 Capstone English Mastery Center Portland, Oregon Since 1929 |
|
Capstone English Ctr PO Box 8795 Portland, Oregon 97207-8795 United States of America Suite 350 1411 SW Morrison Street in Downtown Portland (503) 228-6346 (503) 228-3961 FAX GMT -8 (in Summer, GMT -7) info@capstone.org |
IMMIGRATION NEWS
'Paperless' system set for visa applicationsBy Nicholas Kralev
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
Published January 18, 2006
The Bush administration announced plans yesterday for a "paperless" U.S. visa application system that will enable foreigners to apply for visas electronically and use digital video technology to conduct remote interviews.
The administration also will allow U.S. citizens to use new simplified "passport cards" instead of regular passports when traveling to and from Canada and Mexico after Jan. 1, 2008.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/world/20060118-121118-1858r.htm
September 28, 2005 DOS (U.S. Department of State) cable on students and immigrant intentThe cable below instructs consular officers at U.S. embassies worldwide making decisions about whether to issue student visas.
In the past some applications for student visas have been incorrectly denied for reasons such as:This cable instructs embassy consular officers that these are not valid reasons for denial because:
- visas cannot be issued to language schools
- students, being young, cannot show the same "ties" (home or business ownership, employment, children, etc.) that are expected of older applicants
- few employment opportunities in their country for the subject they plan to study
- instruction in the subject they plan to study is available in their own country
- or simply because consular officers believed students did not have enough long-range plans for their lives
- All schools approved to issue I-20s (no matter how small or unknown to the consular officer, including language schools) have equal weight. "There is no legal difference between community colleges, English language schools and four-year institutions." [Editor's emphasis]
- Young applicants have not yet had time to establish such ties, so this requirement for older applicants should not be required of young students.
- Students have the right to study what they want, regardless of current employment opportunities.
- Students have the right to study where they feel they will receive the instruction that will help them most, regardless of what the consular officer's personal opinion might be.
- Young applicants, being young, are less likely to have long-term plans for their lives, and this cannot be held against them.
See the full text of the cable, with our italics added to show the most important sections:
http://www.capstone.org/1/DOScable.phtml
Foreigners face tougher test of English to enter U.S. schools
College exam | The new version checks language mastery beyond textbook knowledgeby Justin Pope
The Associated Press
The Oregonian
September 24, 2005
Boston - For American students, tests such as the SAT, ACT and GRE mark the path to college and graduate school. But for hundreds of thousands of international students hoping to study in the United States, a major concern is proving their language skills on the TOEFL, the Test of English as a Foreign Language.
Now that test has undergone a major makeover, aimed at better evaluating how well applicants can communicate in English. As the test debuts today, some students, particularly Asians, are worried they'll be at a disadvantage because of how they were taught English.
http://www.capstone.org/1/ibtTOEFL.phtml
Uniting immigration agencies sought
By Jerry Seper
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
Published September 19, 2005
The long-debated merger of two Department of Homeland Security agencies with overlapping jurisdiction for border security and immigration enforcement is recommended in an unreleased report by the Inspector General's Office at the Department of Homeland Security, law-enforcement authorities said.
The report was requested by Sen. Susan Collins, Maine Republican and chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, amid concerns that turf battles, budget problems and low morale within U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement (ICE) threatened national security.
A House subcommittee also is investigating the merger of the two agencies, saying it wants to know whether combining ICE and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) could better meet the threat of potential terrorist attacks and enhance immigration enforcement.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/national/20050918-115954-6184r.htm
U.S. offers 'road map' to visa waivers
By Nicholas Kralev
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
Published May 13, 2005
The Bush administration, having rebuffed demands from East European allies to lift entry-visa requirements for their citizens, has offered them a "road map" to meet the conditions set by U.S. law before they can qualify for a visa waiver.
But U.S. officials and their counterparts in those countries said the initiative has little direct practical value and was designed more to quell domestic criticism and political pressure on allied governments.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/world/20050512-103334-3121r.htm
EU frets that U.S. will enforce visa pledge
By Shaun Waterman
UNITED PRESS INTERNATIONAL
Published April 11, 2005
The European Union predicts that only six of its 25 members will make a deadline for including biometric data in new passports, raising the prospect that visas will be required for the first time for millions of trans-Atlantic visitors to the United States.
Britain and Japan, the top two travel originations, are among the affected countries.
The Oct. 26 deadline for the Visa Waiver Program -- which designates which countries' nationals can visit the United States without a visa -- is unlikely to be extended, House Judiciary Chairman F. James Sensenbrenner Jr. told European officials in a recent letter.
"I strongly suggest that the European Commission plan without the expectation that there will be an extension of the deadline," Mr. Sensenbrenner wrote.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/national/20050411-124809-8475r.htm
Visitors from allies get fingerprinted
The new U.S. requirements for people from 27 more countries will affect about 33,000 people each day
by Robert Jablon
The Associated Press
The Oregonian
Friday, October 1, 2004, p. A4
LOS ANGELES Tightening its defenses against terrorism, the United States on Thursday began fingerprinting and photographing visitors from some of the United States' staunchest allies upon their arrival in this country.
