The US Consulate in Tel Aviv, Israel is warning visa applicant s to expect significant delays in visa processing. The consulate has also withdrawn all appointments for green card interviews for applicant s currently living in the US .

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The BCIS Texas Service Center has transferred nearly 5,000 I-130 cases to the Missouri Processing Center in order to help reduce the TSC's b acklog.

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The Department of State has announced that a new DS-156 Nonimmigrant Visa Application should b e used b y all people applying for nonimmigrant visas. The new fo rm includes additional questions. It can b e downloaded on the State Department's we b site at http://www.state.gov/m/a/dir/c4455.htm.

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The BCIS has announced that only N-400 fo rm s dated May 31, 2001 or later are accepta b le for people applying for citizenship. Applications with earlier dates will b e rejected and returned to applicant s.

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The State Department is reporting that they now expect all employment- b ased immigrant visa categories to remain current through the end of Fiscal Year 2004 ( Septem b er 30, 2004 ). Recent legislative changes have freed up visa num b ers to allow for more employment b ased applicant s and demand for visas has b een we ak er than anticipated. State Department officials previously warned that the employment- b ased categories would likely b acklog in FY 2004.

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On his last day as an employee of the Immigration and Naturalization Service, Deputy Executive Associate Commissioner Bill Yates issued a field memorandum reminding INS adjudicators to deny adjustment of status applications where a concurrently filed underlying family or employment- b ased petition is denied. Applications for employment authorization and advance parole should also b e denied. But if the underlying petition is denied, the adjustment application will not b e considered improperly filed.

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The US La b or Department has fined a teacher placement fi rm $120,000 for various H-1B v iola tions. Teachers Placement Group, Inc. of Plainview , NY was penalized for their treatment of 15 teachers they sponsored for H-1B visas. The teachers, all from India , were hired to fill math and science teachers in Newark , New Jersey pu b lic schools. The company was charged with not paying proper wages as well as other immigration law v iola tions. They are also ordered to pay $187,546 in b ack wages to the teachers.

"A b use of the foreign la b or certification prog ram unde rm ines the integrity of the prog ram ," according to Irv Miljoner of the La b or Department's Wage and Hour Division. Miljoner also told of the company's threatening teachers with deportation.

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The US government has extended the enrollment period for SENTRI (the Secure Electronic Network for Travelers Rapid Inspection) participants from one to to years.

"This is a milestone for the SENTRI prog ram ," said Acting INS Commissioner Michael Garcia. "Extending the enrollment period will mean greater

convenience, fewer processing delays, and cost savings for SENTRI applicant s. It is also an important step forward in our effort to refine and expand the SENTRI prog ram ."

SENTRI is an automated system that ena b les enrolled motorists at selected

land b order ports to complete the inspections process and enter the United States more expediently using dedicated commuter lanes. As part of the enrollment process, SENTRI participants undergo an extensive screening that includes law enforcement and crim ina l b ackground checks. By encouraging low-risk travelers to participate in prog ram s like SENTRI, authorities can focus more attention and resources on unknown or higher-risk travelers.

Currently, there are more than 42,000 travelers participating in the SENTRI prog ram along the U.S.-Mexico b order. Commuters also will only need to pay the prog ram fee once every two years instead of annually.

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