sertasheep
07-29 08:07 PM
Dear schedule A professionals,
Please support member 'paskal' (physician) in his efforts.
Several exciting initiatives are underway on the healthcare front, and we also invite professionals from other fields(apart from healthcare). However, y'all must take up leadership and lead these efforts via IV as the platform!
The agenda should align with general objectives of IV, and we welcome professionals from fields. Please spread the word among the nursing/PT and other communities.
IV is not restricted to any one nationality alone!!(But, please restrict your conversations to English)
Please support member 'paskal' (physician) in his efforts.
Several exciting initiatives are underway on the healthcare front, and we also invite professionals from other fields(apart from healthcare). However, y'all must take up leadership and lead these efforts via IV as the platform!
The agenda should align with general objectives of IV, and we welcome professionals from fields. Please spread the word among the nursing/PT and other communities.
IV is not restricted to any one nationality alone!!(But, please restrict your conversations to English)
IV2007
04-08 01:06 PM
Can someone please respond to this ??
Myself (primary applicant) and my spouse are on h1 with EADs. If spouse starts a company(issue checks and do all admin work) and still maintain her h1 with old employer, will it invalidate her h1 just because she used EAD? Reason for asking is if some thing goes wrong with 485, can she fall back on h1?
Myself (primary applicant) and my spouse are on h1 with EADs. If spouse starts a company(issue checks and do all admin work) and still maintain her h1 with old employer, will it invalidate her h1 just because she used EAD? Reason for asking is if some thing goes wrong with 485, can she fall back on h1?
Mayday
05-09 08:11 PM
actually I am pretty sure they are misinterpreting some more general requirement, like you have to be PRESENT in the USA for at least 6 months and being allowed to be present for more than a year, to apply for DL. Since for the first 12 months you can use a foreign DL.
do not trust clerks that sit at the entrance; they proved to know almost nothing about visa, I-94 and etc. If some rules seem absurd, go for manager right away and do not waste time on low-level clerks. Let them do their routine work - US citizens address changes and school-children DLs.
I have to go through them every time I need to change the address and/or get DL. Every time it ends up with a manager, and every time manager calls some other department and it ends up with issuing DL. So simply be persistent. If manager refuses - request written decline with law quote that they used to decline your application. Read this law and appeal based on what is said there.
do not trust clerks that sit at the entrance; they proved to know almost nothing about visa, I-94 and etc. If some rules seem absurd, go for manager right away and do not waste time on low-level clerks. Let them do their routine work - US citizens address changes and school-children DLs.
I have to go through them every time I need to change the address and/or get DL. Every time it ends up with a manager, and every time manager calls some other department and it ends up with issuing DL. So simply be persistent. If manager refuses - request written decline with law quote that they used to decline your application. Read this law and appeal based on what is said there.
gimme Green!!
07-06 08:40 AM
Hopefully the emphasis on homeland security will not have an adverse effect when dates become current again or move forward.
On a lighter vein, isn't this essentially what we need - quick processing and approval of 485 apps without being stuck with all the paperwork? :)
Changing title to "Homeland security compromised in mad rush to process Green Cards" may provide fuel to anti-immigrants. They may argue that the process is better served by taking for 25 years to ensure no would be terroists get green cards !
On a lighter vein, isn't this essentially what we need - quick processing and approval of 485 apps without being stuck with all the paperwork? :)
Changing title to "Homeland security compromised in mad rush to process Green Cards" may provide fuel to anti-immigrants. They may argue that the process is better served by taking for 25 years to ensure no would be terroists get green cards !
more...
keerthisagar
05-07 12:08 PM
Guys,
I was very busy till today.
I'll call all the #s tomorrow and let them know how important is the CIR for legal immigration, and how I am not able to buy a house, or start a company, as I have no greencard inspite of waiting for 8-10 years. Not to forget I am from India and it is severely backlogged. Also we have jobs, so we're not taking away anything.
I have to be very brief. So please let me know if I'm missing any impo point.
Just follow what pappu has said on the first page. We need to stay on message.
