A Note from the Editors:

Government Pledges Responses In 2 Days

In our modern electronic age, wonders will never cease, or at least so it seems. The General Services Administration announced the launch of "USA Services" part of President Bush's "E-Government" initiative (see items below from the GSA and the OMB). GSA Administrator Perry is quoted as stating "we pledge to provide answers to all e-mail and telephone citizen inquiries with two business days or less". Bearing in mind that Petitioners in immigration cases include US citizens petitioning for their relatives, and companies (artificial persons, therefore arguably also "citizens") petitioning for their employees, does this now mean that enquiries to BCIS and DOL will now receive answers in 2 days or less? So the administration appears to be saying. The number to call is 1-800-FED-INFO. Or email your inquiry through the form at: http://www.firstgov.gov/feedback/FeedbackForm.jsp (be sure to select "Immigration and Naturalization" in the drop down box). Once you receive an answer, or don't receive one, please let us know of your experience by writing a Letter to the Editor at weeklyeditor@ilw.com.

Articles

Refugee Women At Risk: Part 1 of 4
Eleanor Acer et al. of the Lawyers Committee for Human Rights describe how recent US laws have undermined the ability of refugee women to obtain asylum.

Questions Raised On Alleged Misuse Of B Visas At Mercedes Benz Plant
The Detroit Free Press reports "They thought the tax breaks were supposed to create jobs for Alabama workers. Now, with the national unemployment rate at 6.4 percent, and at 5.7 percent in Alabama, dozens of jobs created by Mercedes' expansion are going to foreign workers."

U.S. Insists Repatriation of 12 Cubans Is Not Change of Policy
Carl R. Baldwin writes "Why [12 Cubans] were repatriated after the tragic repatriation last April of another Cuban boat and its passengers needs to be looked at."

Republican Proposal Creates Two New Visa Categories
The Tucson Citizen of Arizona reports "The three Republicans, Sen. John McCain and Reps. Jim Kolbe of Tucson and Jeff Flake of Mesa, said their guest-worker proposal would reduce migrant deaths on the US-Arizona border, fill needs for low-skilled labor nationwide and improve national security."

DHS Final Credentialing Requirements Rule For Nurses and Certain Health Care Workers
By Frieda Wong & Bernard P. Wolfsdorf write "The new rule will make it even more difficult to obtain nonimmigrant visas for otherwise qualified international health care workers many of whom are already working in the US based on U.S. state licensure or licensure in their home countries."

BICE Announces Indictment Of Arizona Motel Owners For Conspiracy To Harbor Undocumented Aliens
The Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (BICE) announced that an Arizona family were arrested today in connection with a joint migrant smuggling operation led by agents with the BICE and Bureau of Customs and Border Protection (BCBP).

DHS Announces New Health Care Worker Requirements
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced today that foreign health care workers who seek temporary admission to the US will be required to comply with new certification requirements. For the press release, see this link: http://www.ilw.com/immigdaily/News/2003,0730-health.pdf. For the FAQs, see this link: http://www.ilw.com/immigdaily/News/2003,0730-healthfaq.pdf.

Immigration Attorney Appointed DHS Citizenship And Immigration Services Ombudsman
DHS Secretary Ridge announced the appointment of Mr. Khatri of Florida to serve as the Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman at the DHS. Mr. Khatri was recently the manager for immigration and visa processing for the Walt Disney World Co.

BICE Announces Steps To Help Comply With SEVIS
The Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (BICE) today announced that it is taking new steps to help law-abiding foreign students, as well as US educational institutions, comply with the August 1, 2003 filing deadline for the Student Exchange Visitor and Information System (SEVIS).

What is a Business Plan? An Immigration Attorney's Primer on Business Plan Development
Robert N. Reincke writes "Why exactly is a business plan important, and even more importantly, how can it be truly useful to an immigration attorney or alien investor?"

Rep. Kolbe, Rep. Flake Introduce Border Security And Improvement Bill
Rep. Kolbe (R-AZ) and Rep. Flake (R-AZ) announced the introduction of the Border Security and Improvement Bill, including a section by section analysis, a fact sheet and FAQs.

New BCIS Interpretation On The 7th-Year H-1B Visa Extension
Cyrus D. Mehta writes "On November 2, 2002, the Twenty-First Century Department of Justice Appropriations Authorization Act took effect making it easier for an H-1B visa holder to apply for one-year extensions beyond the 6th-year limitation on H-1B status."

GSA Pledges To Respond To Email Inquiries Within Two Days
The General Services Administration (GSA) of the today formally launched USA Services, a Bush Administration E-Government initiative that pledges to provide citizens with responses to all their Web, e-mail and telephone inquiries within two business days or less. See here for the OMB press release. See here for the GSA press statement.

FAQS On The Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP)
Read the new updated FAQs from the BCIS on SEVP.

ILW Highlights

Discussion Board Update

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Letters to Editors

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

Dear Editor:
I would like to say that I am an undocumented college-bound student who arrived in the US under a tourist visa when I was four. Since then, I have been living in California as an undocumented person. Since I arrived, it was to my understanding, until lately, that I was a natural-born citizen. Thus I have been living almost all of my life under the assumption that I was a legal citizen until my mother chose to inform me otherwise when she decided I was ready. Looking at my lifelong conduct as a law-abiding student with a clean record, one would expect that I would share the same rights and protections as any American citizen. This is not the case. As of late I had to endure unnecessary hassles by the office of the registrar at a UC school pertaining to the status of my citizenship. Now I must prove the status of a green card I cannot apply for, or face dropping out of college in the winter semester. And for most of my life I have faced the vague, unexplained danger of being deported to an unknown country for a status that I, as a child, was not responsible for. That I deserve the same benefits from a post-secondary education as any law-abiding citizen of the US would, I support the passage of the Student Adjustment Act.

Name Not Provided

Immigrant Life

Immigration Weekly Exclusive

Higher Education of Undocumented Immigrants: The Student Adjustment Act:
Part 4 of 4
Lillian Kim continues her discussion on the higher education debate of undocumented immigrants.

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.

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, Aug 4 7:00 pm Eastern Time	Lisa Brenman, Esq.
Wednesday, Aug 6 7:00 pm Eastern Time	Shari Moidel, Esq.
Friday, Aug 8 7:00 pm Eastern Time	To be announced

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