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October 23, 2006
Visa Waiver Program: Passport
Requirements Timeline
As of October 26, 2006,
any passport issued on or after this date by a Visa Waiver
Program (VWP) country must be an e-Passport for VWP
travelers to be eligible to enter the United
States without a
visa.
Outlined below
are important changes in passport and e-Passport
requirements for travelers from VWP countries applying for
admission to the United States.
Please check with the passport issuing agency in your
country if you have specific
questions.
New passports
issued by Visa Waiver Program countries must be e-Passports,
which include an integrated computer chip capable of storing
biographic information from the data page,
as well as other biometric information, such as the required
digital photograph of the holder. You can identify an
e-Passport by the symbol (see image).
Depiction of
e-Passport symbol on front of
passport
If your
passport does not have this feature, you can still travel
without a visa if it is a valid passport
issued:
- Before
October 26, 2005, and includes a machine-readable zone, or
- Between
October 26, 2005, and October 25, 2006, and includes a
digital photograph.
If you were
issued a passport on or after October 26, 2006, and it is
not an e-Passport, you will need to obtain a visa.
USCIS makes it easier to inquire about
adoption applications
U.S.
Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) invites parents
with questions on pending or approved inter-country adoption
petitions to make use of newly designated email addresses
based in our local offices. This new email system is devoted
solely to customers who have filed inter-country adoption
petitions. USCIS anticipates this new service will offer
prospective adoptive parents more timely answers to their
questions concerning pending or approved cases. The email
addresses may be found in each domestic and overseas
office's web page on the USCIS web site at: http://www.uscis.gov/graphics/fieldoffices/index.htm.
Given the
possibility of sensitive issues regarding inter-country
adoptions, prospective adoptive parents frequently have
difficult and urgent questions that are not easily addressed
through routine customer service channels. The new e-mail
service will expedite customer communications with USCIS
regarding those issues.
In an ongoing
effort to improve customer service, this email address
system is intended for use only by customers who have a
pending or approved Form I-600 or I-600A. It may
take the USCIS
two days to retrieve information and respond to the
inquiry.
USCIS Reminds Applicants to File Form
I-131 for Holiday Travel
before the End of
October
USCIS warned
that it anticipates an unusually high volume of requests for
advance parole and other travel documents this winter and
urged applicants needing a travel document to file Form
I-131, Application for Travel Document, before the end of
October 2006. USCIS also provided guidance to holders of
valid reentry permits or refugee travel documents that will
soon expire, and advice on applying for renewal of advance
parole. The public notice is available at: http://www.uscis.gov/graphics/publicaffairs/statements/TravelAdvisory101806.pdf
Responsibilities of a Legal Permanent
Resident
Being a
permanent resident comes with new rights and
responsibilities. All people in the U.S. must abide by
U.S. law,
including Federal, State, and local laws and regulations.
Permanent residents who fail to abide by the laws of the
U.S. may have
their status taken away through legal proceedings. The
information below
may help you protect and maintain your permanent resident
status.
Tax Returns
If you are a
permanent resident and you intend to maintain permanent
resident status, you need to file a Federal tax return with
the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), and any applicable
State, city, and local tax returns when required to do so.
Under immigration law, a permanent resident who is required
to file a tax return as a resident and fails to do so may be
regarded as having abandoned status and may loose permanent
resident status. Please visit the IRS website at www.irs.gov for more
information about
taxes and tax returns.
Social
Security Number
Be sure to get
your social security card. A social security number is
usually necessary for taxes and employment purposes. Please
visit the Social Security Administration’s website at www.socialsecurity.gov for more
information about
social security numbers and cards.
Selective
Service Registration
If you are a
male between the ages of 18 and 26, be sure to register with
the selective service. Please visit the Selective Service
website for more information at www.sss.gov .
Permanent
Resident Card Expiration
Be sure to
file to renew your permanent resident card before it
expires. For more information about renewing your
permanent resident card, please visit www.uscis.gov .
Travel Outside
of the U.S.
While
permanent residence normally means the ability to travel
freely outside the U.S. and return,
there are limitations. Lengthy absences can lead to
abandonment and loss of permanent residence status, or
delayed eligibility for naturalization. Absence for a year
or more can be particularly problematic. You may be able to
reduce the risk of abandonment by filing for a “reentry
permit,” Application for Travel Document, before you
depart. Under more limited circumstances, you may be able to
protect your eligibility for naturalization by filing a Form
N-470, Application to Preserve Residence for Naturalization
Purposes, before you depart. Criminal convictions can
trigger special inadmissibility grounds when you travel
internationally. If you have criminal convictions, you
should carefully consider the ramifications before you travel.
If
you have any questions about the information above, or would like
to apply for one of your relatives to become a Legal
Permanent Resident, please call our office at 603/ 228-1277
to speak with one of our
Attorneys. | 