I was very busy till today.
I'll call all the #s tomorrow and let them know how important is the CIR for legal immigration, and how I am not able to buy a house, or start a company, as I have no greencard inspite of waiting for 8-10 years. Not to forget I am from India and it is severely backlogged. Also we have jobs, so we're not taking away anything.
I have to be very brief. So please let me know if I'm missing any impo point.
Just follow what pappu has said on the first page. We need to stay on message.
jayleno
10-20 01:55 PM
or we can make it bumpy for now.
Can we make this thread like a sticky on home page?
Can we make this thread like a sticky on home page?
more...
nb_des
07-20 03:34 PM
If I read this correctly.
On the Motion (Motion to Waive CBA Cornyn Amdt No. 2339 )
Vote Counts: YEAs 55
NAYs 40
Not Voting 5
Therefore No mean those Senators supported the amendment.
On the Motion (Motion to Waive CBA Cornyn Amdt No. 2339 )
Vote Counts: YEAs 55
NAYs 40
Not Voting 5
Therefore No mean those Senators supported the amendment.
diptam
07-06 10:37 AM
Hello DDL/DML,
Please dont say anything against anyone without understanding the point.
Who the hell gave you the right to twist my statement and personally attacking me as "anti immigrant" ?? Where i have said that reversal of 20 K GC will help us ??
My simple point is the whole USCIS process is broken and that needs to be improved and rationalized . Now you/me/an immigrant can't initiate that process. The push has to come from influential CITIZENS who we call Senators , Congress Man/Women, House Representatives and so on so forth.
For them to take a step they need push from american peoples. You know why CIR has failed - the senator phone lines were jammed , Talk radio was blasting Bush , Kennedy for doing behind the door deals.. that's why...
Your/my opinion never stalled CIR - its american citizens who stalled it.
Unless citizens see a good reason to overhaul USCIS process where the push would come from ??
If these are the ONLY arguments we can use to get media attention then let's not use them at all. This WILL hurt us more then it can help ! I have a question: Are you one of those anti-immigrant people because you sure behave like one !
If they revert the decisions for 20000 greencards and put the visas back in the pool, how would that help us ALL ???
Please dont say anything against anyone without understanding the point.
Who the hell gave you the right to twist my statement and personally attacking me as "anti immigrant" ?? Where i have said that reversal of 20 K GC will help us ??
My simple point is the whole USCIS process is broken and that needs to be improved and rationalized . Now you/me/an immigrant can't initiate that process. The push has to come from influential CITIZENS who we call Senators , Congress Man/Women, House Representatives and so on so forth.
For them to take a step they need push from american peoples. You know why CIR has failed - the senator phone lines were jammed , Talk radio was blasting Bush , Kennedy for doing behind the door deals.. that's why...
Your/my opinion never stalled CIR - its american citizens who stalled it.
Unless citizens see a good reason to overhaul USCIS process where the push would come from ??
If these are the ONLY arguments we can use to get media attention then let's not use them at all. This WILL hurt us more then it can help ! I have a question: Are you one of those anti-immigrant people because you sure behave like one !
If they revert the decisions for 20000 greencards and put the visas back in the pool, how would that help us ALL ???
more...
rajuram
05-24 10:18 PM
Which bills are you talking about? I read most were dropped from Iraq funding bill that passed recently.
We are just drifting my friend..no direction..no hope....
Please contribute IVians. We need your support to lobby for the current bills which have been introduced.
My perspective on contributing to IV, is that I would gladly contribute $100 if there was a chance that I can get my gc a few months faster because of the efforts of IV.
Got GC Stress??
Contribute To IV Today!!
We are just drifting my friend..no direction..no hope....
Please contribute IVians. We need your support to lobby for the current bills which have been introduced.
My perspective on contributing to IV, is that I would gladly contribute $100 if there was a chance that I can get my gc a few months faster because of the efforts of IV.
Got GC Stress??
Contribute To IV Today!!
amitjoey
05-06 12:21 PM
Any sample letters to Senators with the 'text' outlined for this current cause?
