This newsletter is never sent out unsolicited and is only sent to people who have subscribed. UNSUBSCRIBE instructions can be found at http://www.visalaw.com/subscribe2.html. SISKIND'S IMMIGRATION BULLETIN - MARCH 1999 E-mail subscribers as of March 29, 1999: 20,392 persons (50 states/125 countries) Published by Greg Siskind, partner at the Immigration Law Offices of Siskind, Susser, Haas & Devine, Attorneys at Law; telephone: 800-748-3819, 901-737-3194 or 615-345-0225; facsimile: 901-737-3837 or 615-843-0424, email: [EMAIL PROTECTED], WWW home page: http://www.visalaw.com. SSHD serves immigration clients throughout the world from its offices in the US, Canada and the People's Republic of China. To schedule a telephone or in-person consultation with the firm, go to http://www.visalaw.com/intake.html. To receive a free e-mail subscription to Siskind's Immigration Bulletin, fill out the form at http://www.visalaw.com/subscribe2.html or send an email message to mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] with the message in the body of the e-mail "subscribe your e-mail address". TO UNSUBSCRIBE GO TO http://www.visalaw.com/subscribe2.html. To subscribe to the free Siskind's Immigration Professional Newsletter, send e-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] and tell us your name, location, e-mail address, and the type of immigration occupation you are in (immigration lawyer, paralegal, foreign student advisor, journalist, Congressional staffer, etc.). ______________________________________ Dear Readers: As those of you who have been subscribing for several years will know, our little newsletter has grown from what was once just a few articles that took a couple of pages to a publication with 40+ articles per month, often printing out to 50 of more pages. Because the newsletter is so large, we have had to break it into multiple parts when distributing it via e-mail. Many people have commented that this makes it difficult to read and have asked whether there is an alternative. Also, the massive task of sending out a multi-part e-mail (with each message containing about ten pages of text) to more than 20,000 readers has put an extreme burden on our provider's mail server and many of you have reported missing parts in your monthly newsletter. We think we have found a solution which will both give readers flexibility and solve problems with our mailing. Starting this month, we will begin delivery of the newsletter in three ways and readers will have a choice how they wish to receive our publication. The first way is what you are seeing in this e-mail. After our first article, all of the other articles will be hyperlinked to the article on our web site. You can then find the articles you are interested in quickly and read them in an html format. The second format will be a simple e-mail with an Adobe Acrobat attachment containing the entire text of the newsletter. This will mean you have to be able to read Adobe Acrobat, be able to handle e-mail attachments and not mind receiving a 100K document that may be 50 or more pages. The third format will be the old format - a multi-part e-mail with the entire text of the newsletter. If you prefer the second or third format, please e-mail me back and we will get you set up. If you like the format of this e-mail, do nothing and you will continue receiving your newsletter this way. We hope this new format works and if you have previously had delivery problems, please accept our apologies. Regards, Greg Siskind ___________________________________________ 1. MESSAGE FROM SISKIND, SUSSER, HAAS & DEVINE 2. LEGISLATIVE UPDATE - ADVOCACY UPDATE CENTER 3. