PAKPAC

IMPORTANT IMMIGRANT RIGHTS RELATED ISSUES:

A) PAKISTANI AMERICAN ORGANIZATIONS URGED TO JOIN PAKPAC IN THE LETTER TO SECRETARY RIDGE AND UNDERSECRETARY HUTCHINSON RE -NSEERS.

American Immigration Lawyers Association for national and local organization to join in a letter (ATTACHED+ also in the end) to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Ridge and Under Secretary Hutchinson calling for the discontinuation of special registration (NSEERS -- the National Security Entry-Exit Registration System).

To sign on, respond to specialregistration@aila.org by December 3, 2003, with:

-- Name of your organization;

-- Name of person authorizing sign-on; and

-- Location, if not a national group.

Please note that since its inception, the special registration program has been discriminatorily applied to groups of visitors based upon ethnicity, religion and / or national origin. The program has also been badly implemented, seriously undermining any positive information-gathering value it may have had. Please also note arrival and departure data for those who require a visa to enter the United States soon will be captured by another program, US-VISIT.

B) REPORTING VISA ISSUANCE DELAYS AND THEIR IMPACT:

Delays in immigration applications and visa issuance at foreign consulates have increased dramatically since 9-11. AILA (American Immigration Layers Association) is collecting examples of these delays in order to document the impact on individuals, families and businesses. This data will be critical for advocacy work. Please distribute these forms to your colleagues so we can get their input. (The attached forms can be used: They have been virus checked: If you are still concerned they are below in this email)

Attached are four separate forms for recording delays in the processing of the following: visa issuance at the consulates, LPR applications, naturalization applications, and diversity visa applications. If you can provide examples of delays in any or all of these areas, please fill out the form and return it to Joanna Carson, AILA Immigration Business Associate, at jcarson@aila.org . While the collection of these delays will be an on going process, we would appreciate if you would return filled out forms by December 15th.

For questions contact: Judith Golub
Senior Director, Advocacy & Public Affairs
American Immigration Lawyers Association
(202) 216-2403
jgolub@aila.org

C) NATIONWIDE CONFERENCE CALL ON SPECIAL REGISTRATION:

The National Immigration Forum will convene a conference call on Wednesday, December 3 at 3pm EST to hear from advocates around the country about the state of play around special re-registration. To join the call, please dial 800-441-0022 and ask for the National Immigration Forum call. This will be a "share-the-cost" conference call, meaning you need an account with the conference call company, ClearOne Communications, so that you can be billed for your portion of the cost of the call. If you do not have an account with ClearOne, please sign up for an individual billing account at least 24 hours in advance of the call. To activate an account with ClearOne, please visit https://neo.callcntr.net/newsubs/newaccts and complete the sign-up form. If you have any questions, please contact our Account Manager, Tiffany Jensen at (800) 945-7730, ext. 517

AILA Delays Report Forms:

AILA’s Advocacy Department is collecting examples of consulates delaying the issuance of visas. We will use these examples to document to Congress the frequency and negative impacts of these delays. Given the detailed nature of the questions, please respond to as many of the questions as possible. Unless you give us express permission, all examples used will be anonymous. Return the form or direct questions about the form to Joanna Carson, Business Immigration Associate, American Immigration Lawyers Association at jcarson@aila.org and/or 202-216-2408.

Visa Issuance Delay Report Form

Your name, your affiliation, phone number and e-mail address:

Name of visa applicant (optional, use of name is not express permission to disclose.):

Age of visa applicant:

Reason for applicant's visit to the United States:

Country of applicant's citizenship and (if different) country of applicant’s birth:

Location and date of visa application submission:

Type of visa requested:

What was the reason for the delay (e.g. such as security check process, lost file, etc.)?

How long was the delay? Was the visa issued/denied, or is it still pending?

What efforts were made to contact any U.S. government official for assistance? What feedback did you receive from the U.S. consulate or other government officials?

(If known) Has the applicant visited any of the following countries: Iran, Iraq, Syria, Cuba, Libya, North Korea, Sudan, Afghanistan, Algeria, Bahrain, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Indonesia, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Malaysia, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Pakistan, Philippines, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Tajikistan, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, United Arab Eremites, Uzbekistan, Yemen? If so, please indicate which countries, date(s) and approximate duration of visit(s):

If the visa is for employment purposes, please complete the following-

· Name of Company (optional):

· State and Zip Code of Company- if possible please include the full address:

· Description of Company (e.g. largest mid-west paper manufacturer, family owned and operated hotel)

· Type of industry (e.g. pharmaceuticals, software; non-profits Arts association):

· Size of company (check one): ___ small ___ medium ___ large

· Estimated cost of visa delay to company (please provide basis of your estimate):

(If applicable) Would the visa applicant be exposed to technology covered under the technology alert list (TAL) during his/her stay in the U.S.? If so, did the company have an export license for the technology in question?

Additional comments:

38CF3009A

AILA’s Advocacy Department is collecting examples of USCIS delaying the processing of naturalization cases. We will use these examples to document to Congress the frequency and negative impacts of these delays. Given the detailed nature of the questions, please respond to as many of the questions as possible. Unless you give us express permission, all examples used will be anonymous. Return the form or direct questions about the form to Joanna Carson, Business Immigration Associate, American Immigration Lawyers Association at jcarson@aila.org and/or 202-216-2408.

Naturalization Delay Report Form

Your name, your affiliation, phone number and e-mail address:

Name of applicant (optional, use of name is not express permission to disclose.):

State and Zip Code of applicant- if possible please include the full address:

Age of applicant:

Country of applicant's citizenship and (if different) county of applicant’s birth:

Location and date of naturalization application submission:

Date application was transferred to the District Office? Date of interview?