I'm thinking duly signed letters have more impact.
We have sent letters in the past only to get a standard CANNED answer. It is my opinion that the letters we send do not have any impact, cos as soon as they see "Immigration" as the subject, they (staff) sends the standard letter they have definining the position back.
I do not mean to discourage you, but the need of the hour is to call all the senators. There are 100 of them.
If you were going to do something in addition to the phone calls, Please set up an appointment w/the senator or staff and do a 20 minute Powerpoint presentation. That is more effective.
I'm thinking duly signed letters have more impact.
We have sent letters in the past only to get a standard CANNED answer. It is my opinion that the letters we send do not have any impact, cos as soon as they see "Immigration" as the subject, they (staff) sends the standard letter they have definining the position back.
I do not mean to discourage you, but the need of the hour is to call all the senators. There are 100 of them.
If you were going to do something in addition to the phone calls, Please set up an appointment w/the senator or staff and do a 20 minute Powerpoint presentation. That is more effective.
more...
prem_goel
08-04 05:36 PM
H1b and GC are sponsered by employer and they have to pay. If employer asks employee to pay the expenses then that company is not legitimate and persons should avoid joining those companies. Most reputed companies will pay all the expenses of GC and H1b. Some will ask employees to pay for dependents EAD,AP etc.
Consulting companies ask employees to pay GC and H1b if employees want to work hourly. That means employees wanted more money and they are taking risk(Also working hourly is against the H1b regulations as they have more chance for falling out of status).
I tend to disagree with that. You are partly right that H1B cost should be borne by the employer. There are DOL regulations for that you can easily find on the web.
For GC, you are partly right in the sense that only the first stage - Labor Certification should be completely borne by the employer. DOL released the regulation last year w.e.f. July 16 2007. The second and third stage however, I-140 and I-485, are of no concern. That is, there is no law which says that Employer should borne the cost for that. Even in reputed companies, the employees pay the cost for I-140/485.
Thanks.
Consulting companies ask employees to pay GC and H1b if employees want to work hourly. That means employees wanted more money and they are taking risk(Also working hourly is against the H1b regulations as they have more chance for falling out of status).
I tend to disagree with that. You are partly right that H1B cost should be borne by the employer. There are DOL regulations for that you can easily find on the web.
For GC, you are partly right in the sense that only the first stage - Labor Certification should be completely borne by the employer. DOL released the regulation last year w.e.f. July 16 2007. The second and third stage however, I-140 and I-485, are of no concern. That is, there is no law which says that Employer should borne the cost for that. Even in reputed companies, the employees pay the cost for I-140/485.
Thanks.
mango_man
06-11 04:53 PM
Anybody wants Indian mangoes?
more...
inskrish
09-28 09:53 PM
Kidding aside, when I get my GC and then US citizenship, I will apply for a position in DHS....or in FBI.....
Well, do you want to be the most cursed person in the world?:D
Regards,
IK
Well, do you want to be the most cursed person in the world?:D
Regards,
IK
josecuervo
07-28 07:37 AM
Hello everyone.
Please share your experiences if you renewed your NJ DL with EAD renewal notice.
My nj dl is due for renewal. I have applied for EAD renewal. I have the receipt notice and am working on EAD.
Thanks
Please share your experiences if you renewed your NJ DL with EAD renewal notice.
My nj dl is due for renewal. I have applied for EAD renewal. I have the receipt notice and am working on EAD.
Thanks
more...
AabTuAgaGC
01-04 12:24 PM
I am a July 27th filer, got email that AP approved Dec 20th. Not recieved it physically yet.
I filed on July 27th as well, but have received nothing. Not even a LUD. I have travel plans for Feb 2nd. All reservations done, ticket issued, leave approved, but still no AP:mad: What should I do:mad::mad::mad:
I filed on July 27th as well, but have received nothing. Not even a LUD. I have travel plans for Feb 2nd. All reservations done, ticket issued, leave approved, but still no AP:mad: What should I do:mad::mad::mad:
priti8888
07-23 04:14 PM
this is a 2004 EB3 approval! This is the first one I am seeing from 2004. So looks like they have really cleaned the pipes here, and things should be better going forward.
