US President Barack Obama met a group of top business executives, including two Indian-Americans, to discuss the landmark comprehensive immigration reform bill that aims to provide citizenship to some 11 million illegal immigrants, including over 240,000 Indians.
The Bill provides for according Indian citizenship to the the Hindus, Jains, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists and Parsis from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan after six years of residence in India instead of 12 years even if they do not possess any document.
A South Asian rights group has expressed serious concerns over certain provisions of the comprehensive immigration reform bill that will pave a pathway to citizenship to some 11 million undocumented immigrants, including more than 260,000 Indians.
"Senator McCain used to buck his party on immigration by fighting for comprehensive reform. But when he was running for his party's nomination, he abandoned his courageous stance, and said that he wouldn't even support his own legislation if it came up for a vote," Obama told a Latino group.
There are many countries that have restrictive immigration policies, while some have a welcoming policy.
"We know that the ability to speak English or French is a very, very strong predicator of success. If you come to this country and you are unable to speak one of the two official languages, you may starve. In fact, if you are coming into a profession, the level of language you have to have is that much higher to be able to succeed," says Doug Kellam, spokesperson, Citizenship and Immigration Canada.
The actor also shared an image that sought to explain the ramifications of the Citizenship Amendment Act and the National Register of Citizen.
Scholars and students have cautioned that the proposed divisive and discriminatory changes would harm the country.
A widower for the last three years, 55-year-old Singh claims he married 36-year-old Ranjit in front of 150 people in India after courtship and applied for her to join him in Canada as soon as he returned.\n\n
After a 6.5-hour debate, the upper house clears the bill. Amit Shah said the bill is not anti-Muslim and Indian minorities have nothing to fear from its passage.
Muslims across the country have joined the agitation, apprehending that the move could be a precursor to a country-wide NRC.
'While the fears in Assam and other north eastern states are natural given their experience since 1947 when successive governments and even political leaders in Delhi have repeatedly let them down, the intent and provisions under the Citizenship Amendement Bill -- when examined closely -- should remove those apprehensions,' says Nitin A Gokhale, the well-known commentator who lived in and reported from the north east between 1983 and 2006.
Yemen is ranked the worst (153rd), while Iraq is 152nd and Pakistan 151st.
Last year, a record numbers of foreign nationals, 164,635 people, were granted citizenship, a seven per cent rise in 12 months. It was the highest since the Home Office began keeping comparable records in 1997, the figures reveal. The biggest group was from India, who made up nine per cent of the total with 14,490. Filipinos constituted seven per cent with 10,840, Afghans six per cent with 10,555 and South Africans five per cent with 8,150.
A new immigration Bill 'almost certainly' faces opposition from Republicans in the US Senate who say that allowing citizenship to illegal aliens would be another form of amnesty that will only increase illegal immigration, a report said on Friday.
When asked about implementation of the CAA in Maharashtra, Thackeray said that will be dependent upon the ruling of the supreme court.
Kamala Harris used her forceful presidential acceptance speech to present herself as a leader who could unite the country to chart a 'new way forward' and warned Americans of 'extremely serious' consequences of putting her Republican rival Donald Trump back in the White House.
Trump said he is very close to a deal on DACA.
The Reforming American Immigration for Strong Employment, or RAISE, Act, introduced by Republican senator Tom Cotton and David Perdue from the Democratic party, would alter the US immigration system to significantly reduce the number of foreigners admitted to the country without a skills-based visa.
However, this applies only to Gurkhas discharged after July 1, 1997, when the Gurkha brigade headquarters was moved to the UK.
She had faced criticism over the existence of UK Home Office deportation targets and her knowledge of them.
A West Bengal MLA has stirred controversy by allegedly asking Trinamool Congress workers to ensure that only those Bangladeshi immigrants who support the ruling party in the state find a place in the voters' list.
Ramaswamy's stance on H-1B visas is reminiscent of the 2016 Trump campaign, when then-candidate Donald Trump, who has also hired a number of foreign workers under H-1B visas for his businesses, took a hardline stance on these foreign workers before later softening his rhetoric.
As CAB was tabled in Lok Sabha, West Bengal CM said she will never allow NRC in the state.
The Green Paper is defined as a three-stage route to citizenship, including a new probationary period of citizenship, with stringent conditions, which require new migrants to demonstrate their contribution to the UK at every stage or leave the country. Migrants will not have full access to social benefits until they have completed a compulsory probationary period. The proposal also asks migrants to improve their command of English to pass probation.
India abstained in the United Nations General Assembly on a draft resolution introduced by Pakistan and co-sponsored by China on Islamophobia, asserting that the prevalence of 'religiophobia' against Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism and other faiths facing violence and discrimination must also be acknowledged rather than singling out just one religion.
It does not apply to anyone who might come to America illegally in the future. It does not grant citizenship, or the right to stay here permanently, or offer the same benefits that citizens receive, the President said.
'Why is the RSS trying to destroy the indigenous culture of Assam and its language?' 'If these migrants settle in Assam, they will overwhelm the 47 per cent of people who speak Assamese.'
Union minister Prakash Javadekar said the government has taken care of the interests of everyone and 'the interest of India'.
Rishi Singh, who recently joined a protest meeting against anti-immigrant laws in Arizona and demanded legislation to help the children of the undocumented, has known for over 17 years what it means to be an illegal young man in the United States.
The United States Senate has passed the landmark comprehensive immigration reform bill that will provide a pathway to citizenship to some 11 million illegal immigrants, including over 240,000 Indians.
The US Department of Immigration will administer the pilot exam early next year.
The Biden administration has eased norms by releasing policy guidance on the eligibility criteria for those waiting for green cards to work and stay in America, days ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the US.
The CAA, enacted by the BJP-led government at the Centre in 2019, aims at granting Indian citizenship to persecuted non-Muslim migrants, including Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, Parsis and Christians, from Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Afghanistan who entered India before December 31, 2014.
The Bharatiya Janata Party government's move to provide refugee and citizenship status to Hindu Bangladeshi migrants, who came to India to escape persecution, has evoked sharp reactions in Assam where illegal migration is a burning problem.
'Chief Minister Palaniswami is meeting Modi on December, 19, he may mention Tamil refugees when he talks to him.'
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