Essays on emigrant writer welcomed
Wednesday, May 30th, 2007Fiction by emigrant writer Colm McCann will be the subject of a collection of essays, according to the Irish Times. The Dublin-born, New York-based writer, born in 1965, has won awards for his fiction, which has been translated into 26 languages. The Irish Times notes his role as part of “an interesting generation of the Irish diaspora in the US – an aspect of his writing career that would be worth exploring critically”.
Submissions of up to 7,500 words are welcome by June 30, 2008. Contact Dr Eóin Flannery (eoin.flannery@ul.ie) or Dr Susan Cahill (susan.cahill@ul.ie) or sent to Dr Eóin Flannery, English Section, Department of Languages and Cultural Studies, College of Humanities, University of Limerick
US immigration service publishes new fees
Wednesday, May 30th, 2007The US Citizenship and Immigration Services has confirmed that immigrants will pay an average of 66% more for green cards, citizenship and other services. The price rises were finalised yesterday, following a period of public discussion.
To become a citizen, an individual will have to pay a fee of $595, up from $330; plus, the applicant will need to pay $80 for electronic fingerprints, up from $70. To apply for legal permanent residency, the cost is increasing from $325 to $1,010.
The agency says the increases are need to improve services and hire additional workers. “This agency is fee-based; 99% of our budget comes from user fees. We need to be the agency people expect us to be. We need to undertake reforms… The only way to get from here to there is to have the financial resources to do that,” said CIS Director Emilio Gonzalez yesterday.
Immigration advocates have criticised the move, saying the new fees will be a major obstacle for immigrants. The Coalition of Irish Immigration Centres in the US has urged member centers to encourage anyone who is eligible to send in their application as soon as possible.
The new fees come into effect on July 30 and will apply to applications or petitions filed on or after that date.
More information is available on the USCIS website.
Justice for Immigrants group urges action
Monday, May 28th, 2007The Justice for Immigrants campaign, a coalition of Catholic groups in the US, is urging continued action on comprehensive immigration reform. In their latest action alert, they are urging US residents to contact their senators with the following message:
I support an immigration reform bill which 1) has a workable and realistic path to permanent residence for the undocumented; 2) creates a meaningful path to citizenship for those in the temporary worker program; and 3) preserves family unity in the U.S. immigration system.
I ask you to support changes to the legislation which would:
- Preserve family reunification as the cornerstone of the U.S. immigration system by maintaining categories for certain family members;
- Create a meaningful “bridge” to permanent status for temporary workers by giving them access to permanent residency visas (“green” cards);
- Remove the requirement that immigrants eligible under the “Z” visa legalization program must return to their country of origin to apply for permanent residency;
- Permit immediate relatives (spouses and minor children) to join the “Z” visa holder in the United States upon eligibility;
- Establish deadlines not dependent on “triggers” by when the temporary worker program and the permanent residency portion of the “Z” visa program must be implemented.
Justice for Immigrants is asking for its members to take this action from May 25 to June 2, when Senators are in their district offices.
The group has not taken a stance on the current bill making its way through the Senate but say they are working to ensure that the most humane solution possible is achieved.
Visit Justiceforimmigrants.org.
Vietnamese the “new Irish” in US priesthood
Monday, May 28th, 2007Vietnamese priests in the US are being referred to as the “new Irish”, according to an article in the California Catholic Daily. The article points out that the Irish-born accounted for 80% of the priests in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles in the 1940s and 1950s; their places have now been taken by Latin Americans, Nigerians, and people from South and Southeast Asia.
“Vietnamese priests are filling the gap,� Ryan Lilyengren, a spokesman for the diocese of Orange, told the Los Angeles Times. “People are calling them the new Irish.�
Vietnamese Catholics number only about 300,000 (or about 1% of US Catholics), but they along with other Asian seminarians make up 12% of the nation’s seminarians.
Read the article on the California Catholic website.
First round of senate debate on immigration reform ends
Monday, May 28th, 2007The US Senate bill for comprehensive immigration reform survived the first round of debate last week. Debate will resume next week.
According to Sheila Gleeson of the Coalition of Irish Immigration Centers, several amendments were defeated on Thursday night. These included:
- The Coleman amendment, which would have allowed local government officials to inquire about immigration status, was defeated 48-49.
- The Dorgan amendment, which would have removed the guest worker programme from the bill, was also defeated 48-49.
- The Sanders amendment, which increased fees for H-1B visas to $5,000, was passed 59-35.
- The Vitter amendment, which would have prevented legalisation for the undocumented by eliminating the proposed Z visa programme, was defeated 29-66.
Ireland’s success can be model for new EU: McAleese
Friday, May 25th, 2007Ireland’s success in attracting emigrants home emerged as a major theme of President Mary McAleese’s remarks during her visit to Latvia and Lithuania this week.
During her visit to Latvia on Tuesday, President McAleese said, ‘The largest number of Irish migrants left because they had little opportunity at home. We know they would wish to come home, so it’s important to explain to them what’s happening in Ireland now”.
President McAleese told Lithuanians, “As your economy expands, many Lithuanians currently living in Ireland will surely feel the pull of home”. She added, “When they do return, they will bring with them valued skills and experience to help develop your own country as it seeks to reap the full advantages of EU membership.”
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