Immigration Lawyer Blog

Every community has one of those. A San Diego man who federal authorities say defrauded fellow Somali immigrants of several million dollars, some of them losing their life savings, was arraigned Monday on a six-count grand jury indictment.

Mohamud Abdi Ahmed, 40, was charged in federal court with wire fraud and criminal forfeiture, said Assistant U.S. Attorney Valerie H. Chu. He was arrested Friday by FBI agents.

Ahmed owned and operated Shidaal Express, which offered financial services such as check cashing and money transfers to Somali immigrants, with several locations in San Diego, the indictment said. On Nov. 19, 2009, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission issued a preliminary injunction shutting down the firm. The company’s assets were frozen.

The commission’s complaint alleged that Ahmed also attracted stock market investors and raised at least $3 million from more than 40 investors in the Somali community in San Diego, Seattle and elsewhere, including at least $200,000 from a San Diego-area mosque. He would promise a return of 5 percent a month.

Read more….

UK Immigration policy witnessing new changes after the election on new Government. If you wish to join or marry your British citizen spouse or a permanent resident in the UK you will from 29 November 2010 need to pass an English language test with an approved test provider.If you are not an EU citizen you will need to show that you can speak and understand English if you wish to apply under one of the following categories to join your spouse or partner in the UK:
* Husband or wife
* Civil Partner
* Unmarried Partner
* Same-sex Partner
* Fiance/e
* Proposed Civil Partner
Immigration Minister Damian Green had the following to say:
“Speaking English promotes integration into British society and broadens opportunities. The new rules will help ensure that migrant spouses are able to participate in British life from the outset and integrate more easily into wider UK society”.

If you wish to come under the current immigration rules you will need to apply in the next four months. From 29 November 2010 you will have to pay for and pass an English test to gain entry as a spouse or partner.

UK Immigration is making or has already made a number of significant changes to the UK tier 4 visa scheme for students:
If you wish to come under Tier 4 (General) on or after 12 August 2010 and will be on a course below NQF Level 6 you must at an English language ability at a minimum of level B1 on the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR). This excludes Foundation Degree courses or an English language course.

Your Tier 4 sponsor must show the following for you:
* You are from a majority English-speaking country.

OR
* You have successfully completed a course as a Tier 4 (Child) student and were granted permission to remain in the UK while you were still under 18 years of age. The course should have lasted at least six months and should have ended no more than two years before the date when the confirmation of acceptance for studies (CAS) is assigned.

OR
* You have passed an English language test with an approved test provider for Tier 4 visas, and have reached at least CEFR level B1 in all four areas being reading, writing, speaking and listening.

We will continue to provide you more updates on UK Immigration.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is the largest investigative arm of the Department of Homeland Security. ICE is a 21st century law enforcement agency with broad responsibilities for a number of key homeland security priorities.

Nine people pleaded guilty to charges connected with their involvement in a scheme in central Ohio to arrange marriages between foreign nationals and U.S. citizens. The sentences were announced by the U.S. Attorney’s Office and U.S. Immigration Customs and Enforcement (ICE). Brian Moskowitz, ICE special agent in charge of the Office of Homeland Security Investigations in Ohio and Michigan, along with Carter M. Stewart, U. S. Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, announced the sentences by U.S. District Judge Algenon L. Marbley.

The sentences were imposed on the following individuals:
– Hasan Salohutdinov of Dublin, Ohio, and an illegal alien from Uzbekistan, was sentenced to 15 months imprisonment followed by deportation. He pleaded guilty on April 5, 2010, to one count of conspiracy to commit marriage fraud and on count of presenting false statements to U.S. immigration authorities. Salohutdinov introduced other Uzbeks into the scheme in order that they might pay to engage in sham marriages.

– Dmitry Pani also of Dublin, and an illegal alien from Estonia, was sentenced to one year imprisonment. Pani also pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit marriage fraud.

– Sviatlana A. Piskunova of Columbus pleaded guilty to conspiracy and sentenced to time served.

– Laura Elizabeth Grace Scott of Columbus pleaded guilty to conspiracy and was sentenced to two years probation which includes six months of home confinement.

– Courtnie Susann Good of Columbus pleaded guilty to marriage fraud and was sentenced to two years probation which includes six months of home confinement with electronic monitoring.

