According to AILA InfoNet, H-1B numbers remain for both fiscal 2005 and 2006 for graduates of U.S. masters or above programs. For fiscal 2005 numbers (i.e., a start date earlier than 10/1/05), the petition should be filed at the Vermont Service Center at this special address: USCIS Vermont Service Center, 1A Lemnah Drive, St. Albans, VT 05479-7001. Petitions for fiscal 2006 numbers (i.e., a start date of 10/1/05 or later) should be filed at the service center having jurisdiction over the place of employment.

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Individuals who have recently applied for a U.S. passport and want to know the status of their application may do so by accessing http://travel.state.gov/passport/get/status/status_2567.html using a standard Internet browser. Customers can securely enter their last name, date of birth, and the last four digits of their Social Security Number to receive information on the status of their application. A customer's personal information will remain in the system only long enough for he or she to complete their inquiry, thus protecting that data, as authorized by law. This information will then be deleted from the system.

Customers may still request an application status-check via email, at travel.state.gov, or by calling, toll-free, the National Passport Information Center at 1-877-487-2778 (TDD/TTY 1-888-874-7793).

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Actress Margot Kidder became a citizen of the U.S. last week to avoid possible deportation to her native Canada when she begins protesting the war in Iraq, she said.

Kidder, best known for playing Lois Lane in the motion picture 'Superman,' was among 19 people who became citizens during a naturalization ceremony in federal court in Butte, Montana.