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR'S UNVEILING OF NEW LCA FAXBACK SYSTEM PLAGUED WITH PROBLEMS 4. INS TARGETING INDIAN COMPUTER CASES 5. INS REPORTS ON "MAIL-ORDER BRIDES" AND IMMIGRATION 6. NATURALIZATION AND CITIZENSHIP UPDATE 7. NEW STUDY SHOWS INCREASED CITIZENSHIP APPLICATION DENIALS 8. PRESIDENT CLINTON DISCUSSES IMMIGRATION DURING VISIT TO CENTRAL AMERICA 9. H-1B VISA CAP WILL SOON BE REACHED 10. BORDER AND DEPORTATION NEWS 11. TEMPORARY AMNESTY FOR GUATEMALAN AND GUATEMALAN NATIONALS EXPIRES 12. NACARA REGULATIONS DEBATED IN CONGRESS 13. FINAL RULE ON NACARA MOTIONS TO REOPEN 14. SHIFT IN INS INTERIOR ENFORCEMENT STRATEGY DRAWS CRITICISM 15. GOVERNMENT PROCESSING TIMES 16. STATE DEPARTMENT VISA BULLETIN 17. NEWS BYTES 18. IMMIGRATION AND THE INTERNET 19. VISA SPOTLIGHT: EB-5 INVESTOR GREEN CARD 20. FORMER INS COMMISSIONER CRITICIZES INS CRACKDOWN ON IMMIGRANT INVESTOR VISA PROGRAM 21. CONGRESSIONAL REPUBLICANS CALL FOR 1000 NEW BORDER PATROL AGENTS 22. COMMISSIONER MEISSNER SAYS SERVICE WILL LAY LOW DURING CENSUS COUNT OF IMMIGRANT COMMUNITIES 23. TEMPORARY PROTECTED STATUS PROGRAM CRITICIZED IN CONGRESS 24. HOUSE IMMIGRATION SUBCOMMITTEE DEBATES ECONOMIC IMPACT OF IMMIGRATION 25. INS DISCUSSES IMMIGRATION EFFECT OF HURRICANE MITCH 26. ALIEN SMUGGLING OFF FLORIDA COAST TURNS DEADLY 27. FLORIDA GOVERNOR CRITICIZES FEDERAL ENFORCEMENT OF IMMIGRATION LAWS 28. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES ISSUES POVERTY GUIDELINES FOR 1999 29. URBAN INSTITUTE RELEASES STUDY ON IMMIGRANT'S WELFARE USE 30. TEXAS GOVERNOR BUSH EXPRESSES SYMPATHY FOR MEXICAN IMMIGRANTS 31. ASYLUM SEEKERS TURNED AWAY AT THE MEXICAN BORDER 32. FRAUDULENT IRANIAN ASYLUM RING BROKEN UP 33. UNITED NATIONS CRITICIZES INS PRACTICE OF JAILING REFUGEES 34. NEWS FROM THE COURTS 35. CONTINUING AFTERMATH OF CHANDLER, ARIZONA 'ALIEN ROUNDUP': ANOTHER LAWSUIT AND A CHANGE IN POLICE POLICY 36. U.S. GOVERNMENT ANNOUNCES SETTLEMENT OF IMMIGRANT NURSE DISCRIMINATION CASE 37. LAWSUIT OVER ENGLISH-ONLY SIGN ORDINANCE 38. GUINEA-BISSAU DESIGNATED FOR TEMPORARY PROTECTED STATUS 39. CONSULAR FOCUS: SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA 40. CHINESE, IRAQI DETAINEES BRAWL 41. SLAIN GUINEAN IMMIGRANT LIED ON ASYLUM APPLICATION 42. MEXICAN HOMOSEXUAL SEEK ASYLUM IN THE U.S. 43. ITALIAN AMERICAN INS EMPLOYEES ACCUSE AGENCY OF BIAS 44. ORANGE COUNTY SEEKS TO ELIMINATE UNDERGROUND MEDICAL CLINICS CATERING TO IMMIGRANTS 45. INS ANNOUNCES EXTENSION OF PILOT EMPLOYMENT VERIFICATION PROGRAM TO NEBRASKA 46. NEW RULE ON NONIMMIGRANT VISA PHOTOGRAPH REQUIREMENT ISSUED ____________________________________ 1. MESSAGE FROM SISKIND, SUSSER, HAAS & DEVINE The big news this month harkens back to the big issue of 1998 the H-1B visa cap. As regular readers of this publication may remember, last year a major debate took place in Congress whether the 65,000 annual cap on the issuance of H-1B visas should be raised. The cap of 65,000 was reached in May of last year, several months in advance of the October 1st start date for the federal fiscal year. At the very last moment, Congress decided to raise the cap for three years (and add a number of new H-1B requirements in the process). The cap for the current fiscal year is 115,000. Most thought this would be completely sufficient. However, as we reported earlier this month, not only will that cap not take us through the fiscal year, but the new, higher cap will be reached even earlier than last year. In fact, we have learned that the number of cases already in the queue to be approved already exceeds 115,000. This month, we'll report on this crucial new development. There are a number of other important stories we are following this month as well. Several of them relate to