The response has been fever-pitched since PEP published an article about the LIFE Act, a new immigration measure that could change the lives of countless families in DC 37 if they apply by April 30.

“We have been swamped with telephone calls, even on Saturdays, from union members who want to know if this law is an amnesty,” said Sylvia Hinds- Radix, general counsel of the DC 37 Immigration Program.

“It is definitely not an amnesty bill!” she stressed. “But many of our members really could benefit from it if they sign up by the deadline.”

She said the Life Act has special provisions that allow people to file applications to change their residency status, even if the applicant is in the U.S. with an expired visa. “As long as they pay the fine, they can apply for the program,” she explained.

Experts at forum March 2
To help answer members’ questions, the DC 37 Citizenship Committee and the Immigration Program will sponsor a special forum featuring immigration law experts on March 2 at 6:00 p.m.

Meanwhile, the union encourages members to see if they qualify for a status change under the Legal Immigration and Family Equity Act, which former President Bill Clinton signed into law Dec. 2.

Also known as Section 245(I), the LIFE Act requires undocumented immigrants to be physically present in the U.S. to be eligible. In addition, after applying for a work certification or a visa by the April 30 deadline, they must prove they were in the U.S. on Dec. 21. Other important aspects of the law are the following:

• A person who qualifies for permanent residency, but is ineligible because of an immigration status violation, can pay a $1,000 penalty to continue processing in the United States. In order to be eligible for the 245(I) adjustment under the LIFE Act, a person must have some immigrant petition or application for labor certification filed by before April 30.
  
  
• A temporary non-immigrant status will be available to the spouses and children of permanent residents who have waited more than three years for an immigrant visa. These persons receiving a “V” status would receive employment authorization and protection from deportation.
  
  
• A temporary visa will be available to spouses of U.S. citizens (and their children) living abroad. People who filed before Oct. 1, 2000, may apply to adjust their status during a 12-month period starting Dec. 21, 2000. Their spouses and unmarried children will be protected from certain categories of deportation and will be eligible for work authorization if they entered the U.S. before Dec. 1, 1988, and lived in the United States on that date.