What was the reason for the delay (e.g. such as security check process, lost file, etc.)?

How long was the delay? Was the application ultimately issued/denied, or is it still pending?

What efforts were made to contact U.S. government officials for assistance?

What feedback did you receive from the Service Centers, District Offices, or other government officials?

What impact has the delay had the on the applicant? Applicant’s employer? Applicant’s family?

(If applicable) Does the applicant have any criminal history? If yes, please respond to the following:

Was the criminal activity prior to, or during the 3/5-year statutory period? __Y __N
Are the offenses crimes involving moral turpitude or aggravated felonies? __Y __N
Were they expunged, dismissed, vacated? __Y __N
Did the application include evidence of good moral character? __Y __N

Additional comments:

38CF3010A

AILA’s Advocacy Department is collecting examples of USCIS delaying the processing of LPR cases. We will use these examples to document to Congress the frequency and negative impacts of these delays. Given the detailed nature of the questions, please respond to as many of the questions as possible. Unless you give us express permission, all examples used will be anonymous. Return the form or direct questions about the form to Joanna Carson, Business Immigration Associate, American Immigration Lawyers Association at jcarson@aila.org and/or 202-216-2408.

LPR Processing Delay Report Form

Your name, your affiliation, phone number and e-mail address:

Name of principle applicant (optional, use of name is not express permission to disclose.):

State and Zip Code- if possible please include the full address:

Age of principle applicant:

Country of applicant's citizenship and (if different) country of applicant’s birth:

Location and date of adjustment application submission:

(For family petitions) How many family members filed petitions? Which family members experienced delays? Include their ages if known:

What was the reason for the delay (e.g. such as security check process, lost file, etc.)?

How long was the delay? Was the application ultimately issued/denied, or is it still pending?

What efforts were made to contact any U.S. government official for assistance?

What feedback did you receive?

If the application for LPR status is employment-based, please complete the following-

· Name of Company (optional):

· State and Zip Code of Company- if possible please include the full address:

· Description of Company (e.g. largest mid-west paper manufacturer, family owned and operated hotel):

· Type of industry (e.g. pharmaceuticals, software; non-profits Arts association):

· Size of company (check one): ___ small ___ medium ___ large

· Effect of delay/denial of LPR status to company (please provide basis of your estimate):

(If applicable) Did the applicant work in an area that would involve sensitive technology?

Additional comments:

38CF3011A

AILA’s Advocacy Department is collecting examples of USCIS delaying the processing of Diversity Visa Lottery cases. We will use these examples to document to Congress the frequency and negative impacts of these delays. Unless you give us express permission, all examples used will be anonymous. Return the form or direct questions about the form to Joanna Carson, Business Immigration Associate, American Immigration Lawyers Association at jcarson@aila.org and/or 202-216-2408.

Diversity Visa Processing Delay Report Form

Your name, your affiliation, phone number and e-mail address:

Name of applicant (optional, use of name is not express permission to disclose.):

State and Zip Code of applicant- if possible please include the full address:

Age of applicant:

Country of applicant's citizenship and (if different) country of applicant’s birth:

Location and date of application submission:

What was the reason for the delay (e.g. such as security check process, lost file, etc.)?

How long was the delay? Was the application ultimately issued/denied, or is it still pending?

What efforts were made to contact any U.S. government official for assistance?

What feedback did you receive?

What impact has the delay had the on the applicant? The applicant’s employer? The applicant’s family?

Additional comments:

38CF3012A

Letter to Secretary Ridge and Under Secretary Hutchinson.

December , 2003

Dear Secretary Ridge and Under Secretary Hutchinson:

The undersigned organizations write to express our concerns about the special registration program (National Security Entry-Exit Registration System or “NSEERS”), including the thirty day, one year, and port of departure requirements

The special registration program was deeply flawed at its start, both in concept and implementation, and remains deeply flawed today – one year later. This program has failed to advance our national security or improve efficiency within our immigration system. It also has wasted precious resources, made immigrant communities nationwide feel besieged, and harmed our relationships with foreign governments. Based on these concerns, we urge your Department to eliminate any and all requirements related to the special registration program. Such a gesture by this administration would be a much needed positive signal to not only the communities directly impacted by the program, but all newcomer communities, who have felt the heavy hand of the Administration’s policies since September 11th.

· · No Outreach and Education Efforts Undertaken: The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), like the Justice Department before it, has not undertaken any outreach efforts to educate impacted individuals about program requirements.

· · Inconsistent Implementation: Special Registration has been plagued with inconsistent implementation. When they initially registered, in many cases immigration authorities failed to tell these immigrants of the requirement to register again on a periodic basis. Such failure can lead to deportation.

· · Disproportionate Consequences for People Who Re-register Late: Given such confusion, some people have re-registered late. We have received reports that these people have been detained. Such action is not the best use of our detention facilities.

These and other implementation problems, the questionable use of detention and other resources, and the broad based view that this program has undermined, not enhanced our nation’s security, argue persuasively for eliminating the re-registration requirements. Our government needs to focus on law enforcement programs through investigation and surveillance based on individual suspicion. Our scarce federal dollars need to be spent on what works, and works well to make our nation safer. For these reasons we urge you to eliminate the continuing requirements associated with the special registration program.

Sincerely,

cc: Robert Bonner

Michael Garcia

Stewart Verdery

Dan Sutherland

Clark Kent Ervin.

28ad3035a