Application for approval letter

By Joel Gunter Published 2 March 2018 Share close Share page Copy link About sharing Melania Trump obtained US citizenship on a visa reserved for immigrants with "extraordinary ability" and "sustained national and international acclaim", according to a report in the Washington Post. Nicknamed the "Einstein Visa", the EB-1 is in theory reserved for people who are highly acclaimed in their field - the government cites Pulitzer, Oscar, and Olympic winners as examples - as well as respected academic researchers and multinational executives. Mrs Trump began applying for the visa in 2000, when she was Melania Knauss, a Slovenian model working in New York and dating Donald Trump. She was approved in 2001, one of just five people from Slovenia to win the coveted visa that year, according to the Post . Becoming a citizen in 2006 gave her the right to sponsor her parents, Viktor and Amalija … [Read more...] about What is the Einstein visa? And how did Melania Trump get one?

Inland Revenue and the police have reached an $8m settlement for asset forfeiture by the Masala Indian restaurant chain in Auckland. In a High Court decision released on Tuesday, Justice Rebecca Edwards gave her approval to what she called a "sensible and pragmatic" outcome to the long-running case. In her judgment, the judge said that in 2012, Inland Revenue, Immigration New Zealand and the Department of Labour started investigations into companies and individuals involved with the Masala chain of restaurants. "Those investigations identified widespread and systemic tax evasion and immigration-related offending by those involved with the Masala group," she said. READ MORE: Restaurant chain assets frozen $34 million in asset seized Masala restaurants fined again for worker exploitation Masala restaurants fined $66K Dark side of cheap takeaways In 2015 the judge granted a police application for restraining orders over 34 residential properties in Auckland, … [Read more...] about Masala restaurant chain in $8 million forfeiture settlement

MARTIN DE RUYTER/Stuff.co.nz Lawyers Amy Gulbransen, left, Mark Dollimore, Mike McMellon and community worker Sonny Alesana all helped Gail Ruansook with her application to stay in New Zealand. Gail Ruansook has been given a second chance, and with a heartfelt vow, she plans to use it well. The lawyers supporting her had collected 60 pages of letters and references from people backing Ruansook in staying, and sent them to Immigration New Zealand. Nelson MP Dr Nick Smith had also written a letter in support. Lawyer Mike McMellon believed it was the widespread support from the Nelson community that helped her fend off deportation. "A lot of it came down to the fact there was so much support from a cross section of society. It was just incredible," McMellon said. She was liable for deportation because she was convicted of tax evasion, committed when she owned Golden Bell Restaurant. She and her husband Bun My Ching were convicted of filing false GST and income … [Read more...] about Thai restaurant worker facing deportation for tax evasion allowed to stay

By Judith Burns and Katie Inman Published 13 minutes ago Share close Share page Copy link About sharing People who take in relatives' children to keep them out of the care system, fear having to give them up as living costs soar, says the charity Kinship. In England and Wales, most kinship carers get less financial support than foster carers and some have warned they are now struggling, says the charity. Ministers say they are working to identify how best to improve support. But rising prices mean Laura Thornton, who cares for two half-siblings, gets "threatening letters" about her debts. Laura is among almost 1,500 kinship carers in England and Wales who responded to the charity's survey. Between them they look after more than 2,000 children. But the survey suggested: Almost nine in 10 struggled to make ends meet, highlighting problems with rising heating bills, the … [Read more...] about Cost of living: Families who care for relatives’ children in crisis

Published 4 hours ago Share close Share page Copy link About sharing The former owner of a shipyard building two CalMac ferries has been accused of a "catastrophic failure of management". The vessels, earmarked for routes on Scotland's west coast, are four years behind schedule and hugely over budget. CMAL, the government-owned company responsible for the procuring the ferries, told MSPs that Ferguson Marine's management was responsible for much of the cost of the over-runs. And CMAL bosses denied their own "meddling" was to blame. They were giving evidence to MSPs on Holyrood's public audit committee, following a highly critical report into the situation by Audit Scotland . It comes after Jim McColl, the former owner of the Port Glasgow shipyard, gave evidence to the committee earlier this month blaming CMAL for most of the problems with the building of the two CalMac ships. … [Read more...] about ‘Catastrophic failures’ to blame for ferries saga