The Homeland Security Department estimated the requirements would affect 33,000 visitors a day but would add only 15 seconds to the processing time. The fingerprinting is done digitally, sparing travelers from getting their fingers smudged with ink.
Ana Hinojosa, area port director for U.S. Customs and Border Protection at the Los Angeles International Airport, said the additional screenings "will significantly enhance our security posture."
http://www.washingtontimes.com/national/20040924-112900-1837r.htm
Borders plugged into vast database
By Jerry Seper
Published September 25, 2004
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
Integrated 10-print biometrics identification technology allowing federal border authorities to rapidly identify persons with outstanding criminal warrants went on-line this week at every U.S. Border Patrol station throughout the country.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), which oversees the Border Patrol, said the new capability will for the first time allow agents to simultaneously search the FBI's Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System (IAFIS) and the Department of Homeland Security's Automated Biometrics Identification System (IDENT).
http://www.washingtontimes.com/national/20040924-112900-1837r.htm
Immigration agents get parole powers
By Jerry Seper
Published August 13, 2004
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced yesterday that immigration enforcement officers now have the discretion to grant a one-time parole, or pass, to "no-risk travelers" who overstay the maximum number of days allowed under the nation's visa waiver program.
CBP Commissioner Robert C. Bonner said use of discretion by the agency's supervisors at major U.S. airports and other ports-of-entry will avoid the detention, searching and handcuffing of foreign nationals visiting the United States, which he described as "inappropriate" for minor waiver program violations.
The visa waiver program permits foreign nationals from certain countries to apply for admission to the United States for 90 days or less as non-immigrant visitors without a visa. Since the September 11 attacks, foreigners who overstay their visas have been denied re-entry and taken into custody when a return flight to their home country was not immediately available.
"A number of situations have come to my attention where CBP officers have denied entry to travelers from visa-waiver countries, on their arrival at U.S. airports, because of brief, prior overstays, sometimes just a few days ... although these travelers posed no threat whatsoever to the [United States]," Mr. Bonner said.
Mr. Bonner has directed CBP port directors and supervisors to see that passes are granted to permit re-entry, except when the person poses a threat for terrorism, criminality or is likely to become an economic migrant.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/national/20040813-123219-3151r.htm
High-tech passports get deferral
Published July 26, 2004
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Countries whose citizens can enter the United States without a visa will get an extra year to provide tamper-proof passports under legislation approved by the Senate and sent to President Bush for his signature.
The legislation, passed by voice vote late Thursday before Congress left for its summer recess, also gives U.S. ports of entry another year to install equipment and software capable of processing machine-readable entry and exit documents that contain biometric identifiers.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/national/20040725-112750-6290r.htm
Immigration agency vows to end backlog by 2006
By Guy Taylor
Published June 18, 2004
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
The nation's backlog of about 3.7 million immigration applications will be eliminated by the end of 2006, a top Bush administration immigration official told lawmakers on Capitol Hill yesterday.
Calling it a "serious problem," Eduardo Aguirre Jr., director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), said his agency has begun to chip away at the overflow, which reached new heights when stricter guidelines were implemented after the September 11 attacks.
About 6.1 million immigration cases are pending, more than half of which are part of the backlog of cases at least 6 months old.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/national/20040617-114935-1708r.htm
Special screening at ports will end
By Shaun Waterman
Published June 14, 2004
UNITED PRESS INTERNATIONAL
The Bush administration has pledged to eliminate special security checks imposed on men entering the United States from a list of mainly Muslim countries considered a risk for terrorism.
"Our long-term goal," senior homeland security official Asa Hutchinson told Arab-American leaders Friday, "is to treat [all visitors] the same way, and not based on where you come from."
http://www.washingtontimes.com/national/20040614-123629-4947r.htm
Agency faulted for visa overstays
By Stephen Dinan
June 4, 2004
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
The Department of Homeland Security can't properly track when foreign visitors leave the United States, according to the General Accounting Office, which said a "substantial" amount of illegal immigration is attributable to overstays.
The GAO, Congress' investigative division, released a report yesterday saying those who overstayed their visits to the country accounted for 27 percent of illegal aliens, according to one survey.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/national/20040603-112812-1736r.htm
U.S. visa lottery called a threat
By Stephen Dinan
Published April 30, 2004
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
The State Department's deputy inspector general said yesterday that despite new fraud protections, the diversity visa-lottery program, which issues 55,000 green cards to foreign nationals annually, is a prime opportunity for criminals and enemies of the United States to enter the nation.
