| Dear Readers,
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services’ (USCIS) announcement on October 1, 2004 that they would no longer accept H-1B petitions for fiscal year 2005 came as a surprise to many, and many applicants were precluded from filing petitions that were nearly complete, while others had already-mailed petitions returned to them. The early announcement affected a great number of foreign workers and their employers.
If you are either a foreign worker or an employer who was unable to file an H-1B petition before the annual cap was reached, please contact our office so that we may discuss your alternatives with you.
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 |
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DHS Eyes Outsourcing Intelligence Work
Congress Speeds Up 9/11 Legislation Vote
EOIR Releases Memo With Immigration Court Guidelines for Unaccompanied Alien Children
House Nixes Senate Version of Terror Bill
DHS Fields Fingerprint System Along Borders
ACLU Accuses House of Expanding PATRIOT ACT, Scapegoating Immigrants
FBI Questioning Muslims, Arabs in U.S. in Terror Probe
USCIS Extends Temporary Protected Status for Burundi, Sudan
Monthly Immigration Stats Report for July Released
New Texas, California Processing Times Available
PEC to Assess USCIS Call Center & Enhance Customer Service
Diversity Lottery Goes Electronic
Final Rule Published to Implement Supreme Court Decision CYR Decision
U.S. Meat Group Challenges Allegations of Fostering Illegal Immigration
Immigrant Drivers Permits a Bad Idea?
University Leader Says Drop in Foreign Students May Hurt U.S. Companies
American Arabs Concerned Over FBI's Agressive Surveillance Plans
NY Agencies Probes Florida Haitian Community Org. Over Work Permits
Gov. Bush Says He Expects a Fair Hearing for Haitian Reprieves
Jordanian College Student Ordered Deported Without Hearing
Man Seen Videotaping in N.C. Pleads Guilty to Immigration Charges
Civil Rights Groups Cheer NY Judge's Ruling on Release of Secret Immigration Docs
Travelers to U.S. From Abroad Facing Even More Scrutiny
Muslim Scholar Still Trying for a U.S. Visa
Haitians Feel Storn Should Buy More Time in U.S.
Immigration Judge in Miami Admits Evidence in Venezuelan Case
Citizenship Backlog is Costing Votes
U.S. Defends Visa Denial for 67 Cubans
Immigration Agency Transfers 25 from Krome to Broward
Judge: Immigration Status Irrelevant in Suit
DHS Eyes Outsourcing Intelligence Work The Homeland Security Department might seek a private vendor to provide intelligence research and operations specialists for its Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency.
ICE’s Headquarters Procurement Division has issued a presolicitation notice via the fedbizopps.gov vendor information system that it may run a competition for intelligence research specialists and intelligence operations specialists under the Office of Management and Budget’s Circular A-76 process.
You can read the rest of the article here. Congress Speeds Up 9/11 Legislation Vote Racing the clock, Senate leaders are applying finishing touches to bipartisan legislation addressing the Sept. 11 commission's recommendations just as House GOP leaders prepare to debate their version, which Democrats call partisan and weak.
Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., said he expected the GOP-controlled Senate to take a final vote on its legislation to create a national intelligence director and a national counterterrorism center sometime Wednesday, two days before senators are scheduled to leave for the year.
You can read the rest of this article here. EOIR Releases Memo With Immigration Court Guidelines for Unaccompanied Alien Children This OPPM provides guidance and suggestions for adjudicating cases where the respondent is an unaccompanied alien child (defined later). The suggestions focus primarily on assisting the judge in ensuring that the respondent understands the nature of the proceeding, effectively presents
evidence about the case, and has appropriate assistance. Issues of age, development, experience and
self-determination impact on how a court deals with a child respondent and are highlighted in the
OPPM. You can read the rest of this story here. House Nixes Senate Version of Terror Bill The GOP-controlled House on Thursday refused to endorse a Senate proposal addressing the Sept. 11 commission's terror-fighting recommendations, pushing ahead with a bill that would increase law enforcement powers but force Congress to work overtime to send legislation to President Bush.
The House voted 213-203 to reject a version of a bill that passed the Senate 96-2 on Wednesday, with Republican leaders saying their bill does more to address the Sept. 11 commission's complaints that the country's intelligence and national security structure needs to be improved to prevent further attacks.
You can read the rest of this story here. DHS Fields Fingerprint System Along Borders The Homeland Security Department’s Customs and Border Protection Agency has deployed fingerprint readers linked to immigration and criminal databases at all 136 Border Patrol stations across the country as well as at 100 ports of entry.
CBP officials plan to deploy the technology at dozens of additional ports by the end of 2005.
Border Patrol officers use the units to link to the FBI’s Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System and DHS’ Automated Identification System known as IDENT. You can read the rest of this story online here. ACLU Accuses House of Expanding PATRIOT ACT, Scapegoating Immigrants The American Civil Liberties Union today urged all Members of Congress to reject the House Republican leadership intelligence reform legislation and any amendments that would advance Patriot Act expansions and other law enforcement powers, scapegoat immigrants and create a Big Brother society.
The 9/11 Commission gave Congress a specific game plan, which House leaders are ignoring, said Anthony D. Romero, the ACLU Executive Director. The House bill puts forward a political agenda that has trumped protecting America. To add insult to injury, many of the amendments to be considered would only further snub the hard work of the Commission and curtail freedom.
You can read the complete story here. FBI Questioning Muslims, Arabs in U.S. in Terror Probe
Acting on intelligence about a possible terrorist attack in the United States during the November election, federal investigators have stepped up efforts to question Muslims and Arabs throughout the country.
Federal authorities launched a new round of interviews this week about plans to harm Americans.
You can read the rest of the article here. USCIS Extends Temporary Protected Status for Burundi, Sudan The USCIS has extended the designation of temporary protected status for Burundi and Sudan until November 2, 2005. You can read the USCIS' notes here. Monthly Immigration Stats Report for July Released The USCIS has released its statistical report for July, 2004. You can read the entire report here. New Texas, California Processing Times Available The USCIS has released new processing times for the Texas & California Service Centers, current as of October 6, 2004. You can view the Texas Service Center Processing Times here.
You can view the California Service Center Processing Times here.
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