The State Department will soon be implementing a system whereby immigration lawyers will be able to make appointments via the Internet for their clients to interview at US consulates in Canada and Mexico. The system will be an alternative to the 900 telephone number system that has been in place for the last two and half years. Attorneys will need to pay a $30 fee to participate and payment can be made over the web via credit card. The 900 number system has been heavily criticized for its lack of flexibility. Only one appointment can be booked per call. Applicants cannot be substituted, and there is virtually no leeway in which days can be selected for appointments. The State Department hopes the new system will address many of the problems.
Volunteers are being sought for participation. If you are an immigration lawyer with a significant number of third country national clients needing to process in Canada or Mexico, please contact Greg Siskind at [email protected] to be put in touch with the appropriate contact person.
Siskind, Susser, Haas & Chang will seek to participate in the program and we will report on our findings in a later issue of this newsletter.
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