"The bottom line is it's a program that can be taken advantage of by hostile intelligence officers or terrorists," said Anne W. Patterson, deputy inspector general for the State Department, before the immigration subcommittee of the House Judiciary Committee.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/national/20040429-113424-4192r.htm
Congress to delay passport security update
By Brian DeBose
Published April 22, 2004
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
Congress is likely to give the 27 countries in the U.S. Visa Waiver Program two more years before requiring that their passports include new security features, such as biometric identifiers, House Judiciary Committee members said yesterday.
Right now, citizens of about two dozen countries can travel to the United States temporarily without a visa under the Visa Waiver Program (VWP). In 2002, Congress set a Oct. 26 deadline for those countries' passports to include the new biometric security features such as facial recognition, retinal scans and digital fingerprints.
With that deadline looming and few countries, including the United States, ready to meet it, members of Congress said they will have to grant an extension. http://www.washingtontimes.com/national/20040421-104331-5267r.htm
U.S. opts for more checks on entry
By Shaun Waterman and Thom J. Rose
Saturday, April 03, 2004
UNITED PRESS INTERNATIONAL
The Department of Homeland Security said yesterday that beginning this fall it would extend fingerprinting and registration requirements to citizens from 27 of America's closest allies, including Britain and Japan, who enter the United States under the visa-waiver program.
The change "will add security by allowing us to check travelers coming from visa-waiver countries against our terrorist and criminal watch list," Undersecretary for Border and Transportation Security Asa Hutchinson said. http://www.washingtontimes.com/national/20040402-115950-4358r.htm
Capps II Passenger Pre-screening System Stymied by Privacy Controversy
By David Hughes
February 22, 2004
Aviation Week & Space Technology
THE PRIVACY DILEMMA
A new passenger pre-screening system designed to spot terrorists is going nowhere fast because airlines are reluctant to turn over data on their customers to the government for testing. http://www.aviationnow.com/avnow/news/channel_awst_story.jsp?id=news/02234air.xml
Official seeks to allay fears over biometrics
By Shaun Waterman
Published February 19, 2004
UNITED PRESS INTERNATIONAL
A senior Homeland Security official yesterday defended the new U.S. biometric border identification scheme, seeking to calm those in commerce and travel who fear that the system will clog the borders, gum up the visa process and create an image abroad of "fortress America."
"They wouldn't be doing their job if they weren't concerned," Stewart Verdery, assistant secretary in the Border and Transportation Security Directorate of the Department of Homeland Security, said of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and other business groups who have expressed doubts about the implementation of the system.
The system, known as U.S.-VISIT, requires visa holders to be digitally photographed and fingerprinted at ports of entry and to be checked against watch lists of terrorists and other criminals. http://www.washingtontimes.com/national/20040218-115706-1326r.htm
DHS Launches US-VISIT Program Nationwide to Enhance Security, Facilitate Travel
For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
January 5, 2004
WASHINGTON, DC, JANUARY 5, 2004 - The U.S. Department of Homeland Security today launched US-VISIT, a new program to enhance the nation's security while facilitating legitimate travel and trade through our borders. New entry procedures took effect today for most foreign visitors with non-immigrant visas at 115 airports and cruise ship terminals at 14 seaports. The system utilizes biometrics, which are physical characteristics unique to each individual, to verify identity. Biometric technologies are the basis of an extensive array of highly secure identification and personal verification solutions. http://www.dhs.gov/dhspublic/interapp/editorial/editorial_0333.xml
Airports Start Fingerprinting Foreign Visitors
Sunday, January 04, 2004
Associated Press
WASHINGTON -- Foreigners entering U.S. airports and seaports from all but 28 nations will have their fingerprints scanned and their photographs taken this week as part of a new program to tighten border security.
Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge was to be in Atlanta Monday morning to help launch the program at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,107345,00.html
Customs to take prints, photos
Published December 26, 2003
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
DALLAS (AP) -- Foreigners entering U.S. airports and seaports, except those from Western Europe and a few other countries, soon will have their fingerprints scanned and their photographs snapped as part of a program designed to enhance border security.
The program, to be up and running on Jan. 5 at all 115 airports that handle international flights and 14 major seaports, will let customs officials instantly check an immigrant or visitor's criminal background.
The program, called US-VISIT, or U.S. Visitor and Immigrant Status Indicator Technology, will check an estimated 24 million foreigners each year, though some will be repeat visitors.
http://www.washtimes.com/national/20031225-101609-5674r.htm
Registration of Muslims, Arabs halted
By Audrey Hudson
Published December 2, 2003
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
A federal immigration program targeting men from Middle Eastern countries for mandatory registration was abruptly ended yesterday by the Homeland Security Department.
The National Security Entry-Exit Registration System (NSEERS) had been criticized by Muslims and Arabs for singling out such a limited group, despite the fact that all the hijackers involved in the September 11 attacks were Muslim.
Asa Hutchinson, the Department of Homeland Security's undersecretary for border and transportation security, told reporters that the change was not a response to criticism from civil liberties and minority-advocacy groups.
