Houston, Texas – Last year, more than 11,100 military personnel became U.S. citizens. This is the largest number of naturalized since 1955, the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Immigration Statistics reported.

Current members of the U.S. armed forces and recently discharged members can seek expedited application and naturalization. Many spouses and unmarried minor children are also eligible. Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, and specific individuals in the National Guard and the Reserves can also qualify.

In Texas where there so many military bases, an experienced immigration attorney can help with every aspect of the naturalization program, including applications, interviews, and coordinating with family still overseas. Service members will want to apply after a minimum of one year of service, and be sure to apply when still with the military or a maximum of six months after leaving the military honorably. An immigration attorney is especially important for extended family who want to immigrate to the U.S., or for spouses who are in the U.S. but want to change their residency status. Citizenship for surviving spouses, children, or parents of deceased service members who passed away during military service will also benefit from legal counsel.

“Military personnel that fight for the American ideals that are not from this country truly are an inspiration,” said Houston immigration Annie Banerjee. “Immigrants have shaped our nation’s history and they and their families deserve to have citizenship.”

Expert legal counsel will assist individuals and families with all the necessary forms and ensure they are effectively completed. Attorneys will help with compliance with the Immigration and Nationality Act and track the status of forms and deadlines with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services office. They will also prepare clients for the English language and history requirements.

The Law Offices of Annie Banerjee has assisted individuals and families for more than 10 years with their immigration cases. She is known for her fast, efficient manner and individualized attention with every client. As an immigrant, attorney Banerjee takes the business of immigration very seriously and counsels clients throughout the United States and in family law in the Texas court system.

To learn more, visit http://www.visatous.com.

In a 5-3 majority decision yesterday (Justice Kagan recused herself) the US Supreme Court held in Chamber of Commerce v. Whitting, that Arizona should keep the controversial bill to prohibit illegal immigrants from working. They will have mandatory E-Verify requirement for every employer in Arizona. As expected the 5 Justices who voted for this are conservative Republican justices.

However look at who brought the lawsuit. Chamber of Commerce. Why? The Chamber of Commerce does not cry out for illegal immigrants from South America. They care about businesses, and businesses in Arizona are hurting. There are some industries that simply willl not find Americans to do the job, and will be forced to relocate to other States. And Arizona will hurt economically.

Yet it is the Republican Justices who advocate for businesses. They bill themselves as the financial gurus, ruling harshly against individuals and pro business. However when the question boils down to Xenophobia vs. financial interest, Xenophobia wins in the Republican and Conservative minds.

For more information contact Houston Immigration Lawyer or Houston Immigration Attorney, Annie Banerjee

More and more States are trying to take immigration matters in their own hands and enacting punitive immigration laws for the illegal immigrants. This blog is not about illegal immigrants. This blog deals with how unnecessarily hard life is for legal immigrants, just because State agencies don’t understand Immigration Law.

You need a social security number for everything. And a valid Immigration Approval notice. So lets take the case of Client C. He has an H-1B which expired on April 01, 2011. He filed for an extension on January 01, 2011. He got the receipt notice which just says its a receipt notice. But according to immigration laws his status is valid. He can work and stay in the US. However, come April 01, try and explain that to the driver’s license agents in any state. They will simply not get a renewal. Without the car, it is extremely difficult for Cleint C to get to work. But if he does not work, according to Federal Immigration law his status is not valid. So yes, Client C has to get up at 4 am and take public transportation, cab or walk or bike to work.

Take the example of client B. He came to the US and married. He files adjustment of status. His wife cannot put him on any health insurance. He falls sick. Now what? They cannot rely on State welfare for his disease. And most people simply cannot afford to pay out of pocket for medical costs.

These legal immigrants are being penalized simply because States do not like illegal immigrants. And if these States enact these laws, should they at least attempt to teach their personnel the Federal Immigration laws?

For more information contact Houston Immigration Lawyer or Houston Immigration Attorney, Annie Banerjee

A place has a lot to do with developing people. It nurtures and fosters creativity and intellectual growth. Such was the case of impressionist Paris. Artists all over Europe converged. Art, architecture, philosophy blossomed in the cafes of Mont Marte. Same was true of Rabindranath era Kolkata. Poetry, Revolution against the British, Science, and even soccer saw their heyday in the 19th century Kolkata.

