Editor's Comments

There is much that is going on in immigration below the surface despite the dog days of August. President Bush's immigration trial balloons have set off political pulls and counter pulls that will surely come to surface in early September. The political, social and legal effects may last for the balance of Bush's term and beyond. ILW.COM will soon host a phone seminar presentation on Cutting Edge H-1B issues. The long term demographics of the American job market portend that once the current downturn is reversed, H-1B issues may well be added to Congress's bulging immigration issues plate.

A fillable version of the I-907, Request for Premium Processing Service form has been added to the download forms for free page.

ILW.COM Focus

Q & A on H-1B

ILW.COM is featuring a seminar series on H-1Bs, the speakers are Angelo Paparelli and Stephen Yale-Loehr. A distinctive element of this series is the interactivity with the speakers. Apart from the Q & As during the phone seminar, participants can also pose questions to the speakers by email.

The following excerpt is part of the Q & A exchange in the seminar series.

Question:

My client has applied for a blanket LCA for 12 H1B applicants. Now he wants me to file the actual petitions. Can I take over the petitions? Since I have a blanket LCA for 12 H1Bs, am I correct in assuming that I do not need to file individual LCAs for the 12 Applicants?

A: Click here for the answer.

For more information, or to sign up online, click here
For more information, or to sign up by mail/fax, click here

Tip of the Day

What is an ASP?

Attorneys will hear the acronym ASP (Application Service Provider) frequently in the near future. The term refers to software that is delivered over the Internet to your web browser. The company delivering the software is referred to as an Application Service Provider (ASP). ASP software is becoming widely available to attorneys in areas such as case management, time & billing, calendars, forms, client collaboration & legal research. ASP services are usually sold as subscriptions.

The main advantages of using ASP software are:

1. No installation headaches - a boon to small practices without full-time computer staff
2. No updates - the software and content is updated by the provides, you never have to buy an upgrade
3. Mobility - as the software resides on the Internet you can access it from anywhere - a boon to mobile attorneys
4. Backup - small offices often neglect to backup their data. When a computer crashes you could lose years of precious client data. ASPs backup the data for you averting such a catastrophe.

If you have any questions about ILW.COM's ASP services, such as forms and case tracking, or would just like to learn more about this subject do write to us at support@ilw.com.

ILW.COM Featured Article of the Day

New K Regulations for Spouses of US Citizens and Their Children
Cyrus D. Mehta writes about the recently promulgated INS Regulations implementing the new K-3 and K-4 visas which Congress enacted in the Legal Immigration and Family Equity (LIFE) Act.

Immigration in the Press

Bush Shouldn’t Count on Immigrant Votes
Newsday's opinion column says that President Bush's enthusiasm for expanded immigration has cooled in light of present-day political calculation and that Republicans have good reason to be afraid of an immigrant influx, based on bitter history from the late 1800s.

This Day in Immigration

From August 22, 2000

" Chat with INS! Linda Dodd-Major, Acting Director of DOJ/INS Office of Business Liaison, held a chat session on Tuesday, August 1, 2000. If you were not able to join the sessions and want to see what she said, or if you did join and want to re-read the answers, the transcript has now been posted."

Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor:

I am an AILA member with an office in Moscow. The reason I am writing is to ask for your assistance. We would be greatly appreciative if you would post this request with the Immigration Daily. The US Embassy in Moscow is unfairly denying immigrant visas under the DV-Lottery Program to scores, perhaps hundreds, of applicants, alleging that they did not sign the original lottery application, when in fact they did. The Embassy is presuming that if the applicant used an American mailing address, or did not sign identically at the IV interview as he/she had on the lottery application, someone else signed the application. We are seeking feedback from your readers, particularly attorneys, who may have clients who have experienced this problem in Moscow. If so, we would be greatly appreciative if these attorneys would contact us, with the details of individual cases (both for years DV-2000 and -2001). We are looking to set up a meeting with the Ambassador or his assistant next week; at that meeting, we would obviously like to bring up as many cases as possible to show the scope of the problem, and have these cases re-considered. The Russian press has already picked up on the story, and some Western media outlets have shown interest. FYI: We are handling these cases pro bono, so individual applicants affected would have no financial obligation. Thanks again for your assistance. I would be happy to provide more details to those interested.

Sincerely,
Ken White, Esq., White & Associates
web: http://www.bridgewest.com, email: bridgewest@yahoo.com, tel: (818)730-3540

Classifieds

ILW.COM carries classified ads for immigration related positions. $100 for single insertion, $250 for five consecutive insertions, payable in advance. Contact us for details. We will also carry for no charge announcements such as immigration related events. We reserve the right to refuse any ad and to make minor editorial and formatting changes. Send to editor@ilw.com.

HELP WANTED: CORPORATE IMMIGRATION PARALEGALS
Fragomen, Del Rey, Bernsen & Loewy, is the largest law firm in the country practicing exclusively in the area of immigration and nationality law. In order to meet the demands of our growing business, the firm is actively recruiting for experienced paralegals in its ATLANTA, NEW YORK, NEW JERSEY,and CHICAGO offices. The ideal candidate has business immigration experience or a human resources background dealing with immigration issues. Must have excellent verbal and written communication skills and be able to perform multiple tasks in a fast-paced environment. The firm offers superior salaries and exceptional growth opportunities. Please submit cover letter and resume to Anne-Rose van den Bossche, Esq., Fragomen, Del Rey, Bernsen, & Loewy, 515 Madison Ave, New York, NY 10022 or fax 212-750-1121 or avandenbossche@fragomen.com

VOLUNTEER ADVISOR SOUGHT
Small pro bono asylum law clinic seeks volunteer advisor with asylum experience to assist pro bono attorneys. Clinic meets informally every other week, but would discuss alternate arrangements. If interested, please contact Jim Feroli, ferolij@staff.abanet.org

IMMIGRATION TELECONFERENCE
Angelo Paparelli and Steve Yale-Loehr will conduct a teleconference and e-mail listserv series titled On the Cutting Edge: H-1B Practice and Strategy with Angelo Paparelli and Steve Yale-Loehr. The remaining teleconferences will take place Wednesdays September 5, and October 3, 2001, at 1:00-2:30 p.m. Eastern (New York) time. They are open to attorneys, employers, HR professionals and anyone else interested in the H-1B process and strategy. For more information or to register click here.

CLE CONFERENCE
American Immigration Lawyers Association 2001 Fall CLE Conference "It's a Border Thing" September 14, 2001, La Mansion del Rio Hotel, San Antonio, Texas. Register before August 24, 2001, and save $$. Receive discounted hotel rates when you make hotel reservations by August 20, 2001. Visit the Conference section of www.AILA.org to obtain registration and hotel information. Don't Miss This Exciting Conference!

IMMIGRATION LAW SEMINAR
Saturday, October 13, 2001, 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at Ramada Inn, Fairfield, NJ. A panel of experienced immigration lawyers and paralegals will explain how the administrative system operates and present the information you need to handle basic immigration matters. You’ll also hear directly from several agency representatives about the procedures you need to follow when dealing with these agencies. For details click here.

CLE CONFERENCE
American Immigration Lawyers Association, Central Florida Chapter (AILA-CFC) will be holding its 15th Annual Advanced-Level Immigration Law Seminar on October 26-27 at the Renaissance Orlando Resort, Orlando, Florida.  Discounted hotel rates are available from the resort.  Point of contact for information/registration is Steve Zawacki, immigration@abanet.org or 407/831-6644.