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Solas Dinner 2005: a grand affair &emdash; This year's Solas Awards Dinner was held on Oct. 27 at the Westin Copley Hotel in Boston. A host of public figures joined several hundred guests as we told 'The Immigrant Story &endash; The American Story.' A remarkable tale and a remarkable night. Teresa Heinz &endash; who is married to Massachusetts Senator John Kerry &endash; received our Solas Award. John McGrail, a native of County Mayo and founder of the Mayo Group, one of the fastest growing real estate companies in New England, and Janice Loux, president of Local 26 Hotel Workers Union, our Corporate Leadership Award and Community Leadership Award, respectively. Peter Meade, a vice president with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, was emcee for the evening. If you were unable to attend the dinner but would like to make a contribution to IIC's Solas Appeal, we would be delighted to hear from you at 617-542-7654, Ext. 34.

An IIC welcome to new Walsh Visa and Wider Horizons Program Participants &emdash;

Sun. Oct. 23, was a busy day at Logan Airport. Two planes from Dublin touched down with their human cargo bound for 59 Temple Place. Eleven new Walsh Visa Program participants have begun their two year Boston experience, while eighteen other young men and women will be with us until mid-December participating in our Wider Horizons Program in conjunction with Boston College. If you see them, say hello.

Seen IIC's new website yet? &emdash; If not, then check out iicenter.org. then tell us what you think. We are hoping it will be a 'hit.'

Upcoming legal clinics &endash; Mon., Nov. 14, at 7 p.m. in the Kells Restaurant And Bar, 161 Brighton Ave. Allston. Tues., Nov. 29, at 6:30 p.m. at Dorchester House, 1353 Dorchester Ave., Dor-chester. Have your Immigration and Citizenship questions answered by experts. Immigration attorneys will be present. For details, directions or more information, call us at 617-542-7654

Another IIC staff member has been qualified to represent immigrants &emdash; Congratulations to IIC's Caitlin Slavin who has received approval from the US Department of Justice authorizing her to represent immigrants before the US Citizenship and Immigration Service. She was approved on Sept. 29 and the next Monday (Oct. 3), she represented an Irish immigrant at his interview for legal permanent residency in Boston. He was subsequently approved for residency by the USCIS. Caitlin hails from Natick and has worked with the Immigration Services Department at the IIC for the past three years.

IIC employment services &endash; If you have positions you are seeking to fill, you can list job openings at the IIC for free. If you are looking for work or want some input on your resume or job search strategies, the Irish Immigration Center Employment and Housing Service is available to you. Services are provided in a confidential setting and include internet and PC access. For more information please contact Anne Auerbach at 617-542-1900, Ext. 33, or send an e-mail message to aauerbach@iicenter.org.

Free apartments and jobs listings &emdash; The Irish Immigration Center provides a free listing service for employers and landlords. Please help us to help our clients by sending us your employment and housing listings. Listings can be sent to Anne Auerbach via fax (617-338-6979) or send an e-mail to her.

Remember: Thursday is 'drop-in' day at the IIC &emdash; Have you used IIC's "Drop-in" service yet? Did you know we had one? From 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. every Thursday, the IIC offices are open and staff is available to meet with you to answer your questions and enquiries on immigration, citizenship, housing, employment, substance abuse, and immigrant rights issues. You are guaranteed to see a staff member during drop-in hours and we have extended opening hours on Thursdays so as we are available outside your working hours. Staff are also available for drop-in enquiries between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. on Tuesdays and Wednesdays

Immigration forms and fees alert &emdash; U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced recently a revised fee structure for immigration benefits. The new fee structure became effective on Oct. 26 and will add an average of $10 to each application and petition. Some new forms are also being used. Be sure the form you use for the USCIS medical is the one revised as of Sept. 16, 2005. See the forms page at www.uscis.gov to be sure you have the updated form and fee amount. Always have an immigration specialist or attorney review your paperwork prior to filing it with USCIS. If you submit an application on an older unacceptable form or with an incorrect fee, it will be rejected and will result in a case delay.

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