New York, August 2005
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Despite Illegal Status, Buyers Get Home Loans
 Mortgage
lenders are designing programs aimed at undocumented immigrants. Real estate
agents also see a huge untapped market.
LOS ANGELES
- Each week, Pedro Morlet knocks on doors in the Bay Area, looking for
illegal
immigrants. Morlet isn't an immigration agent. He's a real estate agent, and
he's scouting for business. "Do you want a house, work and pay taxes but don't
have a Social Security number?" reads his flier, written in Spanish and tailored
to his potential customers. "We can help you LEGALLY!" Across the country,
particularly in Texas and parts of the Midwest, hundreds of
illegal immigrants
have bought homes using special lending programs that bypass the need for a
Social Security number. Now, with backing from some of the country's largest
financial institutions, this newest effort to tap customers for the real estate
market is moving to the nation's largest concentration of
illegal immigrants —
California.
As buyers begin to queue up, real estate is becoming the latest arena to
highlight the often-bizarre contradictions of American immigration policy.
Advocates of tighter controls on immigration oppose the idea of
illegal
residents buying homes here. Lending money to
illegal immigrants encourages
others to cross the border, they say. "They have no right to own property in the
United States because they have no right to be here in the first place," said
Diana Hull, president of Californians for Population Stabilization. Legally,
that's not quite true. Unlike some countries — Mexico, for example — the United
States generally does not restrict foreign citizens from buying real estate. But
for years, because qualifying for a mortgage required a
Social Security number,
the only way for an illegal immigrant to do so was by using a false number. In
addition, such immigrants often were rejected or overlooked by legitimate
lenders, leaving them vulnerable to fraud. Lenders have a powerful incentive to
find ways to get around those barriers: tens of thousands of potential
customers. The National Assn. of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals estimates
that more than 216,000 undocumented immigrants, including many who have been in
the country for decades, could buy homes if they had better access to the
market.
Despite their undocumented status, many prospective buyers earn steady incomes,
face little risk of deportation and are desperate to become homeowners.
Nearly a decade ago, the IRS began giving out Individual Taxpayer Identification
Numbers so people without Social Security numbers could pay taxes. Since then,
more than 8 million applicants have received numbers, and about 2 million are
used annually on tax returns.
The IRS knows illegal immigrants are using the numbers to get mortgages. "We
don't have control over whatever the taxpayers do with the numbers other than
filing a tax return," spokeswoman Irma Treviño said.
Source: LA TIMES
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U.S. to Begin Issuing Electronic Passports
 WASHINGTON
- The United States will begin issuing electronic passports in December to help
tighten border and identity security, the State Department said recently. A
computer chip will be embedded in passport covers and will hold the same
information that is written on the inside: name, date of birth, gender, place of
birth, dates of passport issuance and expiration, passport number and a photo.
The chip will also have a unique digital signature designed to protect the data
from tampering.
The chips will have technology to prevent unauthorized reading, or "skimming,"
of the data.
For additional information and to apply for U.S. citizenship or
U.S. passport,
please visit
www.usimmigrationsupport.org
UNITED STATES PASSPORT
APPLICATION MANUAL:
$49.95 |
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U.S. Immigration Website is now Available in Spanish
 ESPAÑOL
- La página U.S. Immigration Support ahora está disponible en español. En
nuestra página Web usted encontrará las últimas noticias e información de
inmigración de EE.UU. Usted puede utilizar los manuales de inmigración que
tenemos disponibles en español para solicitar un Green Card, la ciudadanía de
EE.UU. o una visa de Estados Unidos. Además proveemos información en español de
cómo iniciar un negocio, obtener un trabajo, y hasta como obtener una tarjeta de
crédito de los Estados Unidos. Entre aquí para visitar la versión en español de
nuestra página de Inmigración de EE.UU.
ENGLISH - U.S. Immigration Support website is now also available in Spanish. At
our website you will find the latest U.S. immigration news and information. You
may also apply for a Green Card, U.S. Citizenship, United States visas, submit
your application to the Green Card Lottery and download USCIS immigration forms.
We also provide information on how to start a business, get a job, and even get
a credit card in the United States, and it is all available in Spanish.
Click here to visit
the Spanish version of the U.S. Immigration Support website.
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Green Card through Relatives Application
 NEW
YORK, NY - Individuals who have close relatives or family members in the United
States maybe apply for permanent residency (Green
Card) if the sponsoring relative is a U.S. citizen or
Green Card holder.
Application Information: The process of completing and submitting an
application for a Green Card through relatives can be both costly and
confusing. This immigration package makes the application process
straightforward and easy to understand. This is a user-friendly, step-by-step
guide to help you file the Green Card application as efficiently and quickly as
possible. The information in the Green Card though Relatives application kit
will assist you in determining your eligibility for a Green Card.
The sponsoring family member (the person who will sponsor you) can be your:
- Husband or Wife (please refer to the Green Card through Marriage section)
- Widow or Widower of a U.S. citizen
- Brother or Sister (including half-brothers and half-sisters)
- Son or Daughter (including illegitimate children)
- Stepson or Stepdaughter
- Stepparent of a U.S. citizen child
- Adopted Son or Daughter
- Adopted Parent (please refer to the Green Card through Adoption section)
- Father or Mother
- Battered or Abused Spouse or Child
GREEN CARD THROUGH RELATIVES
APPLICATION KIT:
$49.95 |
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What is included in the Green Card through Relatives information and application manual:
- Green Card through relatives overview
- Application Procedures when the sponsoring relative is a U.S. citizen
- Application Procedures when the sponsoring relative is a Green Card holder
- How to file the petition and the application
- Interviews and Appeals
- How to submit the application at a U.S. consulate abroad
- How to submit the application at a USCIS office in the United States
- Document checklist
- List of all USCIS (formerly INS) offices nationwide
- List of United States embassies and consulates
- FREE Application forms
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The U.S. Immigration Newsletter is published by:
U.S. Immigration Support
511 Avenue of the Americas # 45
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