Last month we reported on a new web site, VisaJobs.com, that is designed to assist immigrants and would be immigrants find positions with visa-sponsoring employers in America. That site is aimed at filling a need in the immigrant communities in the US that is not being met by more conventional employment sites. Now the creators of that site have completed another site designed to meet the needs of would-be immigrants. The site is called VisaHomes and is at http://www.visahomes.com. VisaHomes is designed as a resource to help foreign nationals in the United States with their relocation needs. The site is primarily designed to help immigrants find professionals to help them with the range of services they will need if they are relocating. In the spirit of full-disclosure, I should note that I am an investor in the site, though VisaHomes is completely independent of Siskind, Susser, Haas & Devine and I am in no way endorsing the site in my capacity as a lawyer.

Why have a site like this even though there are many real estate and relocation sites on the web? For one thing, immigrants have special problems and concerns that are often not appreciated or addressed by real estate professionals. For example, without an extensive credit history in the United States, obtaining a mortgage can be a problem. Immigrants often also have special issues relating to international moves, locating schools appropriate for their children, finding the right neighborhoods, finding accountants with an understanding of the needs of immigrants, etc. The professionals on VisaHomes specifically are interested in working to educate themselves on the needs of immigrants and in helping immigrants to get the customized service they require.

The site is organized in two ways - by type of service being sought and by state and local area. The following types of service professionals are listed on the site:

* real estate agents

* rental agents

* mortgage lenders and brokers

* movers

* other professionals (accountants, insurance agents, etc.)

Finally, the site is free of charge to the public.

Another site we ran across this month that may be of interest to readers is Policy.com. The site describes itself as follows:

"Policy.com (www.policy.com) is the Web's most comprehensive public policy resource and community. Drawing from its network of policy influentials, Policy.com showcases leading research, opinions and events shaping public policy on dozens of issues including education, technology and healthcare. Policy.com is non-partisan and free to users."

Each week, the site covers a specific public policy issue at length and provides links to articles on the Internet. During the week or April 13, 1998, the site had an interesting discussion on immigration policy that is worth a look. The URL for that part of the site is http://policy.com/issuewk/98/0413/index.html.

If you know of a site you think would be of interest to readers of Siskind's Immigration Bulletin, e-mail me at gsiskind@visalaw.com and we'll try and review the site if we think it is appropriate.