The nicest thing of this whole fiasco is that they seem to have ignored country-limits and approved as many as possible. Last year they did only 9.8K EB Indians (teh final count was 17k, but that was due to ScheduleA). THis year (2007) if they have gotten 20-30K India applications out, the dates should move better in the future.
Eagerly awaiting 2 USCIS stats:
1. per-country per-category EB approvals in 2007
2. number of 485 applications received by August 17th
They indeed are clearing up the pipes, so the situation is not as horrible as it seems to be. A pd of 2004 is considered "old" so as soon as visa nos become available in october, they would be the first ones to get approved.
The nicest thing of this whole fiasco is that they seem to have ignored country-limits and approved as many as possible. Last year they did only 9.8K EB Indians (teh final count was 17k, but that was due to ScheduleA). THis year (2007) if they have gotten 20-30K India applications out, the dates should move better in the future.
Eagerly awaiting 2 USCIS stats:
1. per-country per-category EB approvals in 2007
2. number of 485 applications received by August 17th
They indeed are clearing up the pipes, so the situation is not as horrible as it seems to be. A pd of 2004 is considered "old" so as soon as visa nos become available in october, they would be the first ones to get approved.
more...
breddy2000
03-25 09:06 AM
The link is there on the Right Hand side corner "Why Contribute" under which there is a Button "Contribute" . Just click on that and it will take you to the Payment page.
Hope this helps
Hi All,
I'm new to immigration Voice. I've read abt this in immigration portal and understand that a group of people are leading this. I wish them all the best and i extend my full support. Also i heard that this group is collecting funds. Can someone please point me where would i contribute.
Thanks
RAJ
SWA: Virginia
SWA Receipt Date (Priority Date): October 31,2002
EB2 - RIR
Forwarded to Philadelphia Regional DOL on June 22, 2004
BEC Case Number: P-04282-*****
45 Day Letter Received and Replied : Feb 2005
Hope this helps
Hi All,
I'm new to immigration Voice. I've read abt this in immigration portal and understand that a group of people are leading this. I wish them all the best and i extend my full support. Also i heard that this group is collecting funds. Can someone please point me where would i contribute.
Thanks
RAJ
SWA: Virginia
SWA Receipt Date (Priority Date): October 31,2002
EB2 - RIR
Forwarded to Philadelphia Regional DOL on June 22, 2004
BEC Case Number: P-04282-*****
45 Day Letter Received and Replied : Feb 2005
sunny1000
12-18 10:50 PM
My lawyer received it on Dec 16th - they said that they need at least 2 weeks to answer the RFE. They also mentioned that the RFE doesn''t ask for any specific paperwork , its like a Question-Answer Form.
a) Why do you need this guy
b) Can you find an american instead of this guy
c) How you benchmark performance in the company
etc...
Is this not the reason they (U.S government) have a process to issue certificate from labor department to prove that the company could not hire an American for which some of us had to wait 5 years!!! Talk about abuse of power by USCIS.....
a) Why do you need this guy
b) Can you find an american instead of this guy
c) How you benchmark performance in the company
etc...
Is this not the reason they (U.S government) have a process to issue certificate from labor department to prove that the company could not hire an American for which some of us had to wait 5 years!!! Talk about abuse of power by USCIS.....
Canadian_Dream
06-02 07:27 PM
Effective date is next fiscal year or the one following it. If you read both the sections it cleary says that.
(Read the word approved and an "or" preceding it).
or approved at the time of the effective date of this section, shall be treated as if such provision remained effective and an approved petition may serve as the basis for issuance of an immigrant visa.
In my opinion this clearly means that if you have an approved I-140 before the effective date you should be ok. All pending I-140 on the effective date which is 15 months away are most likely have to refile. That leads to two scenarios:
1. Approved I-140 with a pending I-485, these petitions will be elegible for immigrant visa whenever one is avialable, this is very clearly mentioned.
