NAFTA

Marc A. Williams <artcons [at] ix__netcom__com> writes

>Has anyone had success in bringing Canadians to work short-term in
>US museums?  Is it possible to approach the internships (they carry
>a stipend) from an educational angle? Any assistance would be
>appreciated,

I only have two experiences with the US Immigrations and
Naturalization Service, but that is enough.

In the first instance, I sponsored Hugo Peller, a master bookbinder
from Switzerland, to teach a one-month workshop in my lab.  I filled
out all of the paperwork and included the requested documentation
(consisting of photocopies of international awards, etc.).  INS
returned the forms/documentation and required that the foreign
language awards be translated into English.  I had them translated
and returned the paperwork.

Then INS wrote to require a notarized copy of a certificate
asserting that the translator had passed a *particular* examination,
given by a recognized institution of higher education, certifying
that the translator was qualified to perform the translation.

Final permission arrived the day Hugo Peller arrived, many months
after the process began.

My second experience was more troublesome.  I had employed a paper
conservator who had graduated from a Polish conservation program,
and had a green card.  No problem.  And the person was an excellent
conservator. Then, another graduate of the program, who was in the
U.S. on a visitor's visa applied for work.

This time there was an attorney involved; an attorney who
specialized in this sort of law.  The process took three years.  As
required by INS, I advertised the position to the trade and there
were no applicants (other than the one who wanted the job).

That was not good enough.  INS then placed their own ad, at their
own expense, rewritten by them, with all responses to be mailed to
them (under my name) at a dummy address (theirs; they did not
advertise to the trade, but only to the largest newspaper in the
Oregon).

By then, we were somewhere in year number two.  Again, there was
only one response.  The conservator I wished to employ.

By this time, INS informed the conservator that their visitor's visa
and extensions had expired and that a trip out of country (to
Canada, in the first instance) was required to re-new the visa.

Ultimately, the conservator had to return to Poland and apply
through the American Embassy there.

After all this time (three years), INS then wrote to ask me whether
or not the position was still open.

It was, and the conservator was able to return to the U.S.

This was before NAFTA, but it does not appear that there have been
any significant changes at INS.  Good luck....

Jack C. Thompson
Thompson Conservation Lab.
7549 N. Fenwick
Portland, OR  97217
503-735-3942  (voice/fax)

                                  ***
                  Conservation DistList Instance 12:4
                  Distributed: Thursday, June 18, 1998
                        Message Id: cdl-12-4-022
                                  ***