Seattle Slavic Association

12/12/2025

President TRUMP officially launched the "Gold Card" program on December 11, offering foreign nationals an expedited pathway to lawful permanent residence through a $15,000 DHS processing fee and a $1 million "contribution" to the Department of Commerce. The program, established through a September 19 executive order, allows individuals to apply for EB-1 or EB-2 green cards in "record time," with the application process taking weeks rather than the months or years typical of traditional employment-based visa categories. Corporations can sponsor foreign workers through a "Trump Corporate Gold Card" by providing a $2 million contribution and the same $15,000 processing fee. The program website also previews a forthcoming "Trump Platinum Card" requiring a $5 million contribution, which would allow holders to spend up to 270 days in the United States without being subject to U.S. taxes on non-U.S. income, though implementation details remain unclear.

12/10/2025

Dear Gennadiy! Congratulations on becoming a U.S. citizen! This is a huge milestone, marking your journey to full membership in the American family, with new rights, responsibilities, and opportunities to contribute to your community and country.

11/25/2025

The Trump administration is planning a full review of about 233,000 refugees who were fully vetted and entered the United States during the Biden administration, report Ted Hesson and Kristina Cooke of Reuters.

Per a government memo dated Friday, the unprecedented order applies to all refugees who entered the U.S. between Jan. 20, 2021, and Feb. 20 of this year.

The agency will rescind refugee status for people already here "if they are found to not meet refugee criteria," per the memo. The new directive also would suspend the processing of refugees’ permanent residence applications.

11/25/2025

- Ten of thousands who fled war to U.S. face uncertain future
- Two dozen Ukrainians tell Reuters of financial and mental hardship
- Some of Ukrainians choose self-deportation to avoid detention or penalties

The administration soon will decide the fate of a humanitarian program that allowed some people who fled the war in Ukraine to live and work in the United States.

11/21/2025

-DHS PROPOSES REINSTATEMENT OF PUBLIC CHARGE RULE-
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has introduced a proposed rule that would reinstate and expand the "public charge" policy of the first Trump administration, rolling back protections from the 2022 Biden administration rule. If finalized, the measure would allow immigration officers to deny green cards and other legal status to applicants who have used, or may use, public benefits such as SNAP, Medicaid, CHIP, housing assistance, and state-funded social programs, even for short periods or limited amounts.

11/04/2025

The government shutdown will impact federal food assistance in November.

The ongoing government shutdown is impacting the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and many of the 42 million people enrolled in SNAP did not receive benefits beginning on Nov. 1. However, two federal judges ruled over the weekend that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) must use its contingency funds to keep SNAP running.

Additionally, changes to SNAP eligibility made through H.R.1, often called the “big, beautiful bill," went into effect on Nov. 1. Many newcomers, including certain refugees, asylum seekers, and humanitarian parolees, will no longer be eligible for food assistance.

The impact of the shutdown and new eligibility rules from H.R.1 vary by state. The court rulings require the federal government to use emergency funds to deliver at least some SNAP payments for November, though the court gave the USDA discretion on whether to issue full or reduced benefits. Delays are still likely, as reloading SNAP cards can take time.

Some states, like New Mexico and New York, are stepping in with temporary state-funded food aid or emergency food bank support to bridge the gap. To get up-to-date information on SNAP benefits in your state, go directly to your state’s Department of Human Services (or equivalent) website. They may have a “shutdown update” or “SNAP news” section. Everyday Americans are also organizing across the country to help stave off food insecurity among their neighbors.

11/04/2025

Snohomish County is encouraging nonprofit organizations, for-profit developers and government agencies to submit applications to develop affordable rental housing, homeownership development projects, emergency bridge or shelter housing projects, and homebuyer downpayment assistance and sweat equity projects.

An estimated $1,054,917 in federal funds under the HOME Investment Partnerships Program (HOME) may be available for the 2026 program year, and Affordable Housing and Behavioral Health Capital Funds (AHBH) in an amount to be determined. Projects must benefit low-income people in Snohomish County and 2026 awards are subject to funding availability.

