Subject: CSPA GREEN LIGHT: SOME MORE GENERAL QUESTIONS (IFCSS HQ NR-4152)

From: IFCSS HQ <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 29 Jun 1993 20:56:19 -0400

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IFCSS Headquarters News Release No. 4152         June 29, 1993
       CSPA GREEN LIGHT (PT.3): MORE GENERAL QUESTIONS
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Independent Federation of Chinese Students and Scholars (IFCSS)
   733 15th Street, N.W., Suite 440, Washington, D.C.20005
         Tel. (202)347-0017  Fax: (202)347-0018
                Email: [email-masked]

                    CSPA GREEN LIGHT: (PT.3)

                     Less General Questions
                     ======================

1.   WHAT IS MEANT BY "BRIEF, CASUAL, AND INNOCENT?"

A:   INS is going to be liberal on this issue. These cases have to
     be decided on an individual basis. If you are not sure whether
     you are eligible, you can just go ahead and file an
     application.

2.   WHAT ABOUT THE 90-DAY IN CHINA ISSUE?

A:   The legislation is very clear on this point. We know some
     people were detained for illness or political reasons, but we
     won't be able to do much on that. Still, everybody can try.
     Filing the application will not hurt you.

3.   WHAT IS THE DEFINITION OF AFFILIATION WITH ORGANIZATIONS?

A:   Only members of a political organization is required to
     report. We are not talking about boy scouts. For the communist
     party members, however, they must report even if they said no
     when they first came in. Otherwise, they will have serious
     trouble once it is found out. We can even take the green card
     back. If a person used to be a communist party member, he can
     either state that he was forced to join the Party or that the
     membership was terminated five years ago. 

4.   I AM GOING TO MOVE DURING THE SUMMER. WHICH ADDRESS SHOULD I
     GIVE, THE OLD ONE OR THE NEW ONE?

A:   It depends on when you are going to move. If you are going to
     move next week, you probably want to give the new address. But
     if you won't move in two months, you may want to give your
     current address.

5.   I'LL BE AWAY FOR SOME TIME STARTING NEXT WEEK. WHAT SHALL I
     DO?

A:   You can complete and send out your application before you
     leave. But be sure to get an advanced parole.

     ***                           ***                      ***

     During the meeting, we again raised the issue of Milwaukee and
Spokane INS offices, which continued to refuse to provide forms.
INS officers promised to check again. We also contacted Senator
Gorton's office for help.

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                   The Issue of Dependents

     Dependents refer to spouse and unmarried children not over 21
years old. If your dependents are eligible for CSPA, they can apply
now, but each of them will have to file separately. If you have
children who were not over 21 years old before April 11, 1990 but
have passed that age limit since then, they are still eligible.

     Late-arriving dependents are not allowed to apply now, but
they can use other ways to continue to stay legally in the U.S..
For instance, if an F-1 student becomes a permanent resident, the
spouse will no long be allowed to hold F-2. Then the spouse is
encouraged to seek other ways to keep their status. But if there is
no other way available, the spouse may go ahead and apply for
Voluntary Departure. After it is approved, he/she can apply for a
work permit. 

     There will be at least two ways for late-arriving dependents
to apply for PR when visa numbers become available, to apply under
E-3 dependents or Family Second Preference. For both categories,
the backlog is now probably two years. 

               ***            ***            ***

     The IFCSS HQ has already made arrangement with Several
Congressional offices to continue to work on the issue of late-
arriving dependents after IFCSS 5th Congress. We have also reached
agreement with the White House that after the implementation
process starts, we will be able to continue our discussion. We will
have a one-month public comment period before the Regulations are
finalized. Meanwhile, the White House has agreed to give green
light to implementation.

     According to INS, however, the issue of late-arriving
dependents can only be resolved through legislative means. We will
surely explore this possibility, but we are not going to exclude
other possibilities now.

P.S.: The IFCSS HQ receives over 150 emails a day, many of which
include personal questions about the CSPA. Due to our limited
manpower and busy schedule, we are unable to reply to those
messages. We would appreciate your understanding.

           *                 *               *

     This report completes the series on CSPA Green Light.
Tomorrow, (June 30), the HQ officers will be on the way to
Lexington for the IFCSS 5th Congress. During July 1-5, the
IFCSS HQ and Information Center will be closed. We appreciate
the support from the CSS community in our term and we hope that
you will continue to support the new leadership produced in
the 5th Congress.

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*                 IFCSS Headquarters Office                         *
* President:      Geng Xiao  Assistant to the President: Shi Heping * 
* Vice-President: He Baoping     Executive Director: Zhang Qingsong *
* For more information about IFCSS, write to [email-masked]   *
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