He said eliminating NSEERS was a first step toward implementing a full entry-exit system called US-VISIT. The system will use biometrics to identify travelers by their right and left index fingerprints, and digital photographs. Personal and travel information also will be collected. US-VISIT goes online in January at 115 airports and 14 seaports. It is expected to be fully operational by 2005.
http://www.washtimes.com/national/20031201-115121-4339r.htm
U.S. travel papers' security improved for foreigners
By Jerry Seper
Published November 25, 2003
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
The Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services yesterday announced a redesigned, more secure travel document for permanent residents, asylum seekers and refugees re-entering the country after traveling.
CIS Director Eduardo Aguirre said the bureau, a part of the Department of Homeland Security, had sought to incorporate increased security features into the document to eliminate its ability to be counterfeited.
http://www.washtimes.com/national/20031124-102559-4689r.htm
Department of State rule requires online filing for future DV lottery applications
All future applications to participate in the annual Diversity Visa lottery will have to be filed electronically, pursuant to a Department of State interim rule published on August 18, 2003
Entries for the 2005 diversity visa lottery must be submitted between Saturday, November 1, 2003 and Tuesday, December 30, 2003. Starting this year, DV applications may only be submitted electronically over the Internet. Paper entries will not be accepted.
Applicants may access the electronic diversity visa entry form at www.dvlottery.state.gov during the 60-day registration period.
For 2005, natives of the following countries are not eligible to apply because they sent a total of more than 50,000 immigrants to the U.S. in the previous five years:
Persons born in Hong Kong SAR, Macau SAR, and Taiwan are eligible.
- Canada
- China (mainland-born)
- Colombia
- Dominican Republic
- El Salvador
- Haiti
- India
- Jamaica
- Mexico
- Pakistan
- Philippines
- Russia
- South Korea
- United Kingdom (except Northern Ireland)
- Vietnam
Biometric borders coming
By Shaun Waterman
October 28, 2003
UNITED PRESS INTERNATIONAL
Officials will roll out ambitious new technology today to track visitors to the United States as they enter and leave the country, and eventually verify their identity with electronic scanners that will check fingerprints and other biometric data.
Together with machine-readable, tamper-proof visas and a huge computer database of names, fingerprints and photographs, the Department of Homeland Security hopes to be able to check the identity and record the arrival and departure of every one of the more than 440 million annual visitors to the United States.
http://www.washtimes.com/national/20031027-112510-5818r.htm
U.S. immigration system hit by virus
Network links suspended between Washington, foreign embassies, and consular offices for nine hours
By Paul Roberts, IDG News Service
September 24, 2003
InfoWorld
The U.S. Department of State struggled Tuesday to quell an outbreak of the W32.Welchia Internet worm on the department's computer systems.
The worm infestation slowed e-mail systems at the massive federal agency and prompted technical staff to suspend network links between Washington, D.C., foreign embassies and consular offices for nine hours to halt the worm's spread. http://www.infoworld.com/article/03/09/24/HNimmigration_1.html
U.S. issues call for tourists
September 15, 2003
By Donna De Marco
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
The Bush administration has chosen five countries Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom, Japan and Germany as the focus of its new international tourism promotional campaign.
The targeted countries were named last week at the first meeting of the newly formed U.S. Travel and Tourism Promotional Advisory Board, which reports directly to Commerce Secretary Don Evans. It is administered by the Office of Travel and Tourism Industries, part of the U.S. Department of Commerce. The 15-member board was formed in August to make a unified push to bring more international travelers to the United States.
"The travel and tourism industry greatly suffered an economic impact from the 9/11 terrorist attacks," Mr. Evans said in a statement. "As the campaign gets under way, I look forward to seeing an increase in visitors from these key markets and other countries, which will provide a needed boost to the U.S. travel and tourism industry and added security for the many Americans who rely on this industry for jobs."
http://www.washtimes.com/business/20030914-094450-5212r.htm
Special Report: Changes in the cards
September 7, 2003
A WASHINGTON TIMES Special Report
The Internal Revenue Service this month will begin revising how it distributes Individual Taxpayer Identification Number cards (ITIN) to keep illegal immigrants from using them for fraudulent purposes.
More than 6 million ITIN cards have been issued since 1996, but only 2 million tax forms have been filed using the ITINs. The status of the other 4 million ITINs is not known, but immigration-reform advocates say illegal immigrants are using the numbers to skirt U.S. immigration, tax and fraud laws.
"The ITIN creates two problems: one for national security and one for identity theft," said a government source familiar with the cards. "The IRS is well aware of the problems and is going to be taking steps to correct it."
http://www.washtimes.com/specialreport/20030906-110356-3298r.htm
U.S. move leaves travelers in distress
August 11, 2003
THE WASHINGTON TIMES Business
MEXICO CITY (AP) The suspension of two programs that allowed travelers without visas to pass through the United States is causing logistical nightmares for thousands of Latin American and Asian passengers who are scrambling to reroute flights or get emergency documents.
If the suspension becomes law, it could discourage passengers from using U.S. airlines, travel agents warned.
