Lawyer brings free tips, advice to foreign students

Immigration attorney Aaron Blumberg of Coral Gables, Fla. will visit the University of West Florida on March 3 to talk to students who have F-1 immigration status about obtaining H-1B visas and green cards.

“It’s a service they would typically pay a lot of money for,” Rachel Errington, coordinator for Diversity and International Education, said.

Errington said that although this is a good opportunity for students, attendance was low last year, and she hopes that more students will come this year.

Students with F-1 immigration status are full-time foreign students in language programs.

An H-1B visa permits U.S. employers to hire foreign employees for certain occupations, and a green card shows that the cardholder has the right to stay and work in the U.S. permanently.

Hernan Palombo, who came to UWF from Argentina and attended last year’s meeting, said that most F-1 students have many questions that need to be answered at meetings like this one.

“If I can go, I will go again, since it is so hard to get an immigration attorney,” Palombo said. He said the reason for the difficulty is that the service is very expensive.

Luciana Lira, a Brazilian student who is studying English, said that she has received a lot of help from UWF so far.

“When I came here, I knew almost no English,” Lira said. “My first time in Wal-Mart, I remember hoping no one would ask me anything. But now I am comfortable.”

Lira said that she might go to the meeting to take advantage of the opportunity and learn something new.

Ayumi Amazaki, who came to UWF from Japan, is studying “extensive English.”

Amazaki said that working as a hotel clerk made him realize he needed to work on his English skills. “I’ve become more confident speaking English since I’ve come to UWF,” he said.

Blumberg, a member of the American Immigration Lawyers association, also works with universities and colleges on their compliance with J-1 requirements and spends time advising international students concerning their visa options.

The meeting will take place on March 3, from 3 p.m.- 5 p.m. in the International Center in Bldg. 71, Room 133. For more information about this meeting and other events for international students, call the Office of Diversity and International Education and Programs at 850-474-2479.

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2 comments

Anonymous

Thu Mar 11 2010 13:36

What companies? Specify.

Anonymous

Wed Feb 24 2010 17:36

Employers can legally discriminate against qualified Americans by firing them without cause and recruiting only H-1B guest-workers to replace them. The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has said: “H-1B workers may be hired even when a qualified U.S. worker wants the job, and a U.S. worker can be displaced from the job in favor of a foreign worker.” Some companies that discriminate against American workers are so brazen that their job advertisements say “H-1B visa holders only.” And some companies in the United States have workforces that consist almost entirely of H-1B guest-workers.

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