unspecific endorsement asking Congress to begin working immediately on a list of priorities that include “developing a reasonable immigration policy that predicts the rights of all workers”?

¨ù                 that the Senate is more likely to make new immigration legislation because it already passed a comprehensive  package earlier and only the House refused to pass a comprehensive immigration act?