The U.S. government on Aug. 2 suspended for at least 60 days the programs that allowed foreigners to stop over in U.S. airports without visas while awaiting flights to other countries. http://www.washtimes.com/business/20030810-103918-2010r.htm
For Immediate Release
INS Assures Immigrants of Smooth Transition to Department of Homeland Security
February 28, 2003
[Portland, Oregon] As the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) transitions into the Department of Homeland Security, the agency is reaching out to the immigrant community nationwide to ease concerns about the impact of the change. On March 1, INS benefits function will become part of the new Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services (BCIS) within the Department of Homeland Security. http://www.capstone.org/1/INStoDHS.phtml
Important: New INS/federal building requirements
10 Feb 2003 13:40:00 -0500
Because of the hightened state of alert in the United States federal buildings are operating under stricter guidelines. Effective immediately no one will be allowed entrance to the INS building without a state or federal government issued photo ID, or a passport issued by a foreign country - no other ID is valid. The ONLY exception is for children when accompanied by an adult. You will be required to show the ID every time you enter.
We realize this may present a problem for some of our customers; however, this is national policy.
Portland District Office, INS
U.S. Drops Armenian Men from List of Visitors Who Must Register
December 19, 2002
By JOHN M. BRODER
New York Times National
LOS ANGELES, Dec. 18 -- Reversing course, the Department of Justice has dropped Armenia from the list of countries whose adult male citizens living temporarily in the United States must register with immigration authorities.
The turnabout, on Tuesday, followed loud complaints from the government of Armenia and Armenian groups in the United States over a notice, published by the department in the Federal Register last Friday, that added Armenia, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia to 18 countries already listed in the so-called special registration program.
http://www.capstone.org/1/Armenia.phtml
Colleges send alert on INS deadline
December 14, 2002
By Brian DeBose
THE WASHINGTON TIMES Metro
Under the requirements posted in the Nov. 6 Federal Register, men born before Dec. 2, 1986, who entered the United States on or before Sept. 30 from Iran, Iraq, Sudan, Syria and Libya -- which are considered at high risk for terrorism -- must register in person at an INS office by Monday.
Attorney General John Ashcroft later extended the requirement to men from Afghanistan, Algeria, Bahrain, Eritrea, Lebanon, Morocco, North Korea, Oman, Qatar, Somalia, Tunisia, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen who intend to stay in this country at least until Jan. 10.
http://www.washtimes.com/metro/20021214-28393698.htm
Divided INS pleases some but angers others
November 25, 2002
By Audrey Hudson
THE WASHINGTON TIMES National
Dividing the Immigration and Naturalization Service in the new Homeland Security Department has pleased agency critics but angered pro-immigration groups.
The House last week finalized the legislation and sent it to President Bush for his signature. It creates the Bureau of Immigration Enforcement to guard borders and enforce immigration laws.
It also establishes the Bureau of Immigration Services to provide immigration benefits and process naturalization and permanent residence applications.
http://www.washtimes.com/national/20021125-11632878.htm
Arab, Muslim visitors scrutinized by INS
October 4, 2002
By Tom Ramstack
THE WASHINGTON TIMES Business
The U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service introduced security procedures at airports and borders this week that included photographing and fingerprinting visitors from Arab and Muslim countries.
"The main purpose of this system is to know who's coming into the country, what they're doing when they're here and whether they leave when they're supposed to leave," said Jorge Martinez, Justice Department spokesman. "Obviously, the goal is to protect America from another unfortunate event like on September 11."
http://www.washtimes.com/business/20021004-31539441.htm
INS will tighten registration of Saudi visitors
September 24, 2002
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Washington Times National
A program that requires registration of foreign visitors from some countries in the Middle East and North Africa is being expanded to include men from Saudi Arabia, a U.S. ally and the home country of 15 of the 19 September 11 hijackers.
An Immigration and Naturalization Service memo obtained by Associated Press directs immigration inspectors registering aliens to include men, ages 16 to 45, from Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Yemen, starting Oct. 1.
http://www.washtimes.com/national/20020924-186922.htm
Foreign-student tracking lagging at INS
September 19, 2002
By Stephen Dinan
THE WASHINGTON TIMES National
The Immigration and Naturalization Service's foreign-student tracking system won't be fully ready by the Jan. 30 deadline, the Justice Department's chief investigator told Congress yesterday.
Glenn A. Fine, the department's inspector general, told the House immigration, border security and claims subcommittee yesterday that the INS will probably have the actual computer system for the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System running on time.
http://www.washtimes.com/national/20020919-95477832.htm
Visa-tracking law big headache for colleges
August 20, 2002
By Ellen Sorokin
THE WASHINGTON TIMES National
Universities across the country are scrambling to comply with new federal regulations requiring administrators to set up electronic databases that would track foreign student-visa holders.
