| Dear Readers, As many of you are already aware,
United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is in the process of
implementing a new system nationwide that is intended to make immigration services
more convenient to the general public. Using the new InfoPass system, the public will
go online to schedule an appointment to visit their local USCIS office for various
immigration services. This will end the frustrating practice of people forming long
lines outside USCIS district offices, often starting at dawn, in order to meet with
immigration officers.
Residents of Wisconsin will be please to hear that
InfoPass is coming to the USCIS District office in Milwaukee on September 7, 2004. As
of that date, all people wishing to speak with an immigration officer will need to
make an appointment. This change may also affect the Milwaukee office’s hours of
operation. We will continue to provide you with information as we receive it.
It is my pleasure to serve you and
keep you informed. If you have any questions or concerns about immigration,
please feel free to e-mail me at sardar@durrani.com. Sincerely, 
Sardar Durrani | | | | In This Week's Issue: Illegal
Worker Residence Program is Costing Bush Votes
DHS to Begin Biometric
Exit Pilot as Part of US-VISIT Program
Passport to Prosperity - Immigrant Contributions to the U.S. Over the
Years.
NASA
names supercomputer after memory of India-born Astronaut Kalpana
Chawla.
Beyond the High-Tech Bubble - The Changing Demand for H-1B
Professionals
California S.C. To Adjudicate Immediate Relative Cases from NSC and
TSC
DHS
Announces 12-Month Extension of Temporary Protected Status Somalia
Q
and A on DHS 12-month Somalia Extension
USCIS Begins Wide Launch of INFOPASS
Illegal Worker
Residence Program is Costing Bush Votes
Jim Nixon, a retired Army officer and
staunch conservative, has voted Republican in every presidential race since Dwight D.
Eisenhower topped the ticket.
But not this time. "I've been a lifetime
Republican, but that's in the past. No more," Mr. Nixon said.
Like a small but
significant cluster of lifelong Republicans, the Tucson, Ariz., resident plans to make
a statement by breaking with the Republican Party this year. The reason: He's furious
over President Bush's proposal to grant resident status to illegal immigrants, known
by critics as his amnesty program.
Not that Mr. Nixon plans to vote for the
Democratic candidate, John Kerry.
"Kerry's no good, and Bush isn't good,
either," he said. "I'm going to write in a candidate, [Rep.] Tom Tancredo [Colorado
Republican]. Because of his stand on immigration."
Call them the anti-Bush
Republicans: stalwart conservatives and formerly active Republicans whose anger over
the party's tolerance of illegal immigration is prompting them to throw their votes
behind write-in candidates, third-party candidates — or no candidate at all.
You can read the rest of the article here. DHS to Begin Biometric Exit
Pilot as Part of US-VISIT Program As a part of the border management system
introduced at airports and seaports earlier this year, the U.S. Department of Homeland
Security (DHS) today announced that it will pilot and evaluate US-VISIT automated
biometric exit procedures for foreign visitors.
The exit pilot program will be
expanded from its current locations, Baltimore -Washington International Airport and
Miami’s International Cruise Line Terminal, to Chicago O’Hare International Airport
beginning in August 2004.
You can read the rest of this press release here. Passport to Prosperity -
Immigrant Contributions to the U.S. Over the Years. The United States has a long history of
welcoming immigrants to its shores. From the beginning, the foreign-born have made
significant contributions to virtually every aspect of American society. Highly
educated and entrepreneurial immigrants in particular, have helped build an economy
that is the envy of the world. They have come to America seeking opportunity, and have
left their mark by building businesses, making advances in science, medicine and
technology, and enhancing American culture and quality of life.
You can read the story in its entirety here.
NASA names
supercomputer after memory of India-born Astronaut Kalpana Chawla
NASA has dedicated its new Altix
supercomputer 'KC' to the memory of India-born astronaut Kalpana Chawla, one of the
seven crew members aboard the space shuttle Columbia which disintegrated midair in
February last year.
Naming the new supercomputer 'Kalpana' follows a long
tradition at NASA's Ames Research Centre of calling its new supercomputers after
pioneers in the supercomputer industry or individuals who have significantly
contributed to research at the aircraft research laboratory.
"It is indeed an
honour to name NASA's new SGI Altix 3000 supercomputer after Kalpana Chawla," said
Ames Centre director G Scott Hubbard, adding "she was not only a member of the NASA
family, but also a special member of our own Ames family. We all miss her and her many
contributions to the agency." You can read the rest of this story here. Beyond the High-Tech
Bubble - The Changing Demand for H-1B Professionals
Contrary to popular myth, H-1B professionals
represent only a tiny fraction of the total U.S. labor force and do not crowd out
native-born workers in industries that are losing jobs. Rather, H-1B workers fill
growing labor needs in a variety of fields that continue to add jobs, such as
education and healthcare.
You can read the rest of this story here. California Service
Center To Adjudicate Immediate Relative Cases from NSC and TSC
The California Service Center has advised
AILA that the Nebraska and Texas Service Centers are sending immediate relative I-130s
to CSC for adjudication. Thus, petitions filed at TSC or NSC may receive a receipt
notice from CSC.
You can read this story online here. DHS Announces 12-Month
Extension of Temporary Protected Status Somalia
The Department of Homeland Security and
Immigration (DHS) today announced a 12-month extension of Temporary Protected Status
(TPS) for nationals of Somalia until September 17, 2005. Under this extension, those
who have already been granted TPS are eligible to live and work in the United States
for an additional year and continue to maintain their status. There are approximately
324 nationals of Somalia (or aliens having no nationality who last habitually resided
in Somalia) who are eligible for re-registration. You can read the press release in its entirety here. Q and A on DHS
12-month Somalia Extension
A question & answer packet is also available
regarding the story above.
You can read the Q&A here. USCIS Begins Wide
Launch of INFOPASS
The USCIS Began launching InfoPass on the
East Coast this week. Here are two related stories.
Read about the INFOPASS launch in New Jersey & Upstate New York here. Read about the INFOPASS launch in Philadelphia & Pittsburgh here. | 
