The President set FY 2005 Refugee Admissions numbers to 70,000 last week.  According to the Federal Register, the 70,000 admissions numbers shall be allocated among refugees of special humanitarian concern to the United States in accordance with the following regional allocations:

Africa                                20,000

East Asia                           13,000

Europe and Central Asia        9,500

Latin America/Caribbean        5,000

Near East/South Asia            2,500

Unallocated Reserve             20,000

The 20,000 unallocated refugee numbers are to be allocated to regions as needed.  An additional 10,000 refugee admissions numbers will be made available during FY 2005 for the adjustment to permanent resident status.  It is also specified by the President that for FY 2005, people from Vietnam, Cuba, and the former Soviet Union may be considered refugees for the purpose of admission to the United States within their countries of nationality or habitual residence.

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The Immigration and Nationality Act was amended recently to accept either electronic or hand-written signatures for I-9s.

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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service is reminding those with an application for adjustment of status to that of lawful permanent resident, an application for relief under the NACARA 203, or an asylum application, that they must obtain Advance Parole by filing Form I-131 (Application for Travel Document) with the USCIS before traveling abroad for the holidays.  Travel outside of the United States without advance parole may have severe consequences for certain individuals who are in the process of adjusting their status.  Such individuals may be unable to return to the United States, their applications may be denied or both.

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Members of Miami’s Haitian American Grassroots Coalition, along with other immigration advocates are attempting to pressure the government to grant temporary protected status to Haitians who might otherwise be forced to return to their unstable homeland.  The protection allows foreign nationals to reside and work in the U.S. for a limited time, and halts deportation proceedings against foreign nationals from those countries if they entered the U.S. without proper immigration documents.  Immigration advocates maintain that Haitians should qualify for temporary protected status because the country has been struck with political turmoil as well as a natural catastrophe.  Tropical Storm Jeanne killed nearly 2,000 people in Haiti last month, compounding damage from massive floods in May.

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The Nebraska Service Center has announced its projected cut-off dates for asylee adjustments.  The service center projects that it will be processing asylee adjustment cases received on or before March, 31, 2000 during FY 2005.

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In a daily briefing, GovExec.com reported that The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) halted a controversial public-private competition for roughly 1,300 immigration services jobs.

DHS secretary, Tom Ridge, cancelled the immigration service job contest to allow Citizenship and Immigration Services (CIS) more room to focus on reducing a backlog of immigration-related paperwork. The contest yielded many ‘good ideas’ on improving immigration services work and wasn't a waste of time, said Valerie Smith, DHS spokeswoman.

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A news release by the U.S Department of Justice announced that three immigration judges took the oath of office in Arlington, VA, last Friday. According to the U.S Department of Justice, Charles K. Adkins-Branch, Laura A. Baxter, and David L. Neal were appointed immigration judges in June 2004.

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In an effort to encourage more foreign students to enroll, The University of Texas is going to reimburse each degree-seeking international student the $100 SEVIS fee paid to the government in order to study in the United States, according to an announcement by the university's president last week.

The fee is used to support an electronic tracking system, the Student Exchange Visitor Information System, used by the Department of Homeland Security.  UT's president said this was necessary to eliminate one of the hurdles international students have come up against since September 11.

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The Department of Homeland Security recently granted nationwide class certification to the lawsuit, Santillan et al. v. Aschroft et al., recognizing that all of the plaintiffs had been granted the status of lawful permanent resident by Immigration Judges or by the Board of Immigration Appeals.  Class certification allows the case to proceed on a nationwide basis, on behalf of thousands of lawful permanent residents denied proof of their lawful status, or "green cards."  The class action suit charges that DHS offices nationwide are consistently rejecting and delaying lawful permanent residents' requests for documentation of their LPR status.