Filing Deadline Tonight : Thousands Race the Clock in Bid for Amnesty

Three teen-age sisters from El Salvador, who now live in Oxnard, tossed envelopes containing their amnesty applications into a canvas bin at the Van Nuys Legalization Office on Tuesday and watched in tense silence as the packets settled among thousands of others.

“Today we feel better, but we’re still a little worried about it,” said Vilma Nolasco, 19, who filed along with her twin sisters, Sandra and Xochitl, 17. “We won’t celebrate until we get our papers back.”

At the San Fernando Legalization Office, Nick Mendoza, a 41-year-old Van Nuys resident from the Philippines, sealed envelopes containing his application and those of his wife and three children.

“I’m hoping for the best,” he said.

On Tuesday, the eve of the deadline for filing for amnesty, more than 3,000 applications were submitted at the two San Fernando Valley legalization offices, Immigration and Naturalization Service officials said. The yearlong amnesty period ends at midnight today for most applicants. Agricultural workers have until Nov. 30 to file.

Under the 1986 immigration reform law, applicants must be able to prove that they have lived in the United States since at least 1982.

Process Simplified

The process has been simplified so that applicants need only submit a completed application and $185, said Frank Duty, chief legalization officer at the Van Nuys office. Such documentation as medical-examination records, fingerprints and photos can be presented later at a personal interview, he said.

There were 696,652 amnesty applications filed in Los Angeles County from May 5, 1987, through Monday, said Joe Flanders, INS public information officer.

About 103,000 applications have been submitted at the two Valley offices since the program began, said Ken Wilson, chief legalization officer at the San Fernando office.

This week especially, applications have piled up, and long lines have formed at most of the 16 legalization centers in Southern California. Valley centers will stay open until 9 p.m. or “until people stop coming” today, Wilson said.

With his five applications in hand, Mendoza nervously questioned a clerk Tuesday.

“How long till we know the results?” he asked.

He was told that in three to four weeks, he would receive a letter with a date for an interview.

“How much for the whole family?” he asked, hoping to receive a discount for his five applications.

“One hundred and eighty-five dollars per person,” she replied.

“That’s a lot of money,” he said.

“It’s worth it, though,” she responded, smiling wearily.

Having completed the first step toward legalization, most applicants expressed a mixture of relief and apprehension.

“I was a little bit nervous going in,” said Ruth Hyde, 33, of Panorama City, who came from Belize 12 years ago. “But it had to be done, so I said, ‘Well, it’s now or never.’ ”

Guarded Optimism

Most of the applicants shared her guarded optimism about their chances of becoming legal residents.

A 33-year-old Woodland Hills man who emigrated as a teen-ager from Iran said he has felt like an American for a long time. He just figured it was time to make it legal.

“I don’t think there’s going to be a big difference . . . except having the right to vote,” he said. “But, gradually, I’ll become an American citizen, and that’s been a lifetime dream.”