2. Approved I-140 without I-485. No clear indication of how these cases will be treaed. They MIGHT have to refile as well.
============
(d) EFFECTIVE DATE.—
32
33 (1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to paragraph (2), the amendments
34 made by this section shall take effect on the first day of the
35 fiscal year subsequent to the fiscal year of enactment, unless
36 such date is less than 270 days after the date of enactment, in
37 which case the amendments shall take effect on the first day of
38 the following fiscal year.
39
40 (2) PENDING AND APPROVED PETITIONS AND APPLICATIONS.—Petitions
41 for an employment-based visa filed for classification under
42 section 203(b)(1), (2), or (3) of the Immigration and Nationality
43 Act (as such provisions existed prior to the enactment of this
44 section) that were filed prior to the date of the introduction of
265
1 the [Insert title of Act] and were pending or approved at the
2 time of the effective date of this section, shall be treated as if
3 such provision remained effective and an approved petition may
4 serve as the basis for issuance of an immigrant visa. Aliens with
5 applications for a labor certification pursuant to section
6 212(a)(5)(A) of the Immigration and Nationality Act shall
7 preserve the immigrant visa priority date accorded by the date
8 of filing of such labor certification application.
9
The original word is "enactment date", which would be the date the bill is signed into law. The effective date will be oct, 2008.
So people who didn't get their 140 through before the president signs the bill would be screwed?
(Read the word approved and an "or" preceding it).
or approved at the time of the effective date of this section, shall be treated as if such provision remained effective and an approved petition may serve as the basis for issuance of an immigrant visa.
In my opinion this clearly means that if you have an approved I-140 before the effective date you should be ok. All pending I-140 on the effective date which is 15 months away are most likely have to refile. That leads to two scenarios:
1. Approved I-140 with a pending I-485, these petitions will be elegible for immigrant visa whenever one is avialable, this is very clearly mentioned.
2. Approved I-140 without I-485. No clear indication of how these cases will be treaed. They MIGHT have to refile as well.
============
(d) EFFECTIVE DATE.—
32
33 (1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to paragraph (2), the amendments
34 made by this section shall take effect on the first day of the
35 fiscal year subsequent to the fiscal year of enactment, unless
36 such date is less than 270 days after the date of enactment, in
37 which case the amendments shall take effect on the first day of
38 the following fiscal year.
39
40 (2) PENDING AND APPROVED PETITIONS AND APPLICATIONS.—Petitions
41 for an employment-based visa filed for classification under
42 section 203(b)(1), (2), or (3) of the Immigration and Nationality
43 Act (as such provisions existed prior to the enactment of this
44 section) that were filed prior to the date of the introduction of
265
1 the [Insert title of Act] and were pending or approved at the
2 time of the effective date of this section, shall be treated as if
3 such provision remained effective and an approved petition may
4 serve as the basis for issuance of an immigrant visa. Aliens with
5 applications for a labor certification pursuant to section
6 212(a)(5)(A) of the Immigration and Nationality Act shall
7 preserve the immigrant visa priority date accorded by the date
8 of filing of such labor certification application.
9
The original word is "enactment date", which would be the date the bill is signed into law. The effective date will be oct, 2008.
So people who didn't get their 140 through before the president signs the bill would be screwed?
mpadapa
08-13 05:18 PM
This the time to unite rather than giving up.
Beware of HR 5924, this bill is planning to set aside 20k EB3 visa's for nurses instead of the current 10K. If EB3 folks loose focus and fail to push for recapture bill and somehow HR 5924 is passed. EB3 will be doomed.
Getting HR 5882 / S 3414 (recapture bills) through congress is the only hope for EB3's.
Changing the spillover will not help EBI because in both the spillover interpretations EB3I is the last in the chain. The only reason EB3I benefited from earlier spillover interpretations was because there weren't any ripe EB2-I cases available and it spilled over to EB3I. Reverting to the old spillover interpretation will not benefit EBI but sure it will benefit EB3-ROW.
