A Note from the Editors:

ESIG Comments To BCIS E-Filing Rule

The E-Filing Standards for Immigration Group (ESIG) recently commented on BCIS's rule on E-filing. These comments appear below as our Featured Article today. Among the comments:

• On-Line Payment by Credit or Debit Card Must be Permitted.
• E-Filing Must Permit Data Access, Retention and Re-Use.
• E-Filing Must Accommodate Electronic Submission of Attachments.
• The E-filing Provision for Biometric Intake Should Be Eliminated and Should Instead Be the Subject of a Separate Rulemaking.
• E-Filing Must be Integrated with Forms-Preparation and Case-Management Features Based on Agreed Technical Standards (Preferably through “Negotiated Rulemaking”).
• The E-Filing System Must Take into Account the Attorney-Client Relationship.
• The E-Filing System Should Expressly Address Legitimate Data Privacy Concerns.

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

Articles

Staying Out Of Harm's Way: Immigration Pitfalls That Employment Lawyers And Their Clients Should Avoid: Part 2 of 3
Angelo A. Paparelli and John C. Valdez provide an overview of the immigration consequences of a variety of employment decisions.

Who's Paying The Bills? Why America Needs An Investor Visa That Works
Gary Endelman writes "The existing immigrant investor visa created by the Immigration Act of 1990 has not done what its advocates hoped, and its detractors feared, it would do."

Senate Democrats Propose Eliminating Parole For Undocumented Felons
The Pasadena Star News reports "In an effort to save starved [California] state coffers $14.9 million, Senate Democrats propose dropping the parole supervision of illegal immigrants and foreign nationals after they serve their prison sentence and are turned over to US immigration authorities for deportation."

E-Filing Standards for Immigration Group (ESIG) Comments To The BCIS
Angelo Paparelli, Esq., Robert C. Meltzer, Esq. et al, members of ESIG, have provided a copy of their submitted comments on the BCIS interim final rule allowing electronic filing of applications for benefits.

Immigration Consultant Indicted For Alleged Fraud
Newsday of Hempstead, NY reports "An immigration consultant believed to be linked to an allegedly fraudulent agency in Flushing has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Rochester."

United We Stand: Defending Immigration Now
Andres Benach writes "In an era where the President speaks of the moral absolutes of "good" and "evil," immigration advocates must speak in unison in affirming that immigration is a good thing for the US."

NY Mayor Bloomberg's Executive Order Policy On Reporting The Undocumented
The Village Voice of New York reports "After a month of wrangling over a new executive order issued at the end of May by [NY] Mayor Michael Bloomberg, community activists and City Council members working to safeguard immigrants' access to city services are hopeful that the mayor will revise the policy, which, they say, declares open season on the undocumented."

ABC News Anchor, Canadian Peter Jennings Becomes A US Citizen
USA Today reports "[ABC News anchor Peter Jennings] announced over the weekend that after 39 years of working at ABC News, here and abroad, he now pledges allegiance to the flag of the US."

Sexual Abuse Of Minors: Minor Acts, Major Consequences?
Elizabeth Reichard writes "Most people are not aware, however, that in addition to criminal consequences for their crimes, immigrant sex offenders face further punishment—deportation from the US."

Here Comes The Bride...Again, Again, And Again
The New York Times reports "In a era when divorce and remarriage are commonplace, it might not be surprising for a city clerk to see some of the same names pop up on applications for marriage licenses from time to time. But it did strike the city clerk's office as highly unusual when it learned this year that one Manhattan woman had applied for 27 marriage licenses from 1984 to 2002, and that at least a dozen others had seemingly married in numbers that were highly suspicious."

Fox News Alleges AILA Has Ties To Terrorism
A report in Fox News says "It's baffling that a person whose early career was spent apologizing for terrorism has risen to director of a mainstream, national professional organization whose members testify on Capitol Hill. It is even more baffling that Ms. Butterfield was elected to her position by members of a profession that counts among its members many Jews, while her early career was devoted destruction of the Jewish state."

BCIS Announces El Salvador TPS Will Be Extended
The Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services announced that Temporary Protected Status for El Salvador would be extended an additional 18-months until March 9, 2005.

How Do I Bring My Child, Son or Daughter to Live in the US?
Read a comprehensive answer from BCIS on how to bring your child to live in the US?

ILW Highlights

Processing Times Updated

Processing times for all Service Centers have been updated.

Letters to Editors

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

Dear Editor:
It's been a year since I have been waiting for the I130 to approved..I can't beleive that the Nebraska office is sooo behind. Is there anywhere where I can send my complaints? My lawyer has sent letters to get the case transfered to Chicago but no luck.

Name Not Provided

Immigrant Life

Immigration Weekly Exclusive

Higher Education of Undocumented Immigrants: The Student Adjustment Act:
Part 1 of 4
Lillian Kim writes "For many undocumented high school graduates, attending college is an unreachable goal."

Have an article or a story that you'd like to share with us? Send your story or article that you feel would be of interest to immigrants to weeklyeditor@ilw.com.

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