I was born though in the latter part of the 20th Century in Kolkata. A Kolkata where thoughts were stiffled, a Kolkata that was fast falling behind the rest of the Indian mileau. I went to an all girl’s Catholic school, and then to Presidency college, a college that had the repute of turning out scholars and revolutionaries. Yet, the 80s Presidency College I attended, with an English major, sought to stiffle my original thoughts. If you wanted the grades, you had to conform to the pattern of writing that was “prescribed ” for you. Creativity had no place.

As was the case of most women in Kolkata at that time, I was never given a chance to develop physical prowess. No gyms, no biking. And of course, wearing a swim suit in public was out of question in my conservative family. How I cursed Kolkata when I wanted to learn, but found so difficult breathing in the water for swimming in the US. It took me a whole three months before I could swim two laps without stopping. Kids learn that in one week.

On the emotional part, dating was frowned upon. Even if it was allowed, you were never allowed to date more than one guy in your life time. So you better meet your perfect match on the first date, or be doomed to an arranged marriage, where the only thing that mattered was the guy’s education, ability to earn, family (ie no one was divorced, or had any bad reputation)and of course a perfect horoscope match. I take that last one back. You can bribe any priest in India, like most other things in India, and get that perfect match if your parents really wanted that match.

Yet with a billion people, things dont come easy in India. We had to work hard for the grades, and your social life depends on your standardized exam scores. Thus the value of education and hard work were ingrained in me.

So I journeyed across the ocean, and today I am proud to be an American. Law school taught me how to think analytically instead of conforming to a pattern. The society gave me the freedom to do what I wanted. I am still proud of the fact that I drove by myself from Canada to Rochester New York to see the lilac festival, a feat that Americans would take for granted shortly after I came to the US. And I can swim, run, bike, do whatever I want, in clothes that do not encumber these activities. When I see Indian women in my gym, wearing long pants and sweating like anything, I feel so glad to be an American, wearing shrots, without caring.

But also my drive to achieve and hard work propelled me forward. After graduating third highest in my law school, I practiced law, but also focussed my energy on raising my kids. A combination of American thought and Indian work ethic led my children into ivy leagues and subsequently into med school. And that is the value of America, where the thought, culture and opportunity is mingled with the old world hard work and ethics. The end result of immigration then is SUCCESS.

For more information contact Houston Immigration Lawyer or Houston Immigration Attorney, Annie Banerjee

Houston, Texas – H-3 visas can be a promising way for foreigners to get American training. The program allows foreigners to stay in the U.S. for a maximum of two years to train in any field except for graduate medical training. Once training is completed, the foreign national must go back to their home country.

“Many individuals seek this type of visa because their home country doesn’t have this type of training,” said Houston immigration attorney Annie Banerjee. “Their careers will be boosted in their homeland after receiving the training.”

H-3 can only be for training, not gainful employment. Many corporations use this visa to educate an individual so they can work in its foreign office when completed or partner with a business that is affiliated with it overseas. Family members can join the foreigner in the U.S. during this time but are not allowed to work or seek permanent residency automatically.

Employers must provide proof that they have a structured training program, including classroom training and how the business will pay for materials, books, and benefit the individual back in the home country. Legal counsel to obtain a H-3 is advised as documentation of an individual’s prior experience and why such training is not available in their homeland is scrutinized. Employers will want to seek an immigration attorney’s guidance on completing the I-129 Petition for Nonimmigrant Worker before the H-3 can be obtained.

“USCIS officials are very strict about making sure an individual is focused on training, not working in the U.S. or taking a position away from an American worker,” Banerjee said. “Many people who try to get this type of visa are denied when they do the paperwork on their own. It is much better to seek the resources of an attorney to ensure better success at getting a H-3.”

Thorough documentation and strong arguments for needing U.S. training equal improved chances of getting a H-3 visa. The Law Offices of Annie Banerjee works with many employers throughout Texas and the United States who are involved in the agriculture, commerce, finance, communications, government, industrial, and transportation industries. She has more than 10 years of accomplished immigration law experience and as an immigrant attorney Banerjee will efficiently and aggressively go after an individual’s goals of obtaining a H-3 visa.

To learn more, visit http://www.visatous.com.