In 2011, after seeing the level of abuse that The X Factor contestant Frankie Cocozza was getting online, Nicola Brookes posted a message of support. In a Facebook comment, she advised Cocozza to keep his friends and family close and be patient while waiting for the harassment to end. For some reason her innocuous comment infuriated the internet trolls – sparking a 10-year campaign of abuse. For the next decade, Brookes, now 55, was plagued by people who seemed set on the goal of destroying her reputation – impersonating her online, stealing her photos to create accounts in her name, faking profiles that made it seem as though she was a paedophile and drug dealer. One of her tormentors, Nicky Wright of South London, was jailed for stalking in 2018. Another turned out to be a police officer, who was suspended. Yair Cohen, who touts himself as the first Internet lawyer, makes a living tracking down anonymous trolls online. Brookes was one of his first digital cases. After deploying … [Read more...] about ‘I could have sorted Wagatha in 24 hours’: Meet the troll-hunting lawyer

Convicted leaker Reality Winner has asked President Biden for a pardon in a petition filed Wednesday. Winner was an Air Force veteran working as a contractor for the National Security Agency when she leaked a top-secret document to The Intercept in 2017 that outlined Russian interference in the run-up to the 2016 presidential election through a phishing campaign aimed at election officials. Winner was tracked down by the FBI, acting on a request from the NSA, and arrested in June 2017. She was arraigned in court just hours after The Intercept's story appeared online, alongside a redacted copy of the document. Winner later pleaded guilty to violating the Espionage Act and spent four years behind bars, before finishing her sentence on supervised home release. She's currently serving three years of supervised release. In her petition to the Justice Department's Office of the Pardon Attorney, Winner wrote, "Forgiveness is never earned, nor is grace deserved, and I confessed … [Read more...] about Convicted leaker Reality Winner asks Biden for a pardon

Ukraine cuts ties with Syria over Luhansk and Donetsk recognition Amnesty report says Russia committed 'war crime' with Mariupol theater strike Russian troops have withdrawn from Snake Island The European Court of Human Rights has ordered Russia not to execute two Britons captured after fighting for Ukraine This article was last updated at 13:46 UTC/GMT Lavrov: New 'iron curtain' is descending Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Thursday that a new "iron curtain" was descending between Russia and the West. "It's practically already coming into place. Let them just behave carefully," Lavrov said of Western countries during a news conference. The Kremlin's decision to invade Ukraine has sparked an overhaul of Europe's foreign, defense and security policies. Biden hails 'historic' NATO summit While closing a NATO summit in Madrid , US President Joe Biden described the meeting as "historic," noting the last time the military alliance updated its … [Read more...] about Ukraine: Russia pulls back forces from Snake Island — live updates

By Jayne McCormack Published 1 hour ago Share close Share page Copy link About sharing Related Topics EU-UK post-Brexit trade deal The UK government has not been "even handed" when it comes to resolving the row over the Northern Ireland Protocol, Leo Varadkar has said. The tánaiste (Irish deputy PM) accused Number 10 of "siding" with unionists in seeking to scrap parts of the deal agreed in 2019 . The DUP has said the protocol damages Northern Ireland's place in the union. But Mr Varadkar said the UK government's bid to unilaterally change the protocol was a "strategic mistake". His comments come just days after MPs gave their initial approval to the government's Northern Ireland Protocol Bill. The proposed piece of legislation would allow ministers to change the part of the UK-EU 2019 deal - known as the Northern Ireland Protocol - that introduced … [Read more...] about Brexit: UK government not ‘even handed’ in protocol row, says tánaiste

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has made a last-minute attempt to stop the executions of two British prisoners held in Russian-occupied Ukraine . Aiden Aslin, 28, and Shaun Pinner, 48, were captured in April while fighting with the Ukrainian Marines in the war-torn city of Mariupol. They were given the death penalty by the proxy ‘Supreme Court’ of the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic after being charged with being foreign mercenaries. ECHR said this morning it had issued interim measures to instruct Russia to make sure their death penalty by a firing squad is not carried out. ‘The Court indicated in particular to the government of the Russian Federation, under Rule 39 (interim measures) of the Rules of Court, that they should ensure that the death penalty imposed on the applicants was not carried out,’ the court said in a statement. Under Rule 39, ECHR may indicate interim measures to any party to the European Convention on Human Rights. Earlier … [Read more...] about European court makes last-minute attempt to stop execution of captured Brits