Green Card Green Light Swamps INS : Residency: New law lets some avoid filing for papers at U.S. consulates abroad. But many people turn out even though they are not eligible.

Joe Cho staked out his place in line at 10 p.m. Sunday and finally emerged late Monday morning with his prize--appointments next year and a bill for $650. And the native of Korea was among the lucky ones.

More than 2,000 people beat a path Monday to the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service’s headquarters in Downtown Los Angeles, many only to have their hopes dashed and questions left unanswered after lengthy waits. The overwhelmed agency, struggling to keep up with demand, turned away hundreds.

Confusion and disappointment seemed to be the norm on the first working day of a new law that allows eligible illegal immigrants to receive their green cards in the United States--after paying a stiff $650 levy, the agency’s highest penalty. The statute allows those already qualified because of family sponsors or job guarantees to avoid filing at U.S. consulates abroad, long a costly requirement for visa-seekers in the United States.

The new law became effective Saturday, but Monday was the first workday with the statute in effect.

Word of the change has fed widespread rumors of a new “amnesty,” raising false expectations.

In fact, there are no new immigrant slots, just a different paperwork procedure for those notified of their eligibility for permanent resident status. Most prospective beneficiaries have already waited for years--some for a decade or more--following the filing of petitions by close relatives.

But, in the immigrant hub of Southern California, expatriates quickly seize upon any prospect, however tenuous, that might liberate them or loved ones from their quasi-shadow existence and the onerous “illegal alien” label.

“So many families are divided,” complained Jesus Vidal Carrillo, a 27-year-old truck driver and legal U.S. resident from Mexico who was among those in line Monday. “It’s not fair,” added Carrillo, who is sponsoring his wife for a green card.

Many braved the always-daunting INS lines even though neither they or their loved ones seem to qualify. Some voiced hopes that simply being on the lengthy visa waiting lists might be enough.

“Who is eligible? That’s what we want to know,” said an exasperated Thai woman who gave her name only as Tanya and explained that she was eager to help obtain a green card for her sister, a five-year veteran of the family waiting list. “The INS uses technical terms that we don’t understand,” Tanya complained as she waited.

Federal officials say they are trying to clear up the confusion, providing clarifying press interviews and preparing a checklist designed to assist the many confused. “I think some of those folks (in line) didn’t want to recognize the fact that they’re not eligible,” said Christopher Fowler, INS assistant district director.

Under the new law, as many as 100,000 people nationwide are expected to qualify each year to complete green card paperwork in the United States instead of going abroad. Half may live in Southern California, the INS says. Yet there are no immediate plans to bolster staff. Many fear that already substantial backlogs for a range of INS programs will bulge further.

The law was meant not as a convenience for illegal immigrants, but rather as a means of alleviating pressures on overseas consular offices and producing revenues for the financially ailing INS.

Expecting a crush of green card seekers, the INS assigned red-jacketed staffers Monday to work the polyglot queues on Los Angeles Street. Once inside, immigrants were given numbers and told to wait again, often for several hours, before they could advance to an information window. By about 10 a.m., the day’s allotment of numbers had run out and INS workers were telling new arrivals to come back on another day.

Joe Cho, the Korean store hand, benefited from the counsel of an attorney well-versed in the arcane intricacies of immigration law. Cho arrived ready with completed forms, check and other needed paperwork.

“This saves me lots of time and money,” said Cho, husband of a permanent U.S. resident. Under previous law, he would have been obliged to travel to Seoul and take care of matters.

But any thoughts of completing everything in a single visit were soon thwarted. Cho was told to come back for interviews in January and February.