January 8, 2004  US VISIT Program The Department of Homeland Security has begun operation of the US VISIT program on January 5, 2004, at 115 airports and 14 seaports.   The Customs and Border Protection unit of DHS has indicated that only persons entering with a visa are subject to this registration program, which involves the taking of fingerprints of the two index fingers and a photograph at the port of entry. Some exceptions to the photograph requirement, such as for women with religious garb, are allowed. The "exit solution" is not fully developed yet, as people are likely to depart from ports that do not have US VISIT departure capabilities. USCIS Processing Dates are now available online   USCIS is now posting District Office, Service Center, and National Benefits Center processing dates online at: https://egov.immigration.gov/graphics/cris/jsps/index.jsp?testFlag=N# Here you can read information about processing dates for District Offices, Service Centers, and National Benefits Centers. President Bush's Proposal to Congress On January 7, 2004 President Bush has announced his proposal to revise immigration policies, which would grant legal status to millions of illegal immigrants in the United States.  “As a nation that values immigrants and depends on immigrants, we should have immigration laws that work and make us proud,” the President said. “Yet today we do not. Instead we see many employers turning to the illegal labor market. We see millions of hard-working men and women condemned to fear and insecurity in a massive undocumented economy." “Illegal entry across our borders makes more difficult the urgent task of securing the homeland,” he said. Many of the specifics of the President’s proposal remain to be worked out by Congress in negotiations with the White House. IRS Revises Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) Applications  As of December 17, 2003, new ITIN applicants must use the revised Form W-7, Individual Taxpayer Identification Number Application, and prove that the ITIN will be used for tax administration purposes. The IRS will reduce the number of documents it will accept as proof of identity to obtain an ITIN, and will change the ITIN card to an authorization letter. Read about the revisions at: http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=112728,00.html   This new policy may effect foreign nurses, who are applying to take the NCLEX-RN examination in order to receive a nursing license in the US state of intended employment, if the state requires an ITIN number. Please note that each state has different licensing requirements.   To find out the requirements for any US state please see our 'Online Resources' section of this newsletter. Visa Revalidation Form DS-156 The State Department Visa Revalidation Unit has advised that only the Form DS-156 bearing a bar code will be accepted by that unit. The version of the form that generates the bar code can be found on the DOS' website at http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/7766.pdf   Introducing Attorney Haywood Wise We are pleased to welcome Attorney Haywood Martin Wise, Of counsel, to our Immigration Law Practice at our Paris, France office.   Attorney Wise received his BA from Brandeis, his JD from Brooklyn Law School and a Master of Law (D.E.A.) in French Business and Economic Law at the University of Paris Panthéon-Sorbonne. He is a member of the NH, NJ and Paris bars. Attorney Wise brings an impressive array of international credentials to our firm with his areas of concentration are mergers and acquisitions, debtor-creditor law, French corporate and commercial law. He also teaches comparative law at the Université de Paris XIII and Université de Varsailles St. Quentin en Yvelines.   Attorney Wise will assist us with immigrant and nonimmigrant visa processing at the US Consulate in Paris and with the transfer of employees to/from France.   In his spare time Attorney Wise plays baseball on the Paris baseball team as a right-handed finesse pitcher. He gained French citizenship to play for the French National Team (2001 and 2003 selection). For more information regarding the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services please visit: www.uscis.gov To find out the requirements for foreign nurses in any US state please  visit: http://www.ncsbn.org/public/regulation/boards_of_nursing_board.htm If you have any comments on our newsletter, any topics you would like to see reviewed or if you have news, events or other items of interest that you would like to share - please forward your comments and suggestions to abouley@goffandwilson.com. Copyright 2003 Goff and Wilson Professional Association - www.goffandwilson.com - unsubscribe One Capitol St., PO Box 347, Concord, NH 03302-0347 v: 603.228.1277    f: 603.226.0791    info@goffandwilson.com