By law, universities must have the new Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) part of a change in Immigration and Naturalization Service rules operating by Jan. 30.
http://www.washtimes.com/national/20020820-7659690.htm
INS reveals backlog
August 3, 2002
Washington Times NATIONAL
ASSOCIATED PRESS
More than 2 million documents filed by foreigners, from change of address forms to requests for benefits, have been piling up for years and only now are being reviewed by the government, senior U.S. officials said yesterday.
http://www.washtimes.com/national/20020803-61405856.htm
Derail the Saudi visa express
EDITORIAL
July 8, 2002
Washington Times OP-ED
Have we already forgotten the black comedy of the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) reissuing Mohammed Atta's visa six months after he crashed an airliner into the World Trade Center? It appears that we have. For too long, too many foreign visitors have legally entered the United States on visas that never should have been issued. It is bad enough that our porous borders enable many to enter illegally, but there is no excuse now almost 10 months after September 11 for the lack of adequate controls on legal entry.
http://www.washtimes.com/op-ed/20020708-24117289.htm
Site lets INS register student visa holders
July 3, 2002
By Sean Salai
THE WASHINGTON TIMES National
The Immigration and Naturalization Service established a Web site this week that allows schools to register foreign students, marking the first step in the government's plan to keep an eye on students with temporary visas.
http://www.washtimes.com/national/20020703-96837870.htm
U.S. schools act as visa-for-sale stores, study says
June 26, 2002
By Stephen Dinan
THE WASHINGTON TIMES National
The system that lets foreigners enter the United States on student visas often becomes a visa-for-sale operation that has allowed terrorists to enter the country, according to a new study from a Harvard professor.
http://www.washtimes.com/national/20020626-88146172.htm
INS told to target all illegals
June 20, 2002
By Stephen Dinan
THE WASHINGTON TIMES National
The head of the House subcommittee on immigration told the Immigration and Naturalization Service yesterday not to selectively enforce immigration laws by accepting the presence of millions of illegal immigrants.
Rep. George W. Gekas, Pennsylvania Republican and chairman of the Judiciary immigration and claims subcommittee, called "troublesome" recent reports that he said indicate the INS may have to ignore the broader issue of illegal immigration to focus on potential threats to domestic security.
http://www.washtimes.com/national/20020620-412849.htm
New restriction on studying while in B status
NAFSA Immigration Adviser Quarterly
First Quarter 2002, p. 6
An interim rule published on april 12, 2002 prohibits B nonimmigrants (both B-1 visitors for business and B-2 visitors for pleasure) from "enrolling in a course of study" unless and until the INS has approved the B nonimmigrant's change to F-1 status. The rule applies only to B nonimmigrants who obtain B status on or after April 12, 2002. It does not apply to B nonimmigrants currently in the United States who were admitted before that date, unless they apply to have their B status extended on or after april 12, 2002.
This does not apply to short-term or part-time students, such as businesspeople or tourists who want to improve their English at Capstone while they are in the U.S.
A proposed rule, which will not be effective until the 30-day public comment period is over, and INS publishes an interim or final rule. If finalized as is, the proposed rule would, among other things, prohibit non-immigrants admitted in B visitor status from changing to student status unless they had stated an intention to study at the time of admission. For more information about how to plan ahead for this possibility, see PROSPECTIVE STUDENT ENDORSEMENT for B-2 VISITOR VISA. It might also be possible for visitors to state their intention to become students at the port of entry, so that their I-94 will be so noted. Please remember, however, that this is still only a proposed rule and it not yet effective at this time. It might appear in some changed form, or not at all.
NAFSA: Association of International Educators
Policy targets Middle Easterners
June 6, 2002
By Jerry Seper
THE WASHINGTON TIMES National
Attorney General John Ashcroft yesterday announced new immigration regulations that will "expand substantially" America's scrutiny of foreign visitors, requiring the photographing and fingerprinting of visitors suspected of posing a threat to national security, mostly Middle Eastern men.
The National Security Entry-Exit Registration System is part of a "first crucial phase" that will track in the first year nearly 100,000 foreigners who visit the United States.
http://www.washtimes.com/national/20020606-12861569.htm
Bush plan will track more who visit U.S.
June 5, 2002
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Washington Times NATIONAL
The Bush administration is proposing to photograph, fingerprint and get detailed information from thousands more foreign visitors to the United States, law enforcement officials said yesterday.
Under the plan, the Justice Department would expand the reach of an existing law to keep better track of tourists, business travelers, students and temporary workers considered possible security threats.
http://www.washtimes.com/national/20020605-1911853.htm
Immigration growth at highest rate in 150 years
June 5, 2002
By Stephen Dinan
THE WASHINGTON TIMES National
The United States is accepting immigrants at a faster rate than at any other time since the 1850s, according to Census 2000 figures released yesterday.
http://www.washtimes.com/national/20020605-76931088.htm
Tacoma branch of INS burglarized
Items used to allow foreigners to enter U.S. taken
06/03/2002
KING5.com
TACOMA - Officials with the Immigration and Naturalization Service have confirmed that their Tacoma Support Office was burglarized Sunday night. Thieves escaped with several items used to allow foreigners to enter the United States.
