LOS ANGELES : More Immigrants May Be Eligible for Work Permits

Thousands of undocumented immigrants who came to the United States legally before 1982 but violated the terms of their visas may now be eligible to obtain temporary work permits from the Immigration and Naturalization Service, immigrant rights attorneys said Thursday.

The INS this week took steps to afford temporary protection to an estimated 30,000 to 50,000 immigrants nationwide--half of whom are believed to live in the Los Angeles area--until their request for amnesty under a 1986 federal law can be reviewed by the U.S. Supreme Court. Under the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986, Congress granted amnesty to people who had lived illegally in the United States since 1982.

Immigrants who entered the country legally as students, visitors or temporary workers before 1982 but violated the terms of their visas, such as dropping out of school or leaving their jobs, were eligible for amnesty. But many were denied amnesty or discouraged from applying because of a requirement that their status had to be known to the INS before 1982.

Immigrant rights groups successfully challenged the requirement in court. But the INS has appealed, and the case is pending before the Supreme Court.