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The Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Office of Immigration Statistics has released the 2009 Yearbook of Immigration Statistics (pdf). The Yearbook provides statistical data on U.S. immigration, specifically:

• Nonimmigrant Admissions: The number of foreign nationals admitted to the United States on a temporary basis, e.g., as tourists, students, business visitors, or temporary workers. Notably, the number of admissions based on H-1B status (temporary workers in specialty occupations) has decreased from a peak of 461,730 in 2007, down to 409,619 in 2008 and 339,243 in 2009.
• Legal Permanent Residents: The number of foreign nationals who became legal permanent residents.
• Refugees and Asylees: The number of asylum or refugee status applicants.
• Naturalization: How many foreign nationals became naturalized U.S. citizens.
• Enforcement Actions: What enforcement actions were taken by DHS, including apprehension of illegal aliens, removals and prosecutions.

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Senator Jeff Merkley (D–OR), who has been working with Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY) on a comprehensive immigration bill, does not expect action on immigration reform this year, according to The Hill. The senator’s statement exemplifies the on-again, off-again relationship that legislators have with immigration reform. Below is a brief recap of comprehensive immigration reform developments so far in 2010:

• February: Although immigration reform was a staple of President Obama’s campaign and early-term rhetoric, his State of the Union Address contained only one sentence on the topic.
• March: Senators Schumer and Lindsey Graham (R–SC) unveiled their “blueprint” for comprehensive reform.
• April: Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D–NV) predicted that the issue would not be addressed until after Memorial Day.
• June: President Obama urged Republicans to work with Democrats to pass a bill.
• July: In a keynote speech at American University’s School of International Service, President Obama pressed for immigration reform.
• August: A spokesperson for Senator Dick Durbin (D–IL), who introduced the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act (the "DREAM Act") (pdf), legislation to help students who immigrated to the U.S. as children obtain citizenship, reportedly said that comprehensive immigration reform is still possible in 2010.

Meanwhile, some state and local governments have attempted to fill the void they believe is created by federal inactivity on immigration reform, with Arizona attracting the most attention.

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JoongAngDaily reports that South Korea has eased the path to citizenship and relaxed immigration restrictions as follows:

• seventeen additional citizenship examination centers are opening in local immigration offices this month (previously, there was only one venue for taking citizenship examinations);
• companies can submit visa applications online (www.visa.go.kr) instead of sending company officials to apply on-site at immigration offices;
• procedures for obtaining re-entry permits following short home visits and overseas trips will be eased for international students and foreign nationals married to South Korean nationals;
• applicants who file re-entry applications on-site or through the Immigration Service’s official website will be permitted to make unlimited overseas trips and re-enter on multiple occasions regardless of their length of residence in South Korea; and
• individuals applying for re-entry will be exempt from paying fees.

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The Houston Chronicle reports that with a budget shortfall of $164 million, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is considering increasing the fees it charges for immigration applications. USCIS also is considering possible cost-saving measures, including staff layoffs. As this blog previously noted, immigration applications (e.g., citizenship, permanent residency), a revenue source for USCIS, have decreased in recent years, thereby straining USCIS’s budget. In fiscal year 2009, citizenship applications decreased by over 25% (1 million in FY 2008; 733,000 in FY 2009). Although USCIS improved its citizenship application processing time after the most recent fee increases (July 2007), it may experience difficulty maintaining the five-month average processing time if the Obama administration succeeds in implementing a legalization program for the estimated 12 million illegal immigrants in the United States.

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According to The Los Angeles Times, a legislative mandate that the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) be a self-sustaining agency may result in application fee increases. USCIS faces a $118-million deficit, partially due to decreased volume of applications. In Southern California alone, the number of citizenship applications in 2008 fell by more than 75% compared to 2007 (from 254,000 to 58,000). USCIS has requested $206 million from Congress to help offset the shortfall.

Officials claim the fee increase is necessary because a special congressional appropriation to help reduce application backlogs has run out. Immigrant advocates, however, contend that increased fees will deter legal immigrants from pursuing citizenship. Citizenship application fees were previously increased in 2007 (a 69% increase, bringing the total application cost to $675).

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Under a pilot program that was launched in New York in February and recently expanded to Los Angeles, the Army is waiving—for applicants who have certain skills—its requirement that recruits be U.S. citizens or green card holders. Through this program, the Army hopes to enlist 1,000 foreigners who have special language or medical skills and who are in the United States on temporary visas or have been granted asylum. As reported by The Los Angeles Times, response to the program has exceeded expectations, attracting applications from more than 7,000 people, many of them highly educated.

The program is aimed at addressing the shortage of soldiers with medical, foreign language and cultural abilities needed in the war on terror and peacekeeping efforts around the world. The Army seeks to enlist 333 healthcare professionals (including doctors, dentists, and nurses) and 557 people skilled in any of 35 languages, such as Arabic (but Spanish is not on the list). An additional 110 slots are earmarked for other services. 

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The Australian government has enacted amendments that will increase the range of visas and citizenship provisions available to same-sex couples. Amendments to the Immigration (Education) Act 1971, Migration Regulations 1994 and Migration Act 1958 will take effect on July 1, 2009. Key changes to migration legislation include:

• a new definition of spouse, applying to opposite-sex married couples;
• a definition of de facto partner, applying to both same-sex and opposite-sex de facto couples;
• new definitions of parent and child which will include recognition of certain parent-child relationships via artificial conception procedures and surrogacy arrangements;
• a new definition of member of the family unit, recognizing de facto partners (same and opposite-sex) as family members;
• a simplified and more equitable visa framework. All visas that currently include provisions for spouse will be available to opposite-sex and same-sex de facto partners alike.

Further details about the changes are available on the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) website.

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