News Bytes

Three illegal immigrants were arrested last week after Chicago police discovered a fake-ID operation in their apartment in Cicero. Police believe that the immigrants received the IDs to duplicate from a janitor or former janitor at the Mexican consulate.

The three men from Mexico were charged with manufacturing identification cards and driver’s licenses, and felony possession of fraudulent identification cards and driver’s licenses.

Police found computer scanners, color printers, templates for more than a dozen different fake state Ids and 136 blank Social Security cards.

Manufacturing and possession of fraudulent identification cards is a felony. If convicted, the men could face up to three years in prison.

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Two changes in Immigration law are anticipated to affect the immigration of religious professionals and other religious workers.

First, if the September 30, 2003 bill passes, only ordained ministers may obtain permanent residence without obtaining Labor Certification. All other religious workers must first obtain Labor Certification.

Second, the BCIS recently decided to grant only petitions for a religious worker when the petitioner is a church. Religious workers petitioned for by religious relief organizations, mission organizations, interdenominational organizations, religious colleges and secondary schools are now being denied by the BSIC because they are not churches.

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Conservative Senator Orrin Hatch of Utah introduced and backed the "Equal Opportunity to Govern" amendment to the Senate last Thursday. This amendment could allow foreign-born citizens to become president or vice-president of the United States.

Currently, only native-born Americans can hold the country's two highest offices.

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The House Judiciary Committee is currently involved in drafting legislation for U.S. Free Trade Agreements with Chile and Singapore.

During hearings, the committee adopted an initiative that could split the H-1B visa category into the H-1B(I) and H-1B(II) categories. The H-1B(I) category would be similar to the current H-1B category.

The H-1B(II) category, on the other hand, would allocate 1,400 visas to Chile and 5,400 to Singapore taken away from the H-1B visa cap. Consequently, 6,800 visas would be taken away from the general cap of 195,000. This new visa category will be renewable annually, with attestations required each third year.

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Posts that have developed or anticipate developing waiting periods for NIV interviews should now give priority to students and exchange visitors in the professor, student, and research scholar categories this summer when scheduling interviews.

Any questions or comments about priority appointment systems may be forwarded to CA/VO/F/P.