Local News in Brief : Suit Asks Extension of Visa Time Limit

A Beverly Hills immigration lawyer filed suit this week in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles seeking to extend the time would-be immigrants from 162 countries have to apply for one of 10,000 extra visas to be issued by lottery.

Will Dwyer II said the month of March set by the State Department is inadequate and that “misleading information” being issued by the department both here and abroad is making it difficult for applicants.

Congress has authorized issuance of the visas on a random basis (the so-called “green card lottery”) in any country that was not the source of 5,000 immigrants during 1988. Dwyer said he learned that people in Malaysia, for instance, have not been informed that any application without the name neatly typed on the envelope will not even be opened.

Also, he said, possible applicants from the affected countries who are already here illegally are not being told that the State Department will share information with immigration officials if asked for it.