11/01/2025

President Trump set the refugee admissions ceiling at 7,500 for fiscal year 2026, the lowest cap since the U.S. refugee program was established in 1980, according to a Federal Register notice dated September 30 and published on October 31. The determination states that admissions will "primarily be allocated among Afrikaners from South Africa" and "other victims of illegal or unjust discrimination in their respective homelands." President Trump suspended the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program on his first day in office, later creating an exemption for white South Africans whom his administration claims face racial persecution, despite denials from the South African government. The administration stated the 7,500 level is "justified by humanitarian concerns or is otherwise in the national interest." The cap contrasts sharply with historical averages of around 95,000 refugee admissions under both Democratic and Republican administrations.

10/07/2025

How many individuals are currently granted TPS?
As of March 31, 2025, the U.S. provided TPS protections to about 1,297,635 individuals from the following 17 countries.

# Designated Country Approved Individuals

1 Venezuela 605,015
2 Haiti 330,735
3 El Salvador 170,125
4 Ukraine 101,150
5 Honduras 51,225
6 Afghanistan 8,105
7 Nepal 7,160
8 Cameroon 4,920
9 Ethiopia 4,540
10 Syria 3,860
11 Burma 3,670
12 Nicaragua 2,910
13 Sudan 1,790
14 Yemen 1,380
15 Somalia 705
16 South Sudan 210
17 Lebanon 140

10/03/2025

GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN: WHAT IT MEANS FOR IMMIGRATION
The federal government shut down after lawmakers failed to reach a funding deal, but most immigration processes continue. USCIS remains open, as it is fee-funded, so green cards, naturalization, and work permits should move forward. Ports of entry also stay open. The biggest impact falls on employers: Department of Labor systems for LCAs and PERM filings may pause, and E-Verify is likely offline. Immigration courts for detained cases continue, while hearings for others may be rescheduled.

09/18/2025

The U.S. government plans to add questions to the civics test portion of the citizenship interview, reports Camilo Montoya-Galvez CBS News.

Becoming a U.S. citizen is already a costly and lengthy process, Montoya-Galvez points out. The first Trump administration proposed the longer test in 2020, but the Biden administration reverted to the existing test, saying the higher bar was an unnecessary impediment for would-be citizens.

Under the proposal, test takers will have to study 128 questions, up from 100, and get 12 out of 20 correct rather than 6 out of 10.

The changes are part of a broader push to examine citizenship applicants more closely, including measures to check “good moral character” and conduct interviews with neighbors and co-workers, Montoya-Galvez notes.

09/08/2025

--IMMIGRANT POPULATION IN THE U.S. DECLINES FOR THE FIRST TIME IN HALF A CENTURY.
Recent data suggest that, for the first time in decades, the U.S. immigrant population has begun to decline, dropping from a record high of 53.3 million in January 2025 to 51.9 million by June 2025, a decrease of more than 1.4 million people, according to Pew Research Center analysis of Census Bureau data. This shift follows heightened federal immigration enforcement under the second Trump administration's aggressive policies, including stricter border controls, expanded deportation efforts, and scaled-back visa programs that have created a climate of fear prompting both voluntary departures and increased deportations. Whether this decline continues depends on the continued intensity of the administration’s policies, with the American Enterprise Institute projecting in July 2025 that net migration could remain flat or negative through 2026 as policies continue to reduce both low- and high-skilled foreign worker flows. Some observers caution that the recent analysis relies on the Current Population Survey (CPS), which the Census Bureau itself warns against using to measure immigration changes due to its sampling limitations and declining response rates among immigrant communities. The Peterson Institute for International Economics argues the reported decline is “implausibly large,” requiring massive downward revisions to job growth data or suggesting unemployment has dropped to a 72-year low of 2.6%, neither of which aligns with other economic indicators. While economists acknowledge that reduced immigration could ease short-term pressures on public services and labor markets, they warn of potentially severe long-term consequences including labor shortages and diminished economic growth, particularly given America's aging population and historically low birth rates that make the economy increasingly dependent on immigrant workers.