– Elbek A. Saidjanov of Philadelphia, Penn., pleaded guilty to marriage fraud and was sentenced to time served, about seven and one-half months.

– Iskander Odilovich Tairov, of Galloway, Ohio, pleaded guilty to marriage fraud and was sentenced to two years probation.

– Brent James Woods of Columbus pleaded guilty to marriage fraud and was sentenced to four years probation including four months in Alvis House.

– Djafar B. Sobirov of Columbus pleaded guilty to marriage fraud and was sentenced to two years probation.

Pani established an informal “business” to find U.S. citizens who would accept money to enter into sham marriages with aliens for the purpose of evading a provision of the immigration laws of the United States, and to aid and abet in the making of false statements to immigration authorities with respect to those sham marriages in an effort to convince the immigration authorities that they were genuine marriages. Salohutdinov, who had entered into a sham marriage in Illinois, moved to Ohio and came to know Pani. Salohutdinov and Piskunova joined the conspiracy with Pani and arranged sham marriages for certain other aliens that Salohudinov knew of.

The sham marriages typically occurred shortly after the alien and the U.S. citizen met each other, sometimes even the same day. Saidjanov, an alien, came to Columbus from Philadelphia, PA, and paid Pani to arrange a sham marriage on Feb. 9, 2009, with Good. Saidjanov also paid his girlfriend, who is an alien, too, to enter into a sham marriage on the following day. These sham marriages took place at The Columbus Wedding Chapel, in Columbus. After the marriages, Sadijanov and his girlfriend returned to Philadelphia, and did not live with their new American spouses.

“Today’s sentences are a reminder that America’s legal immigration system is not for sale,” said Moskowitz. “ICE will aggressively investigate and bring to justice those who seek to compromise the integrity of that system for personal profit or to avoid immigration laws.”
Stewart commended the investigation conducted by ICE agents, and the assistance of the ICE Office of Enforcement and Removal, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, and the Columbus Police Department, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Dan Brown, who prosecuted the case.

The new coalition government will impose a permanent immigration quota next year, promising to cut levels of migration to rates last seen in the 1990s and dramatically reduce the numbers of non-Europeans allowed to live and work in the U.K. It’s long been a flagship cause for the country’s Conservative Party, which leads Britain’s governing coalition and bitterly complained in opposition that unchecked immigration had strained public services, distorted labor markets and fueled social divides.

British Prime Minister David Cameron won much attention on his recent trip to the United States with his program of savage spending cuts. He’s also been sharpening his shears on another front: immigration. But business leaders warn the immigration quota could leave the country short in vital industries — leaving some areas without adequate medical staff, stalling efforts to meet deadlines to build new nuclear power stations, and leaving care workers needed for a growing elderly population in short supply.

It means the crackdown will target workers from Africa – who make up the largest group of non-European migrants working in the U.K. and Commonwealth countries such as India, Pakistan and Australia. Citizens of Commonwealth nations lost preferential treatment from Britain on immigration in the 1970s. Americans, who number about 80,000 working in the U.K., will also face new difficulties. Unemployment in Britain stands at 7.8 percent, a slight fall from recent months. But 7.82 million workers are in part-time employment, the highest rate since records began in 1992.

Saudi nationals can now get five-year multiple-entry temporary resident visas to enter Canada. The changes facilitate the movement of students and business people between Saudi Arabia and Canada. Despite the stricter visa controls, the number of Saudis entering Canada on temporary resident visas has increased considerably since 2002. In 2009, Canada granted temporary resident visas to 5,292 new Saudi students and 1,665 Saudi workers in 2009, according to data compiled by Citizenship and Immigration Canada.

Starting in 2002, Saudi nationals were required to apply for temporary resident visas before coming to Canada to visit, study or work, and each visa was only valid for a period of 18 months. These strict visa requirements were imposed on Saudis due to security concerns over fraudulent Saudi passports. Prior to 2002, Saudi nationals could enter Canada without a visa.

There are currently around 8,200 students from Saudi Arabia at Canadian academic institutions, including 750 medical doctors. Two thousand more students from Saudi Arabia are expected to start studying in Canada before 2011. Canada hopes that the more lenient temporary resident visa policy will permit more Saudi visitors, students and workers to enter the country.