immigration issues affecting Central Americans NACARA, Temporary Protected Status for Hondurans and Guatemalans, the ongoing effect of Hurricane Mitch on immigration and more. We also report this month on asylum, immigrant investor green cards, the new HHS poverty guidelines. And, as always, we have our regular features INS processing times, State Department Visa numbers, Visa Spotlight, Consular Focus, Legislative Update, etc. In firm news, we are happy to report that Greg Siskind's new book, the J Visa Guidebook, is finished and off to the printing press. The book is being published by Matthew Bender, one of the largest legal publishing firms in the world, and is being co-authored with well-known immigration lawyers Steve Yale-Loehr and William Stock. If all goes as planned, the book will be released just prior to the National Association of Foreign Student Advisors meeting in Denver, Colorado in late May. Look for more information on this first publication of its kind in coming issues. The firm was also in the news because we broke the H-1B story on our site. The story was picked up by several news services (including the March 19th issue of the Seattle Times (http://archives.seattletimes.com/cgi-bin/texis.mummy/web/vortex/display?sto ryID=36f30aabd&query=Siskind). Greg Siskind also has been on the road delivering speeches to national audiences. This month, he delivered two speeches on incorporating the Internet into the practice of law at the annual American Bar Association Techshow in Chicago, Illinois. This is the largest law and technology program of its type in the world and it is the fourth year in a row that Greg has been invited to speak. Finally, our very popular Visalaw Discussion Board will be undergoing some important and very positive changes in the near future. Siskind, Susser, Haas & Devine is partnering with Findlaw (www.findlaw.com) to deliver a much more sophisticated discussion board page. Many of our attorney readers no doubt already know Findlaw and often refer to it as the Yahoo! of legal web sites. According to plans on the table, messages will not be deleted after two weeks and will now be archived for searching later on. The pages will also be laid out in a much easier to read format. And, most importantly, Findlaw has the capability to make changes and modifications to the site in a much more effective and expeditious manner than we can do on our own. The discussion board will remain at its current location on our web site and will also be viewable from the Findlaw web site. Look for Visalaw to announce other partnerships and alliances in the future to better deliver information and services to our readers. ________________________________ 2. LEGISLATIVE UPDATE - ADVOCACY UPDATE CENTER - http://www.visalaw.com/99mar/2mar99.html 3. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR'S UNVEILING OF NEW LCA FAXBACK SYSTEM PLAGUED WITH PROBLEMS -http://www.visalaw.com/99mar/3mar99.html 4. INS TARGETING INDIAN COMPUTER CASES - http://www.visalaw.com/99mar/4mar99.html 5. INS REPORTS ON "MAIL-ORDER BRIDES" AND IMMIGRATION - http://www.visalaw.com/99mar/5mar99.html 6. NATURALIZATION AND CITIZENSHIP UPDATE - http://www.visalaw.com/99mar/6mar99.html 7. NEW STUDY SHOWS INCREASED CITIZENSHIP APPLICATION DENIALS - http://www.visalaw.com/99mar/7mar99.html 8. PRESIDENT CLINTON DISCUSSES IMMIGRATION DURING VISIT TO CENTRAL AMERICA - http://www.visalaw.com/99mar/8mar99.html 9. H-1B VISA CAP WILL SOON BE REACHED - http://www.visalaw.com/99mar/9mar99.html 10. BORDER AND DEPORTATION NEWS - http://www.visalaw.com/99mar/10mar99.html 11. TEMPORARY AMNESTY FOR GUATEMALAN AND GUATEMALAN NATIONALS EXPIRES - http://www.visalaw.com/99mar/11mar99.html 