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               Africans Concern About New US Immigration Reforms

   by James Butty

   Each year, hundreds if not thousands of Africans benefit from the
   annual US visa lottery, a program through which individual winners can
   get an automatic Green Card, a pathway to US citizenship.
   Now, there are concerns that Africans may be the losers under the new
   US immigration reform laws being debated in Washington.
   Under the new bill, which, if passed would be effective in 2017, the
   visa lottery would be replaced by a merit-based system that gives more
   points to applicants with higher academic degrees.
   Some say the new merit-based system would reduce the number of African
   immigrants.
   Reverend William K. Asari is pastor of the Royal Generation Ministries
   International Church and one of the leaders of the African-Caribbean
   Faith-based organization.
   The group assists the African Diaspora community with many immigration
   issues. Reverend Asari said Africans are concerned about their
   situation in the new immigration debate.
   "The African and Caribbean communities, some of them are having
   problems changing their status to be able to get their Green Cards.
   Also, we were told that the government is trying to shut down the
   lottery from Africa," he said.
   Reverend Asari said some African immigrants seeking to bring older
   family members from Africa to the United States were also having a
   difficult time doing so.
   In addition, he said, some attorneys retained by some African
   immigrants were overcharging for services.
   "There was a lady who said she is trying to bring her two daughters and
   they also have children back home, and the attorney was telling the
   lady that you have to pay $850 for each person when another attorney
   said the price didn't have to be that high. I think it's like $400 and
   something. So I think her attorney was charging her twice the amount
   she was supposed to pay," Asari said.
   At a May 4 meeting in Washington, called by the African and Caribbean
   immigrant community, representatives from the Obama White House briefed
   the community on the new immigration reforms being debated.
   On the proposal to change the visa lottery to a merit-based system that
   would give more points to applicants with higher academic degrees,
   Asari and Asari said the African immigrant community would like keep
   the visa lottery in its current form to give everyone an equal chance
   of immigrating to the United States.
   "These are some of the things that our organization is fighting against
   because in this country we all believe in equal rights. So, if we
   believe in equal rights, then either you have been to school or not, we
   all have to be able to enjoy equal rights and equal benefits," Asari
   said.
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   [1]http://www.voanews.com/content/africans-and-us-immigration-reforms/1
   656690.html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/africans-and-us-immigration-reforms/1656690.html