Official government forms and equipment stolen is raising concerns over security.
http://www.king5.com/topstories/NW_060302WABinsbreakin.11b6888.html
Security tightening burdens cross-border students
May 31, 2002
Washington Times NATIONAL
BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) Canadian and Mexican students will no longer be allowed to enroll part-time in U.S. colleges under a government policy change that has taken schools and students by surprise.
The change, which took effect without notice last week, is the result of an Immigration and Naturalization Service decision to begin enforcing a statute that has been on the books for years.
http://www.washtimes.com/national/20020531-76198690.htm
Foreigners face tougher rules
May 22, 2002
Washington Times NATIONAL
ASSOCIATED PRESS
The Social Security Administration, cracking down on the misuse of Social Security numbers in the aftermath of September 11, no longer will issue numbers to foreigners to apply for driver's licenses even in states that require them.
The agency also has stepped up efforts to identify mismatches between names and Social Security numbers with help from employers nationwide, sometimes revealing immigrants working in the United States illegally.
http://www.washtimes.com/national/20020522-97796281.htm
Probe of INS finds 'serious concerns'
May 21, 2002
By Jerry Seper
THE WASHINGTON TIMES National
Approval of student visas for two September 11 terrorists six months after they attacked America raises "serious concerns" about the ability of the Immigration and Naturalization Service to track foreign students, a report said yesterday.
http://www.washtimes.com/national/20020521-31797242.htm
Peddling visas for financial favors?
May 20, 2002
Michelle Malkin
Washington Times COMMENTARY
President Bush signed an immigration reform bill last week that will supposedly make our borders "more secure" and "smart." But "smart" technology can't cure corrupted borders. This new law won't do much good if our own State Department officials are willing to sell out national security and peddle American visas for bribes.
A little-noticed scandal is brewing to our south that President Bush, Secretary of State Colin Powell, open-borders panderer Karl Rove and Mexican President Vicente Fox would all prefer to ignore. It involves an FBI investigation of entrenched visa fraud at the American consulate in Juarez, Mexico. Last month, U.S. consular employee Arcelia Betansis was convicted in El Paso on federal charges of accepting bribes and gratuities in return for expediting visa approvals. From 1998 to 1999, Betansis assisted nearly 500 people seeking visas and border-crossing cards, including wealthy businessmen, drug traffickers and professional boxer Julio Cesar Chavez.
http://www.washtimes.com/commentary/20020520-32858352.htm
Capstone EMC Poised to Begin Reporting Student Data using SEVIS
May 16, 2002
Capstone English Center has submitted a request to INS and EDS Corporation, the contractor implementing the SEVIS system, to be among the first to begin electronically reporting student data when the system goes online July 1, 2002. When it is fully operational on January 1, 2003, SEVIS will tie INS offices, schools, consular offices overseas, and ports of entry into a system that will inform schools instantly when consulates authorize visas and when students enter the country. Schools will be responsible for using SEVIS to inform INS immediately of changes in students' attendance, academic progress, transfers, addresses, or financial information. Among other things, SEVIS will eventually make it much easier for students to get I-20s quickly, and for schools to process I-20 updates and school transfers. Many procedures which currently take weeks or months, such as reinstatements, might be done within minutes.
Educators briefed on system to track foreign students
The Internet tool, which schools must use next year, will help the INS keep tabs on students electronically
May 16, 2002
by Bill Graves
The Oregonian
College administrators gathered at Lewis & Clark College on Wednesday to learn how they will use the Internet to track foreign students.
Colleges, universities, vocational and trade schooks, including some beauty schools, will be required to use the system by early next year or stop accepting foreign students.
http://www.capstone.org/1/SEVIS01.phtml
Justice Department Proposes Rule Governing Foreign Student Reporting
Proposed Rule Would Implement the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS)
May 10, 2002
WASHINGTON, D.C.- As part of the ongoing effort to enhance the United States' Homeland Security, the Justice Department is proposing a new rule to implement significant changes in the means by which information about foreign students and exchange visitors is retained and reported.
The proposed rule will implement the usage of the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS). SEVIS is an internet-based system providing the government, educational institutions and exchange programs an automated means to exchange timely information about foreign students, exchange visitors and their dependents. The rule will specify that schools use SEVIS to issue documentation to students and report pertinent information to INS.
http://www.usdoj.gov/opa/pr/2002/May/02_ag_281.htm
Plan would overhaul foreign-student oversight
In the proposal, universities would be required to expand their monitoring
May 10, 2002
The Oregonian
By Eric Lichtblau and Jonathan Peterson
LA Times-Washington Post Service
Washington The Bush administration, chastened by how easily some of the Sept. 11 hijackers used student visas to wander the United States, has worked out a plan to keep foreign students on a tighter leash and require schools to monitor their activities from the day they arrive, officials said Thursday.