Let us focus on getting the recapture bills through. Call u'r congressman/senator and start pushing for the recapture bill. EB3I has been benefited until now because of the AC21 recapture. Now it is time for another recapture.
Beware of HR 5924, this bill is planning to set aside 20k EB3 visa's for nurses instead of the current 10K. If EB3 folks loose focus and fail to push for recapture bill and somehow HR 5924 is passed. EB3 will be doomed.
Getting HR 5882 / S 3414 (recapture bills) through congress is the only hope for EB3's.
Changing the spillover will not help EBI because in both the spillover interpretations EB3I is the last in the chain. The only reason EB3I benefited from earlier spillover interpretations was because there weren't any ripe EB2-I cases available and it spilled over to EB3I. Reverting to the old spillover interpretation will not benefit EBI but sure it will benefit EB3-ROW.
Let us focus on getting the recapture bills through. Call u'r congressman/senator and start pushing for the recapture bill. EB3I has been benefited until now because of the AC21 recapture. Now it is time for another recapture.
arihant
03-13 12:26 PM
Here is a link to the following article:
http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=33580&dcn=todaysnews
Looks like they have not come to the immigration issues yet.
Senate panel votes to double size of border force
By Michael Posner, CongressDaily
The Senate Judiciary Committee voted Thursday to add more border agents, investigators and fencing to stem rising illegal immigration as it worked its way through a major immigration reform bill.
In its third day of marking up the bill, the committee discussed nearly 30 amendments, approving a dozen of them by voice vote and postponing the rest for action next week.
In action during the day, the committee agreed to authorize over five years more than 10,000 new customs and border patrol agents, 1,000 investigators, and 1,250 port of entry inspectors. There was a dispute between Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., principal author of the amendment to boost the number of border agents, and Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., over exactly how many border patrol agents would be added in addition to the 11,300 border agents now. Committee staff said they would have to resolve the exact numbers later.
In addition, the committee adopted also by voice an amendment by Sen. John Kyl, R-Ariz., to replace some existing fencing in Arizona and add more than 200 miles of barriers to improve border security in Arizona only. Sessions has said he planned to offer an amendment on the Senate floor to put up some 700 miles of fencing to block off some of the 2,000 miles of U.S. border with Mexico. The committee also agreed to an amendment by Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., for a study to study the feasibility of more fencing along the entire border.
The committee made more progress than it did Wednesday when only three relatively minor amendments were adopted after spending all day with many senators absent, preventing a voting quorum.
"We're on our way," said Committee Chairman Arlen Specter, R-Pa., Thursday. "We had a good session." Specter is trying to meet a target set by Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., to start debate on an immigration bill on March 27. Specter indicated yesterday it might not meet that goal because of the slow pace of deciding on amendments.
The committee is working its way through a 306-page draft proposed by Specter to beef up enforcement and deal with the estimated 11 million illegal aliens living in the United States by allowing qualified undocumented workers to continue working as a way to earn eventual citizenship. He also has proposed a separate guest worker program allowing foreigners to enter the country for up to six years to take jobs that cannot be filled.
Both provisions are highly controversial and are considered the heart of the bill but debate on those matters will not take place until next week at the earliest. The committee plans to work next Wednesday and Thursday on immigration.
The House passed a bill last year that deals mainly with enforcement and does not address the thorny guest worker issue.
In other amendments, the committee agreed to a Feinstein amendment to allow immigrants to stay in the United States if it was discovered their papers or passports were falsified. The immigrants would have to prove there was "a credible fear of prosecution" as the reason passports were forged to get out of countries with dictatorships.
A Sessions' plan was approved that would jail immigrants found to be illegal instead of releasing them pending immigration hearings. He argued many of those released never show up for immigration hearings and disappear. Sessions also won committee endorsement to make it a crime to run a vehicle past a customs checkpoint without stopping.
Three amendments by Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, met no opposition. One would require the Department of Homeland Security to make public foreign ownership of management operations that involve national security as a way to prevent officials being surprised by situations like the Dubai port management controversy.
