The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced the appointment of Igor V. Timofeyev as senior advisor for refugee and asylum policy. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff called for this senior policy position as part of his agenda for the department.

As senior advisor for refugee and asylum policy, Timofeyev will help to guide the department's policies that protect legitimate asylum and refugee seekers and uphold our nation's deep commitment to human rights. Timofeyev is a native of Russia and himself a refugee.

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US Consulate General Toronto recently announced that it is now offering instant notification of status changes in Treaty Visa cases. The Consulate will send instant status notifications via email to all cases in which an email address is provided in block 23 of the DS-156 application form.

With newly received cases, the Consulate will continue to fax or mail copies of the login letter generated once the case is entered into the computer system. After this, if an email address was provided on the DS-156, then no further correspondence will be faxed or mailed. Updates will be sent only to the email address on file. Status notifications can only be sent to the email address indicated on the DS-156. In order for the status notifications to be sent to a legal or other representative, the email address must be indicated in the space on the application form. Contact email addresses can only be changed by submitting a new, signed form DS-156 to our office.

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According to a statement from the U.S. Embassy in Paris , it continues to experience an increasing demand for visas. As of now, French travelers in need of visas have a nine-week wait to obtain an interview appointment, and the back-log is growing. The U.S. Embassy in Paris will now have diplomatic staff to conduct roughly 50 percent more visa interviews per day. Additionally, some U.S. embassies or consulates in Europe will now accept visa appointments from French citizens. French citizens may now contact the U.S. embassies or consulates in Berlin , Bern , Brussels , Frankfurt , London , or Madrid for visa appointments. The U.S Embassy’s release stated that biometric passports will soon be issued by the French authorities so that its citizens will once again be able to travel to the United States , in most circumstances, without a visa.

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Handwritten visa application forms for the United States are about to become obsolete in Abu Dhabi and Dubai .  In order to expedite the process of acquiring a visa, a new Electronic Visa Application Form (EVAF) is being required for visa seeking individuals.  Hoping to eliminate long processing times, the forms will allow individuals to fill in the necessary documentation before arriving at the Consulate or Embassy.

Abu Dhabi and Dubai have taken other steps to expedite the process of visa applications by allowing individuals to apply for student visas up to one hundred and twenty days prior to their expected departure.  Both cities in the United Arab Emirates are offering priority to student and emergency medical visas.  Already, average waiting times are down to 1-2 days in Abu Dhabi and 5-6 days in Dubai .

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Human rights groups are criticizing Bush’s expedited removal program for its failure to ensure that potential asylum seekers are not deported.  Groups point to cases in which legitimate fears have been ignored and asylum was not offered to individuals who would qualify for protection.  Studies have shown that immigration agents do not refer individuals with credible fears of persecution to asylum hearings 15 percent of the time.  Personnel problems are compounded by judicial disparities in asylum seekers.  Rachel Swans of The New York Times points to concerns that asylum is being offered based on an individual’s background and access to legal council.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) claims that missed asylum cases are extremely rare and defend the expedited removal process.  The Department of Homeland Security has recently hired its first senior adviser for refugee and asylum policy, Igor V. Timofeyev.  One of Mr. Timofeyev’s primary tasks will be to ensure that safeguards are put in place to prevent legitimate claims of fear and persecution from being ignored by the Immigration officials.  A former refugee from Russia , Igor Timofeyev believes that his department is making a genuine effort to make immigration effective and sensitive to potential asylum seekers.