12. NACARA REGULATIONS DEBATED IN CONGRESS - http://www.visalaw.com/99mar/12mar99.html 13. FINAL RULE ON NACARA MOTIONS TO REOPEN - http://www.visalaw.com/99mar/13mar99.html 14. SHIFT IN INS INTERIOR ENFORCEMENT STRATEGY DRAWS CRITICISM -http://www.visalaw.com/99mar/14mar99.html 15. GOVERNMENT PROCESSING TIMES - http://www.visalaw.com/99mar/15mar99.html 16. STATE DEPARTMENT VISA BULLETIN - http://www.visalaw.com/99mar/16mar99.html 17. NEWS BYTES - http://www.visalaw.com/99mar/17mar99.html 18. IMMIGRATION AND THE INTERNET - http://www.visalaw.com/99mar/18mar99.html 19. VISA SPOTLIGHT: EB-5 INVESTOR GREEN CARD - http://www.visalaw.com/99mar/19mar99.html 20. FORMER INS COMMISSIONER CRITICIZES INS CRACKDOWN ON IMMIGRANT INVESTOR VISA PROGRAM - http://www.visalaw.com/99mar/20mar99.html 21. CONGRESSIONAL REPUBLICANS CALL FOR 1000 NEW BORDER PATROL AGENTS - http://www.visalaw.com/99mar/21mar99.html 22. COMMISSIONER MEISSNER SAYS SERVICE WILL LAY LOW DURING CENSUS COUNT OF IMMIGRANT COMMUNITIES - http://www.visalaw.com/99mar/22mar99.html 23. TEMPORARY PROTECTED STATUS PROGRAM CRITICIZED IN CONGRESS - http://www.visalaw.com/99mar/23mar99.html 24. HOUSE IMMIGRATION SUBCOMMITTEE DEBATES ECONOMIC IMPACT OF IMMIGRATION - http://www.visalaw.com/99mar/24mar99.html 25. INS DISCUSSES IMMIGRATION EFFECT OF HURRICANE MITCH - http://www.visalaw.com/99mar/25mar99.html 26. ALIEN SMUGGLING OFF FLORIDA COAST TURNS DEADLY - http://www.visalaw.com/99mar/26mar99.html 27. FLORIDA GOVERNOR CRITICIZES FEDERAL ENFORCEMENT OF IMMIGRATION LAWS - http://www.visalaw.com/99mar/27mar99.html 28. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES ISSUES POVERTY GUIDELINES FOR 1999 - http://www.visalaw.com/99mar/28mar99.html 29. URBAN INSTITUTE RELEASES STUDY ON IMMIGRANT'S WELFARE USE - http://www.visalaw.com/99mar/29mar99.html 30. TEXAS GOVERNOR BUSH EXPRESSES SYMPATHY FOR MEXICAN IMMIGRANTS - http://www.visalaw.com/99mar/30mar99.html 31. ASYLUM SEEKERS TURNED AWAY AT THE MEXICAN BORDER - http://www.visalaw.com/99mar/31mar99.html 32. FRAUDULENT IRANIAN ASYLUM RING BROKEN UP - http://www.visalaw.com/99mar/32mar99.html 33. UNITED NATIONS CRITICIZES INS PRACTICE OF JAILING REFUGEES - http://www.visalaw.com/99mar/33mar99.html 34. NEWS FROM THE COURTS - http://www.visalaw.com/99mar/34mar99.html 35. CONTINUING AFTERMATH OF CHANDLER, ARIZONA 'ALIEN ROUNDUP': ANOTHER LAWSUIT AND A CHANGE IN POLICE POLICY - http://www.visalaw.com/99mar/35mar99.html 36. U.S. GOVERNMENT ANNOUNCES SETTLEMENT OF IMMIGRANT NURSE DISCRIMINATION CASE - http://www.visalaw.com/99mar/36mar99.html 37. LAWSUIT OVER ENGLISH-ONLY SIGN ORDINANCE - http://www.visalaw.com/99mar/37mar99.html 38. GUINEA-BISSAU DESIGNATED FOR TEMPORARY PROTECTED STATUS - http://www.visalaw.com/99mar/38mar99.html 39. CONSULAR FOCUS: SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - http://www.visalaw.com/99mar/39mar99.html 40. CHINESE, IRAQI DETAINEES BRAWL - http://www.visalaw.com/99mar/40mar99.html 41. SLAIN GUINEAN IMMIGRANT LIED ON ASYLUM APPLICATION - http://www.visalaw.com/99mar/41mar99.html 42. MEXICAN HOMOSEXUAL SEEK ASYLUM IN THE U.S. - http://www.visalaw.com/99mar/42mar99.html 43. ITALIAN AMERICAN INS EMPLOYEES ACCUSE AGENCY OF BIAS - http://www.visalaw.com/99mar/43mar99.html 44. ORANGE COUNTY SEEKS TO ELIMINATE UNDERGROUND MEDICAL CLINICS CATERING TO IMMIGRANTS - http://www.visalaw.com/99mar/44mar99.html 45. INS ANNOUNCES EXTENSION OF PILOT EMPLOYMENT VERIFICATION PROGRAM TO NEBRASKA - http://www.visalaw.com/99mar/45mar99.html 46. NEW RULE ON NONIMMIGRANT VISA PHOTOGRAPH REQUIREMENT ISSUED - http://www.visalaw.com/99mar/46mar99.html
SISKIND'S IMMIGRATION BULLETIN - 03/99
Gregory Siskind, Attorney at Law Wed, 31 Mar 1999 19:36:18 -0500
