Since the signing of the 245i legislation in November, activity in Washington has been very quiet. Congress is out of session until the end of January though immigration-related legislative activity will again be on the agenda of Congress when the members return.

We know that our readers are highly concerned about the progress of immigration-related legislation. The emergency new law update on our web site is consistently one of the most visited files on our site sometimes being downloaded several thousand times in a single week. We have therefore decided to make the section a permanent addition to our site. However, the focus will change to a broader feature relating to immigration legislation and advocacy. We will report on legislative activity at the page, link to important bills in Congress and provide information on how readers can make their opinions heard.

The American Immigration Lawyers Association has recently released a summary of its legislative priorities for the next session of Congress. The list is a pretty good preview of the coming battles. Among the issues to be pushed-

- Reversing the harshest portions of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 ("IIRAIRA"). AILA hopes Congress will expand the waivers available to the new 3 and 10 year entry bars, address the retroactive application and expanded definitions in the new aggravated felony rules, curtail the availability of the new expedited removal rules (more on this later in the newsletter), restore the right of the courts to review many types of cases, and eliminate the new entry-exit control system created by IIRAIRA.

- AILA is hoping to have an influence on the implementation of the new 245i transition rules and the new Central American amnesty provisions. Specifically, AILA hopes the White House and Congress will agree to protect family members of 245i beneficiaries. For Central Americans, AILA is pushing for a streamlined suspension of deportation process and for the inclusion of Haitians (more on that subject later in this newsletter).

- Several members of Congress have indicated an interest in revisiting the question of cutting the number of legal immigrants. AILA wants to push the keep the numbers where they are.

- In the wake of the annual cap on H-1B visas being reached for the first time this past August, AILA is hoping to educate Congress on the importance of the program and the need for coming up with a solution that will allow employers to continue to have access to specialty occupation workers.

- AILA is hoping to work with Congress to develop a long-term strategy for dealing with the complete breakdown of the labor certification program. Later in this issue, we report on just how serious this has become especially in the New York and New Jersey areas.

- AILA wants to work with Congress and the INS to develop a workable strategy for getting the naturalization process back on track now that processing times are approaching two years in many areas.

- AILA hopes to work with the White House and Congress in reviewing and potentially implementing the Commission on Immigration Reform's controversial recommendation to break up the INS and transfer its responsibilities to other agencies.

Siskind's Immigration Bulletin will report on all of these activities in the coming year.