A Note from the Editors:

President Bush has just signed the new Border Security Bill into law. The President promises to accomplish the mammoth task of controlling the United States borders while at the same time not to hinder travel and commerce. The bill calls for additions to manpower and proposes use of technology for smart monitoring. It requires every foreign visitor desiring entrance into the United States to carry a travel document containing biometric identification.

The President said, "America is not a fortress; no, we never want to be a fortress. We're a free country; we're an open society. And we must always protect the rights of our law -- of law-abiding citizens from around the world who come here to conduct business or to study or to spend time with their family. That's what we're known for. We're known for respect." We are in total sync with these sentiments, and hope that these will prevent the United States from becoming an I.D. state in future.

The Processing Times for the following have been updated:
Vermont, Nebraska, Texas and California Service Centers
Family, Employment and Diversity (DV) Visa Categories for Department of State
Labor certification applications

Articles

Foreign Workers And Their Families Face Increased Scrutiny When Travelling
George N. Lester and Punam S. Rogers write about the increased scrutiny aliens face when travelling after September 11th.

INS Issues Interpretation On Law Extending H-1B Status Beyond Six Years
Cyrus D. Mehta writes about a recent INS explanation of its policy for those seeking one-year increments of H-1B status beyond the statutory six-year cap.

Qwest Criticized For Using Indian Software Workers
The Rocky Mountain News reported on Qwest (which purchased US West - a Baby Bell), which reportedly used 2,000 H-1B numbers and quoted a spokesman for the company saying "there are times the work can be done faster and more cost effectively by people outside the company, whether they're U.S. citizens or Indian."

Travel Tips for International Students
Ellen H. Badger of Binghamton University has updated her previous article with detailed tips for foreign students to follow when traveling.

Indian Chief / Sovereign King Adopts Undocumented To Prevent Them From Being Deported
The Boston Globe, on the website boston.com reports on "one of the most bizarre legal arguments to cross the desks of [the INS], a self-described Chippewa chief from Canada has stepped forth to fight [the deportation of an undocumented Chinese immigrant], insisting that Zheng is not an illegal Chinese immigrant, but his own adopted son."

Dramatic Changes To Labor Certification Proposed By Labor Department
Greg Siskind and Amy Ballentine provide a detailed summary of the proposed "PERM" regulations and say "as the regulations currently stand, there will no doubt be protracted litigation challenging several of the provisions."

Houston Police Shun Immigration Enforcement
Houston Chronicle reports "Avoiding immigration questions is not merely routine practice at the Houston Police Department, it's official policy"

INS's Proposed Visitor Regulations Would Scapegoat Immigrants
Carl Shusterman, through a slightly facetious example, points out that "the only victims of the proposed [INS] regulations [for visitor visas] will be those tourists who do play by the rules."

ILW Highlights

Updated Immigration Forms

INS has been updating forms at a crazy speed after 9/11 including many most commonly used forms such as I-130, I-140 and I-864. The older versions of many of the forms are no longer accepted, all petitioners must make sure to file the latest version.

Letters to Editors

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

Immigrant Life

Sorry, cannot issue your wife a visa. She is dead!

In July 1987 or so, we made a program to visit Dhaka, Bangladesh for sightseeing. We applied for Tourist visa at the Consulate in Calcutta, India after obtaining the tickets. All the necessary paperwork was submitted. It came as a shock to me, when................(Cont'd).

This week's chat schedule

When Attorney Monday, May 20 9:00 pm Eastern Time Kevin Dixler Wednesday, May 22 9:00 pm Eastern Time Mitch Berenson

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