The US Consulate in Tel Aviv, Israel is warning visa applicants to expect significant delays in visa processing. The consulate has also withdrawn all appointments for green card interviews for applicants currently living in the US.

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The BCIS Texas Service Center has transferred nearly 5,000 I-130 cases to the Missouri Processing Center in order to help reduce the TSC's backlog.

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The Department of State has announced that a new DS-156 Nonimmigrant Visa Application should be used by all people applying for nonimmigrant visas. The new form includes additional questions. It can be downloaded on the State Department's web site at http://www.state.gov/m/a/dir/c4455.htm.

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The BCIS has announced that only N-400 forms dated May 31, 2001 or later are acceptable for people applying for citizenship. Applications with earlier dates will be rejected and returned to applicants.

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The State Department is reporting that they now expect all employment-based immigrant visa categories to remain current through the end of Fiscal Year 2004 (September 30, 2004). Recent legislative changes have freed up visa numbers to allow for more employment based applicants and demand for visas has been weaker than anticipated. State Department officials previously warned that the employment-based categories would likely backlog in FY 2004.

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On his last day as an employee of the Immigration and Naturalization Service, Deputy Executive Associate Commissioner Bill Yates issued a field memorandum reminding INS adjudicators to deny adjustment of status applications where a concurrently filed underlying family or employment-based petition is denied. Applications for employment authorization and advance parole should also be denied. But if the underlying petition is denied, the adjustment application will not be considered improperly filed.

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The US Labor Department has fined a teacher placement firm $120,000 for various H-1B violations. Teachers Placement Group, Inc. of Plainview, NY was penalized for their treatment of 15 teachers they sponsored for H-1B visas. The teachers, all from India, were hired to fill math and science teachers in Newark, New Jersey public schools. The company was charged with not paying proper wages as well as other immigration law violations. They are also ordered to pay $187,546 in back wages to the teachers.

"Abuse of the foreign labor certification program undermines the integrity of the program," according to Irv Miljoner of the Labor Department's Wage and Hour Division. Miljoner also told of the company's threatening teachers with deportation.

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The US government has extended the enrollment period for SENTRI (the Secure Electronic Network for Travelers Rapid Inspection) participants from one to to years.

"This is a milestone for the SENTRI program," said Acting INS Commissioner Michael Garcia. "Extending the enrollment period will mean greater

convenience, fewer processing delays, and cost savings for SENTRI applicants. It is also an important step forward in our effort to refine and expand the SENTRI program."

SENTRI is an automated system that enables enrolled motorists at selected

land border ports to complete the inspections process and enter the United States more expediently using dedicated commuter lanes. As part of the enrollment process, SENTRI participants undergo an extensive screening that includes law enforcement and criminal background checks. By encouraging low-risk travelers to participate in programs like SENTRI, authorities can focus more attention and resources on unknown or higher-risk travelers.

Currently, there are more than 42,000 travelers participating in the SENTRI program along the U.S.-Mexico border. Commuters also will only need to pay the program fee once every two years instead of annually.

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The Washington Times newspaper is reporting that US consulates have cut by more than half the number of visas issued to nationals of states that sponsor terrorism. From June 1, 2002 to February 23, 2003, approximately 20,000 visas were issued to people from Iraq, Iran, Syria, Libya, Sudan, North Korea and Cuba. During the same period in the previous year, more than 46,000 visas were issued.