A Grassley proposal to allocate more immigration investigators to inland states like Iowa won easy approval. So did one to make immigrants convicted of drunk driving one of the crimes subject to deportation.
An amendment by Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan., extending a law allowing foreign doctors to practice in mainly rural areas with physician shortages, also gained approval.
And an amendment by Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., for expedited deportation instead of incarcerating convicted illegal immigrants was also accepted. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Tex., won approval of his proposal to bar violent criminals from sponsoring foreigners seeking entry into the United States.
http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=33580&dcn=todaysnews
Looks like they have not come to the immigration issues yet.
Senate panel votes to double size of border force
By Michael Posner, CongressDaily
The Senate Judiciary Committee voted Thursday to add more border agents, investigators and fencing to stem rising illegal immigration as it worked its way through a major immigration reform bill.
In its third day of marking up the bill, the committee discussed nearly 30 amendments, approving a dozen of them by voice vote and postponing the rest for action next week.
In action during the day, the committee agreed to authorize over five years more than 10,000 new customs and border patrol agents, 1,000 investigators, and 1,250 port of entry inspectors. There was a dispute between Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., principal author of the amendment to boost the number of border agents, and Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., over exactly how many border patrol agents would be added in addition to the 11,300 border agents now. Committee staff said they would have to resolve the exact numbers later.
In addition, the committee adopted also by voice an amendment by Sen. John Kyl, R-Ariz., to replace some existing fencing in Arizona and add more than 200 miles of barriers to improve border security in Arizona only. Sessions has said he planned to offer an amendment on the Senate floor to put up some 700 miles of fencing to block off some of the 2,000 miles of U.S. border with Mexico. The committee also agreed to an amendment by Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., for a study to study the feasibility of more fencing along the entire border.
The committee made more progress than it did Wednesday when only three relatively minor amendments were adopted after spending all day with many senators absent, preventing a voting quorum.
"We're on our way," said Committee Chairman Arlen Specter, R-Pa., Thursday. "We had a good session." Specter is trying to meet a target set by Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., to start debate on an immigration bill on March 27. Specter indicated yesterday it might not meet that goal because of the slow pace of deciding on amendments.
The committee is working its way through a 306-page draft proposed by Specter to beef up enforcement and deal with the estimated 11 million illegal aliens living in the United States by allowing qualified undocumented workers to continue working as a way to earn eventual citizenship. He also has proposed a separate guest worker program allowing foreigners to enter the country for up to six years to take jobs that cannot be filled.
Both provisions are highly controversial and are considered the heart of the bill but debate on those matters will not take place until next week at the earliest. The committee plans to work next Wednesday and Thursday on immigration.
The House passed a bill last year that deals mainly with enforcement and does not address the thorny guest worker issue.
In other amendments, the committee agreed to a Feinstein amendment to allow immigrants to stay in the United States if it was discovered their papers or passports were falsified. The immigrants would have to prove there was "a credible fear of prosecution" as the reason passports were forged to get out of countries with dictatorships.
A Sessions' plan was approved that would jail immigrants found to be illegal instead of releasing them pending immigration hearings. He argued many of those released never show up for immigration hearings and disappear. Sessions also won committee endorsement to make it a crime to run a vehicle past a customs checkpoint without stopping.
Three amendments by Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, met no opposition. One would require the Department of Homeland Security to make public foreign ownership of management operations that involve national security as a way to prevent officials being surprised by situations like the Dubai port management controversy.
A Grassley proposal to allocate more immigration investigators to inland states like Iowa won easy approval. So did one to make immigrants convicted of drunk driving one of the crimes subject to deportation.
An amendment by Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan., extending a law allowing foreign doctors to practice in mainly rural areas with physician shortages, also gained approval.
And an amendment by Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., for expedited deportation instead of incarcerating convicted illegal immigrants was also accepted. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Tex., won approval of his proposal to bar violent criminals from sponsoring foreigners seeking entry into the United States.
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