Countywide : Help for Immigrants Available by Phone

Immigrants living in Orange County who want to change their status may request forms by telephone and need not go to an Immigration and Naturalization Service office, an INS official said.

Virginia Kice of the INS western regional office in Laguna Niguel said that the forms are available by calling (213) 526-7647. A recorded instruction will tell callers what to do.

“It will save them a lot of time and effort,” Kice said. “They will get the forms in the mail within five to 10 days.”

In a meeting this week in Westminster, top officials from the INS Los Angeles district office promised to expand the agency’s services in Orange County.

Kice said that the Laguna Niguel office does not provide face-to-face service to clients. Instead, it processes mail requests for immigrant registration card replacements, employment visas, citizenship applications and other immigration-related matters.

Those who need personal attention have to go to the Westminster office on Magnolia Avenue at Westminster Boulevard or the district office in Los Angeles, she said.

The Laguna Niguel regional office provides administrative support to INS offices in California, Alaska, Oregon, Washington, Arizona, Nevada and Hawaii.