The executive actions on immigration that President Obama took at the end of 2014, which extended work permits and temporary deportation relief to some 4 million people here illegally, will continue to face challenges in the new year including a possible lawsuit filed by House Republicans in addition to a lawsuit already filed by various states.

"This is an important fight to have. I think we should do everything we can to persuade at least a half a dozen Democrats that they should join us to get this done." Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., commenting on the effort by Senate Republicans to pass the House bill that contains legislation to overturn Obama's immigration policies, which was added to legislation to fund the Department of Homeland Security beyond February.

In 2014, the number of applications that was received for the green card lottery, the annual program that randomly awards permanent residence to some 50,000 people, was more than 11 million, a 21 percent increase from 2013.

Starting Jan. 27, 2015, employers of foreign workers can request the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to send notices or decisions regarding petitions they have filed on behalf of their employees to one centralized location, such as the employer's legal representative or the company's human resources department.

*Unused amount from 1st half of fiscal year, will be made available for 2nd half.

On January 1, 2015, the USCI began disposing of transaction records that are over ten years old - those dated on or before December 31, 2004. Exceptions to this are records associated with ongoing government investigations, prosecutions or litigations.

myE-Verify, a website that lets U.S. workers and job-seekers check their immigration records, is now available in Arizona, Idaho, California, Colorado, Lousiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, and the District of Columbia. https://www.uscis.gov/mye-verify