Humanitarian Visa Program: U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Provides New Information
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has provided more details on the humanitarian visa program. In an exclusive interview with CaribbeanTelevisionNetwork (CTN) and ZoomHaitiNews (ZHN), Acting Assistant Secretary for Border and Immigration at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Blas Nunez-Net, clarified some of the grey areas of the program recently initiated by Joe Biden’s administration for the benefit of migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Venezuela and Nicaragua.
Eligibility requirements for sponsors and beneficiaries, income tax requirements and the legal attacks of the twenty Republican states were discussed in this interview that will be broadcast this Monday at 7pm (Haitian time, 7pm) on the platforms of CTN and ZHN.
New information on the U.S. administration’s humanitarian visa program.
New TPS beneficiaries and income taxes
New beneficiaries of Temporary Protection Status are also eligible to sponsor people in the four countries covered by the program. They only need to prove that they are able to financially support the beneficiaries once they arrive in the United States, said the acting assistant secretary for border and immigration issues in an exclusive interview with Emmanuel Paul of CaribbeanTelevisionNetwork and ZoomHaitiNews. Although mentioned among the documents required by the immigration service, the income tax (taxes) is not a prerequisite. The supporter could provide other documents proving his financial capacity.
During this interview Blas Nunez-Neto also warned anyone who would try to monetize the program. “I would also like to note that we have seen some reports of potential supporters charging individuals to provide support. This is a completely free process. The only cost associated is the airfare to the U.S.,” the U.S. official said adding, “…. if a potential supporter is charging for their service, it is a fraud that should be reported to the government.”
Recipients will not be forced to leave the U.S. at the end of the program
Those admitted to the United States under this program will not be forced to leave the United States when their humanitarian visa expires.
Once admitted to Joe Biden’s country, they will have 24 months to adjust their status by seeking political asylum, through marriage or any other legal procedure. “Once someone has entered and has been granted parole after a case-by-case determination at the port of entry where he or she went, he or she has two years to stay in the United States and during that time, he or she will be able to either change his or her status to one of the potential paths you mentioned, or return to his or her country of origin,” the senior DHS official said, recalling that more than 1,700 Haitians, Cubans, and Nicaraguans have already arrived in the U.S. territory since the program was launched at the beginning of the current month.
Holders of tourist visas and people who already have a permanent residency file at the American embassy
Potential beneficiaries who already have a file in process at the U.S. immigration level are not excluded from the parole program, however they are encouraged to wait until the processing of their file is complete. “The benefits associated with a green card are much greater than the benefits associated with this process and going through this process could impact the green card application,” Nunez-Neto cautions.
The recommendations are no different for people who already have a visa to enter the United States. They can participate in the parole program as long as they meet the preliminary requirements. However, they are advised against it by the Deputy Assistant Secretary of DHS, who believes that visas offer many more opportunities than the parole program, including the ability to travel freely outside the United States. This is not the case for the humanitarian visa program.
Twenty Republican states take legal action against the program
The Humanitarian Visa Program will continue to run smoothly despite the lawsuit filed by the Republican governors of 20 states. The case will not be heard by a judge until April 25. In the meantime, the U.S. administration continues the process of processing the applications, reassured Nunez-Neto, who promises that the government will put all its weight into defending the program.
“I can’t comment too much on the ongoing litigation, but what I can say is that we firmly believe that these processes that we have announced are well within our legal authorities. They continue to operate, we have not been ordered to stop them by a court and we will vigorously fight such an action all the way to the Supreme Court if necessary,” said the head of border and immigration issues at DHS, who also reiterated that the U.S. will continue “to deport individuals who illegally cross the land border into Mexico.”
What about the distribution of the 30,000 humanitarian visas among the four countries?
Contrary to prior information, the 30,000 visas will not be granted equally among the four recipient countries, but fairly. “We are closely monitoring the applications as they come in and our commitment is to process these applications in the fairest way possible,” said Blas Nunez-Neto, who also explained the difference between the number of visas granted and the number of people admitted to the United States per month during the program.
The entire interview will be broadcast tonight at 7:00 on the platforms of CaribbeanTelevisionNetwork and ZoomHaitiNews
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