A Note from the Editors:

Using Netscape For ILW.COM

A letter to the Editor today refers to our recent comments about accessing our website from computers at the DOJ/DHS. Our website is accessible to anyone with MS Internet Explorer 5.0 and above or to Netscape Navigator 6.0 and above. We understand that Navigator 7.02, the most current version is free of the bugs that we understand plagued Navigator 6.0 at one time. Those who want to stay with Netscape may find 7.02 will bring them into the 21st century. We understand that DOJ/DHS have standardized their computers on Netscape 4.7, an ancient version. We also understand that DOJ (and now presumably DHS) have authorized upgrades to Internet Explorer 6.0. We hope our readers in these Departments will upgrade their browsers (there is no software cost to upgrade these browsers). This will not only restore their access to our website, it will also make their general browsing experience on many other websites more productive and pleasant.

We welcome readers to share their opinion and ideas on this topic with us by writing to weeklyeditor@ilw.com.

Articles

CRS Report Says L Visa Issuance Has Declined For Past Two Years
The Congressional Research Service of the Library of Congress issued a report on the L visa which stated "although the number of L visas issued has tripled in the past 20 years, the number of L visas that the Department of State issued in FY2002 (112,624) is down from a high of 120,538 in FY 2001.

Rep. Van Hollen Introduces Private Bill
Rep. Van Hollen (D-MD) introduced a private bill on behalf of Junior Anthony Francis, a permanent resident of the US, and to put an end to deportation proceedings that are pending against him by the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (BICE).

Utah Urges Congress To Review Whether To Permit The Undocumented Who Have Married US Citizens To Become US Citizens
Utah's legislature adopted a joint resolution that said, "The Legislature of the state of Utah strongly urge the US Congress to review and consider whether to permit parents of American- born children to become American citizens; whether to permit undocumented individuals who have married American citizens to become American citizens..."

EOIR List of Suspended And Expelled Practitioners
The Executive Office for Immigration Review of the Department of Justice updated its list of Suspended and Expelled Practitioners.

BCIS In A Day Responds To 75,000 Calls To Its 1-800 Customer Service Number
The Department of Homeland Security released a fact sheet describing a sampling of what the men and women of DHS do in a day, including the fact that the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services (BCIS) in a day responds to 75,000 daily calls to its 1-800 customer service number.

A Nation Of Immigrants
James W. Ziglar addressed the first ever membership meeting of the American Civil Liberties Union. The entire text of the address is reproduced here.

Diversity Visa Lottery 2004 Results Announced
The Department of State announced the results of its 2004 diversity visa lottery, including a statistical breakdown by foreign-state chargeability of those registered for the DV-2004 program.

Bill To Prevent Unauthorized Practice Of Immigration Law Dies In NY State Senate
Newsday of Hempstead, NY reports "The proposed law would require that immigrant assistance organizations that charge for their services to provide written contracts to clients and allow them a three day grace period to cancel the agreements. The organizations must also post signs, if applicable, saying they are not engaged in the practice of law and can't give legal advice."

10 Tips For Determining Prevailing Wage
Steven Clark provides his bulleted points from ILW.COM's telephone seminar on labor certification which give an overview of prevailing wages.

AILA President Says 'Culture Of Saying No' Pervades Gov't
The New Orleans Times-Picayune reports "Palma Yanni of Washington, D.C., who Thursday became president of the 8,000-member immigration lawyers organization, said the paralysis already has set in. A culture of saying no has developed among government workers since the terrorists attacks of Sept. 11, she said: "No one wants to be the next one to let the bad guys in."

Aliens Victims of Post 9/11 False Terrorism Tips
Carl R. Baldwin writes "But given the dreadful impact that a false accusation will have on aliens and their families, I wish that the administration would get rid of a mindset that is far too quick to link aliens, especially Muslim aliens, to terrorism."

Supreme Court Declines Immigration Case
The Kansas City Star reports " The Supreme Court refused Monday to consider when the government can indefinitely detain illegal immigrants caught at the borders in a case involving Mariel boatlift refugees who fled Cuba in 1980."

Can I go to school in the US?
Read a comprehensive answer from BCIS on how to change to a new nonimmigrant status.

ILW Highlights

Processing Times Updated

Department of Labor Processing Times have been updated.

Letters to Editors

To write to Editors, send emails to weeklyeditor@ilw.com.

Dear Editor:
My husband came to the US 5 1/2 years ago on an H1B to try out for a IHL hockey team. His visa from Belarus indicated to him in his language that he would be able to be here for 6 months. His I-9 stated 30 days in English. He went to training camp and got hit in the eye with a puck and missed the final tryout window. Figuring he had 6 months to find a team and this being his one shot to be in the US he through English speaking friends got on with another team and got an offer. A "friend of the team" thinking she was doing him a favor filed assylum paperwork on his behalf. The team unable to get him his work visa had to let him go. He found yet another team and now that his status was overstay and he had pending assylum paperwork etc, they didn't or wouldn't commit the additional money/time of an attorney to get it all sorted out and since he couldn't get a visa he couldn't get insurance hence they also dropped him. He had limited resources and lots of time so he offered to help his neighbor who happens to be my best friends husband on a major renovation project I was doing on my home. Just about that time I got fired from my job so the free labor really came in handy. Now with limited resources and lots of time I took a look at his situation and found an attorney in Atlanta for his upcoming asylum hearing. In short the attorney told him voluntary departure was his only option. So we paid the $1000 for the 15 minute court appearance and went back home in defeat. We had alot of initial attraction to each other but were kind of "holding back" because we didn't really see a future because of the Immigration situation and the attorney had told us not to get married here in the US because the INS would automatically assume the marriage was fraudulent. During the time the clock was ticking on the voluntary departure date we cried alot worried alot and then we decided to get married and in the worst case scenario I might be able to go to his country on the basis of our marital status after my daughter graduated from school. Then we saw some things in the newspaper about 245(i) and felt it might be a bad idea for him to leave so he didn't. We don't know what to do. So in short you have a US born American citizen married to an illegal alien who it seems has now no way of legally being here. I would love to hear of a place that at bare minimum would take us both and would be willing to give us both work visa's so we could support ourselves and live as husband and wife together.

Name Withheld Upon Request [Ed. 10/29/03]

Dear Editor:
I am writing about a problem which has obviously evaded the attention of lawmakers, immigration lawyers and the judiciary regarding the legal and law-abiding folks who were excluded from applying for permanant residency at the time of the illegal alien amnesties because of the fact that they were in-status and legal. My case accentuates the irony of the amnesties - I have been in the US since 1975 working for an international organisation, but ineligible for residency status because I was legal. I am interested in establishing a network of such people - as few as they may be - for a possible legal challenge to the INS so that future amnesties would include the relatively small number of people who have obeyed all the laws, paid all the taxes required, would not be penalised for being law-abiding. Right now, it is dificult to comprehend that a society which espouses the respect for law that the US does would be so dismisssive of folks who practice it. I would also like to establish contact with lawyers who might be interested in representing such a cause.

Tulsi Das

Immigrant Life

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Continued.

Have a story that you'd like to share with us? Send your story as an immigrant to weeklyeditor@ilw.com.

This week's chat schedule

ILW.COM announces that as of May 2nd, all chats will be held at 7:00 pm Eastern Time.

When	Attorney
Monday, Jun 30 7:00 pm Eastern Time	Kevin Dixler, Esq.
Wednesday, Jul 2 7:00 pm Eastern Time	Alice Yardum-Hunter, Esq.
Friday, Jul 4 7:00 pm Eastern Time	None today

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