Immigration is a matter of federal law. Eyeball the Immigration and Naturalization Act, and plow through the immigration regulations, Title 8 of the Code of Federal Regulations.

Then, cross the e-border to the United States Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS), the Department of Justice's office created in 1891 to enforce immigration law. The INS homestead features immigration laws and regulations, Federal Register notices, a databank of interim decisions of the Board of Immigration Appeals, enforcement information, news releases, fact sheets, statistics and more.

While you are at INS, download dozens of required immigration forms such as application for naturalization (N-400), employment eligibility verification (I-9), application to replace alien registration card (I-90), and even an application for posthumous citizenship (N-644). Yes, the red tape comes with the territory.

Hiring new workers? Employers must comply with the employment verification provisions of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act. The INS offers a roundup of information for employers, including rules about establishing employee identity and eligibility to work.

(Speaking of employment, border patrol officer recruitment is ongoing at the U.S. Border Patrol Employment Page. Illegal aliens need not apply.)

Dig into a fact sheet on U.S. Asylum and Refugee Policy. And sneak over to the border for a report on what the government is doing about illegal alien smuggling.

Immigration law ties into American history. Get a perspective on immigration law from 1790 to 1996 with the INS's overview of the legislative history of immigration to the United States.

Are you eligible to become a naturalized U.S. citizen? Travel the road to Naturalization and discover the requirements for residency, moral character, language proficiency, the oath of allegiance and knowledge of United States government and history. Don't be afraid to take the INS's naturalization self-test (unless you don't know whether the president of the United States is George Bush, Bill Clinton, Dan Quayle or Newt Gingrich).

For the mother of all immigration law firm home pages, make your way over to Immigration and Nationality Law from Siskind, Susser & Haas, home of Siskind's Immigration Bulletin, a free, monthly e-newsletter covering developments in immigration law and legislation.

Siskind features immigration forms, a hot documents collection and a menu of pointers to immigration resources around webville. And follow the action at the Siskind's Green Card Lottery Center, a gathering of information about the diversity visa program in which the government awards 50,000 green cards annually by random computer selection.

Immigrants have rights too. The American Civil Liberties Union has devoted a page of resources and updates on Immigrants' Rights.

Is immigration a good thing? The American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), in support of lawful immigration, debunks five immigration myths (such as "immigrants are a drain" on the economy; and, immigrants take jobs away from Americans.) (If you disagree, create a Web page to the contrary. It's a free country.)

Next stop, American Immigration Center, a hodgepodge of kits and resources for would-be citizens, including green card information and a listing of U.S. embassies and consulates world-wide.

Swing over to the Department of State's Visa Services showcase for resources and information on visitor visas, student visas, immigrant visas, employment visas, fiancee visas and more. Find out about visa denials, marriage to foreign nationals, temporary religious workers and Bureau of Consular Affairs Visa Bulletin.

What about resettlement of refugees? The INS works with the Department of State, the United Nations, and the Department of Health and Human Services in the admission and resettlement of refugees.

The American Immigration Report is a gathering of articles and selected immigration resources from the office of immigration lawyer Mark Carmel.

And who could do a better job than former INS attorney Carl Shusterman in hosting Immigration: A Practical Guide to Immigrating to the U.S.? Wander through this well-organized compilation of immigration topical materials and keep current with Shusterman's Immigration Update.

Do immigration judges automatically deport illegal aliens? No. Relief from deportation includes waivers, suspension and adjustment of status. Check into Shusterman's welcoming page devoted to immigration courts and deportation.

At the Immigration Home Page, get the basics on business and personal immigration, the lottery, non-immigrant visas, simplified Department of State bulletins and even an immigration law glossary, from the Law Offices of Richard Madison.

Immigration law specialist Sheela Murthy offers quick answers to her selection of top ten frequently asked immigration law questions such as how to obtain a temporary visa and what is a national interest waiver.

For our neighbors north of one of the friendliest international borders in the world, attorney Joseph C. Grasmick offers a FAQ on Canada to U.S. Immigration for Businesses and Professionals.

And here's a handy overview of Dual Citizenship and U.S. Law, written by a non-lawyer who's done some research.

And if you're thinking about emmigrating, see if the grass is greener anywhere else in the world: scope out any country on the planet with Travel Warnings & Consular Information Sheets, courtesy of the Department of State. And visit any embassy in the world on the Embassy Web. Don't leave home without these diplomatic links.

So if you want to become a U.S. citizen, make yourself at home with legal resources that can help you get here. And us the Web as your doorway to a new e-country. See you in next week's worldly Law Buzz.

Jesse Londin, Esq.


Jesse ("Buzz") Londin is a lawyer, writer, online editor and Web forum host. She lives in New York where she sometimes sleeps but her browser windows never close. Jesse would love to hear your comments and questions. (And yes, you can call her Buzz.)