A Note from the Editors:

"Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

The story has remained the same over past 500 years. First were to arrive were English immigrants in Roanoke, Virginia who unable to survive the hardships vanished without a trace. They were followed by Puritans, Quakers, Menonites and million others who came to escape religious persecution. Today, there are still people pouring in for the same reason, but most come looking for a better ilfe. All these immigrants have taken bare land and converted it into a land of prosperity with their ideas and hard work.

Salutations to Columbus for discovering this New World full of promise.

Articles

The ABC's of Immigration - Finding the Right Immigration Lawyer
Greg Siskind and Amy Ballentine present an overview of why it is important for aliens to hire an immigration lawyer and list factors to consider when hiring a lawyer.

H-1B Series: The H-1B Beneficiary's Required Qualifications, Part 4
George N. Lester IV continues a detailed discussion on the qualifications for H-1B beneficiaries.

Percival writes about life as Russian immigrant
"My father had to leave the country when I was four, because he was going to be arrested," said Nora Percival, a Russian immigrant who left the country in an article Watauga Democrat.

ABA Series: A Legal Guide For INS Detainees
The Commission on Immigration Policy, Practice and Pro Bono of the American Bar Association provides the 6th of 8 parts of its Legal Guide for INS Detainees.

Former INS Acting Assistant District Director Sentenced
The San Francisco Chronicle reports that the acting assistant director for the INS in San Francisco until he retired "has been sentenced to six months in a halfway house and six months' home detention for fleecing undocumented workers of nearly $5,000 in bogus fees."

Occupational Therapists Licensing Requirements By State
Gregory Siskind and Karen Weinstock provide a state-by-state listing of Occupational Therapists' licensing requirements.

Spouse Of 9/11 Victim To Be Deported
The New York Times reports "Husband of a 9/11 Victim Is Told He'll Be Deported"

An Analysis Of The Child Status Protection Act - Updated
Cyrus D. Mehta provides an updated discussion of the Child Status Protection Act in light of several memos from INS and DOS.

Current Trends In EB-1-2 Outstanding Researcher Cases
Jennifer Riley, Dan Berger and Stephen Yale-Loehr write "It does appear that the outstanding researcher category may be moving toward a higher standard of review, paralleling similar patterns in national interest waiver and EB-1-1 adjudications in the past."

"Doris, Check Out That Cabana Boy"
Jose Latour asks "Wouldn't it make more sense to expand the availability of the H- 2B visa on a trial basis to remove the seasonal "provision" at least until labor data shows the availability of American workers to fill such positions?"

Sun Did Not Post LCA Notices, But Did Not Break Law
The San Francisco Chronicle reports "The U.S. Department of Labor has found that Sun Microsystems Inc. failed to comply with a rule on posting notices about hiring foreign workers through the H-1B visa program but that the Santa Clara firm did not break any laws."

1 Million Post Cards Support Legalization
The San Diego Union-Tribune reports that advocates for the undocumented rallied in Washington, DC "to celebrate the delivery of 1 million postcards urging President Bush and Congress to push for a sweeping legalization program."

How Do I Get a Travel Document?
Read comprehensive answer from INS on who needs a Travel Document and how to get it.

ILW Highlights

INA And INS Regulations At Your Fingertips

While writing to the INS about a RFE or preparing a petition, how do you keep the INA and all the relevent regulations of the INS at your fingertips? Attorneys have been using the exaustive topic indices in the 8 CFR Plus and The Whole ACT—INA (Annotated) to do just that for years. To read more, please click here.

Letters to Editors

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

Dear Editor:
ILW.COM carried an excerpt of my recent book related to US visas called "Gateway to America" in Immigrant's Weekly. I wonder if you would be interested to carry a book review of my book. If so, please inform as to where should I send?

Arun Vakil

Editor's Note: Immigration Daily/Weekly carries book reviews as part of the Featured Article section. Please send book reviews to editor@ilw.com for consideration for publication. We prefer reviews of books on immigration law, but we will occasionally carry reviews of books on other immigration-related subjects. We prefer (but do not require) that reviewers be immigration attorneys.

Dear Editor:
The hyperlinks in my email are not active, how do I fix this?

Uzo Akpele (AOL Email Address)

Editor's Note: The email version of Immigration Daily/Weekly is sent out in plain text format. AOL email readers will find that the links are not clickable. You need to highlight the link, and cut-and-paste it into your web browser, then hit return to go the link. This is a well-known issue for AOL users, and not unique to Immigration Daily subscribers with AOL email addresses. (You could also visit our website to browse the Web version of Immigration Daily, as all the links on our web version will be clickable for AOL users.)

Immigrant Life

What do they know about me?

"Just out of curiosity (I don't anticipate any problems in future, as I haven't lied, etc.): I was just refused entry to the US (couldn't prove strong enough ties to Canada, especially since I have a US boyfriend) and was wondering what records the INS keeps on me. They're always going into the back and photocopying things, looking up or typing mysterious things into computers... What information about me do they have access to, and after they're done with me, what new information is available next time? Will I be "flagged" and questioned every time I try to enter the country? It always bothers me so much how little information about what's going on they seem willing to give me at the border. I've been refused before (the official didn't think I had enough cash on me for the length of my stay -- now I always bring much more than I need!), and the guy behind the desk seemed pretty inconvenienced just to tell me why I wouldn't be let in...

Apart from all of that -- being a 20-year-old student, does anyone have suggestions as to how I could make a stronger case for showing an intent to return to Canada? I still live with my mother, so I can't show them proper "evidence of foreign residence" and I don't have a permanent job (I work occassionally for my mother, and do web design work -- all I need to do to get by). School doesn't help me, since it's by correspondence. Am I hopless unless I buy my own place or get married? Guh. They don't seem to consider that I'm young. Am I meant to have a career by now? This is one case where I wish they DID have mind reading devices -- to know that I'm telling the truth. The part that bugs me is that had I lied about my situation, I most likely could have gotten through....." Post a reply.

This week's chat schedule

When Attorney Monday, October 14 9:00 pm Eastern Time No Chat Wednesday, October 16 9:00 pm Eastern Time Shari Moidel, Esq. Friday, October 18 9:00 pm Eastern Time Raj Bhushan, Esq.

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