In a typical year, more than 270 million immigrants living and working abroad send cash transfers, known as remittances, to their home countries. In 2019, two-thirds of all international migrants lived in just 20 countries, with the United States holding the most at 51 million (about 19% of the world’s total). (United Nations). As of 2020, despite the lockdowns that have devastated economies and led unemployment rates to skyrocket, remittances have generally held READ MORE READ MORE

LGBT people face challenges and unique vulnerabilities that cause many to leave their country of origin and seek refuge in another. Research shows that consensual same-sex conduct remains criminalized in 69 countries, and as many as 11 countries could impose the death penalty upon conviction. (ILGA World, The International Lesbian, Gay, Trans and Intersex Association) Research show that even where such conduct is not criminalized, LGBT people READ MORE READ MORE

The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has an ambitious goal this year. Its primary objective is to reduce the backlog of cases and its impact on Immigration Services. This past year, USCIS has felt the harmful effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic turned what were already significant processing delays into unprecedented backlogs across the entire system. In fact, as of 2022, numbers are very READ MORE READ MORE

On June 14, the Department of Homeland Security and Department of State took steps to ensure that vulnerable Afghan citizens who supported and worked with the United States in Afghanistan can qualify for protection and other immigration benefits in the United States. Generally, any individual who is a member of a “terrorist organization” or who has engaged or engages in terrorism-related activity as defined by the Immigration READ MORE READ MORE

Today, the United States is home to the largest immigrant population in the world. More than 40 million people living in the U.S. were born in another country. With such large numbers, unsurprisingly, immigration has deeply impacted and shaped the U.S in a multitude of ways, the economy being one of them. With the influx of conflicting information and news, we must ask ourselves: what is factual READ MORE READ MORE