http://www.capstone.org/1/INSoverhaul.phtml
56 foreigners arrested in [TOEFL] proficiency-test scam
May 8, 2002
By H.J. Brier
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
More than 50 foreigners studying at U.S. universities were arrested yesterday on suspicion of paying other people to take English-language proficiency tests [TOEFL] needed to enroll in the schools and remain in the United States, federal authorities said.
http://www.washtimes.com/national/20020508-26363.htm
Breakup of INS called first step
April 30, 2002
By Stephen Dinan
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
A congressional plan to break the Immigration and Naturalization Service into two bureaus, one for law enforcement and one for services, is important but only a first step to fixing problems with the agency, those on both sides of the immigration issue say.
http://www.washtimes.com/national/20020430-31744102.htm
Ineptness isn't at the root of the INS' ineffectiveness
April 29, 2002
By JAN TING
The Philadelphia Inquirer
The real problem is overwork, and splitting its functions would make politicians feel better but would make matters much worse.
http://www.capstone.org/1/INStingEd.phtml
House votes to abolish INS in sweeping reform
April 26, 2002
By Stephen Dinan
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
Congress took the first major step in abolishing the Immigration and Naturalization Service yesterday when the House voted to split it into separate bureaus, one to handle law enforcement and one to administer immigration services.
http://www.washtimes.com/national/20020426-962921.htm
Time to split
April 25, 2002
Washington Times OP-ED
James Sensenbrenner
The House today is considering legislation to comprehensively overhaul the beleaguered Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) while the administration has proposed its own plan. Like student self-grading and voluntary taxes, the administration's plan might sound appealing but will not get the job done. A dramatic reform is needed.
http://www.washtimes.com/op-ed/20020425-91267180.htm
House expected to split functions of beleaguered INS
April 25, 2002
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
By Stephen Dinan
Reform of the Immigration and Naturalization Service has been kicking about Washington for years, but it took September 11, and the revelation that the INS sent new student visas to two of the hijackers six months after the attacks, to force the issue onto the legislative front-burner.
http://www.washtimes.com/national/20020425-997272.htm
Border Security Bill Clears Senate
April 19, 2002
The Washington Post
by Helen Dewar
The [U.S.] Senate [April 18] unanimously approved a bill to tighten security at the nation's borders, including closer monitoring of immigrants with student visas. The legislation was passed 97 to 0 and includes an array of provisions -- prompted by the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks -- aimed at preventing terrorists from obtaining visas to enter the United States. The measure is similar to a House-approved bill, and its sponsors said the House is likely to go along with minor Senate changes and send the legislation to President Bush. Bush issued a statement immediately after the vote, commending the Senate for its action and saying he looked forward to signing the bill. The bill authorizes 200 new border agents in each of the next five years, along with more money for training. Congress would have to fund the legislation in a separate bill; the estimated cost over three years is $3.2 billion. The bill attempts to tighten control over student visas in several ways. The government would have to monitor a student's entry into this country and report it to the student's intended school. The school would have to notify the government if the student fails to report for class. At least one of the Sept. 11 hijackers entered the country on a student visa but did not show up for classes.
House Panel Votes To Abolish INS
New agencies would split immigration, law enforcement roles
April 10 2002
ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON, House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday decided not to wait for the Bush administration to fix the embattled Immigration and Naturalization Service, voting to abolish the beleaguered service and create two new agencies to handle enforcement and immigration services.
http://www.msnbc.com/news/736727.asp?cp1=1
Congress Set to Break Up Beleaguered Agency
April 10, 2002
New York Times
By ERIC SCHMITT
WASHINGTON, April 9 After several abortive efforts over nearly three decades, Congress is taking the first steps this week toward the likely overhaul of the beleaguered Immigration and Naturalization Service. The House Judiciary Committee is prepared to approve an unusual bipartisan bill on Wednesday that would abolish the immigration service and split its functions into two separate bureaus, one for enforcement and one for services. The bureaus would be overseen by a new associate attorney general, who would be the third-ranking official in the Justice Department, the immigration service's parent agency.
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/04/10/politics/10IMMI.html
House Continues Push On INS reform
By Stephen Dinan
April 10, 2002
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
September 11 has put the Immigration and Naturalization Service under the microscope, but lawmakers say plans to revamp the agency must go far beyond problems exposed by the terrorist attacks.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/national/20020410-640189.htm
INS Toughens Student-visa Rules
April 9, 2002
Washington Times - ASSOCIATED PRESS
Immigration officials tightened visa rules for foreign students and proposed new restrictions yesterday that limited the time a tourist or business person could stay in the country.
Effective immediately, foreigners wishing to study in America must obtain a student visa before beginning classes. Students previously could request a visa and begin course work while their application was processed.
The Immigration and Naturalization Service also is proposing to make it harder to switch to a student visa after a visitor arrives in the country. In return, the agency would speed decisions on such requests, issuing them within 30 days.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/national/20020409-25255968.htm