The Biden administration has proposed a massive hike in immigration fees, including the much sought-after H-1B visas for high-skilled foreign workers, which is very popular among Indian tech professionals. Under the proposed rule, published by the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) on Wednesday, the application for the H-1B visa increases from $460 to $780, and L-1 from $460 to $1,385. The application fee for O-1 visas has been proposed to increase from $460 to $1,055.
Though, a counter terrorism white paper released by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd today did not name the countries, which will be covered by the new rules, security experts have been quoted by The Herald Sun as saying that Pakistan is "high on the list".
Senior Indian diplomat Devyani Khobragade was today indicted for visa fraud and making false statements but can leave the US as she has been accorded diplomatic immunity.
Dr Arun Vakil looks at two aspects of Visa Facilitation Service -- the criteria for emergency US visas and how to collect your passport over the counter.
Rijiju, who handles the visa issue in the home ministry, said Isa should have applied for conference visa rather than applying for tourist visa.
The Pakistan Wrestling Federation on Tuesday claimed that its national team has been denied visa by the Indian High Commission for the upcoming Asian Championship scheduled to be held in New Delhi from May 10-14.
The US Embassy feels some applicants from south India may experience difficulty in making a timely appointment due to the increased demand for visas from the US Consulate General in Chennai.
The comments by external affairs ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi in Delhi came days after China decided to "freeze" visas of two Indian journalists.
Soon after Washington's decision to nearly double visa application fees as a part of its border security law, a bigger storm in the form of the Comprehensive Immigration Reforms Bill is gaining momentum in the US.
Officials at a Congressional hearing cited last year's figure of 26 per cent denial to H1B visa applicants, that was the highest in recent years, and also pointed out instances where the visas were denied for flimsy reasons.
The scale of the fraud was such that one of them boasted how easy it was to cheat the Home Office and obtain visas for people who did not have the necessary documents for legal entry into Britain. A case on the visa fraud is currently being heard in the Isleworth Crown Court in west London.
Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama on Tuesday called off his visit to South Africa to receive an international award named after Mahatma Gandhi, saying that its government finds it "inconvenient" to issue visa to him and his entourage.
Kevin Woods, head, visa department, British Deputy High Commission, Chennai, says you will need to show evidence that funds will be available throughout the length of your course.
The team of 30 doctors of 'Muslim Medical Mission' of the Jamaat-ud-Dawah applied for a visa through online and courier.
In the wake of the economic crisis, there has been a sharp drop in H-1B work visa applications from major Indian IT companies.
The official spokesperson of the US Embassy, New Delhi speaks about the visa process and shares advice on studying in the US.
To sponsor wives and children, a visa applicant must now have to have a minimum salary of 7,000 Qatari riyals or $1,924 up from earlier 4,500 Qatari riyals (or $1,235), according to media reports. The increased cost of living in the Gulf state is being blamed for the move, Arabic paper Al Sharq reported. In November, the Qatar Central Bank had said soaring rents due to a severe housing shortage was the single largest driver of higher inflation in the Gulf state last year.
Foreign nationals intending to visit India for commissioning surrogacy will not be allowed to come on a tourist visa from Friday with the home ministry ordering strict adherence of surrogacy laws.
"I wrote a personal letter to Mr Sartaj Aziz for the grant of her visa to Pakistan. However, Mr Aziz has not shown the courtesy even to acknowledge my letter," she tweeted.
The US is planning to resume the process of domestic visa revalidation in certain categories, like H-1B and L1 visas, on a pilot basis later this year, a move that will benefit tens of thousands of foreign tech workers, particularly from India. Until 2004, certain categories of non-immigrant visas, particularly the H-1B, could be renewed or stamped inside the US. After that, for the renewal of these visas, in particular, those on H-1B, the foreign tech workers have to go out of the country, mostly to their own country to get the H-1B extension stamped on their passport.
The US consulate in Mumbai seems to have lodged itself into a tight spot courtesy its blind rejection of visa applications submitted by 12 delegates of the 8th World Hindi Conference scheduled for next month in New York.
In the last part, counsellor Suchitra Surve of Global Education Counsel offered advice on studying in Canada. Here, she takes us through the Canadian student visa application process.
The Business Express Programme will offer a streamlined visa application process for those companies that send their employees to the UK on a frequent basis.
An influential immigration advocacy group representing Indian-Americans on Thursday urged the Biden administration not to issue the most sought-after H-1B work visa to any individual born in India, till the time the discriminatory country-cap on green cards or permanent legal residency is removed. The current per-country cap on issuing of green cards in the US has resulted in Indian professionals, mostly from the IT sector, having to wait for decades for their legal permanent residency. Issuing new H-1B visas to more Indians would add to this agonising painful wait for green cards, Immigration Voice said in a statement.
This April, visa applications to be issued for the US financial year beginning October saw a 50 per cent drop over last April.
The US needs to understand that it could potentially lose out on attracting several Netravalkars in the future if it curbs the influx of such industrious Indian immigrants, argues Vishal Menon.
Novak Djokovic will spend Saturday night in immigration detention before the world's tennis number one seeks a court ruling to stop his deportation and keep alive his bid for a record 21st major title at the Australian Open.
Delay in getting visas has prevented Olympic bronze medallist Vijender Singh and Dinesh Kumar from joining the Indian boxing team in Bugeat, France for a training trip and the duo will now head straight to the World Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan on September 20.
Visit London, a UK-based tourism promotion agency, has said the British High Commission might take extra time to process the visa applications of Indians from a particular religion or community.
China on Monday defended its visa curbs which have prevented thousands of stranded Indians from returning to Beijing, saying they are "appropriate" to control the spread of COVID-19 and do not target India alone, but are applied to even Chinese citizens coming back from overseas.
Despite the rise in visa application fee and increasing pressure from the US to hire more locally, the number of H-1B and L-1 visa holders at most of the top Indian information technology firms are expected to increase further.
The death toll in China's coronavirus rose sharply to 425 with 64 deaths on Monday and the number of those infected with the deadly disease rose to 20,438, Chinese health authorities said on Tuesday.
On July 17, US Consular Chief Nicholas Manring will take questions on how to apply for a US student visa between 2 and 3 pm IST.
The US has received sufficient number of applications needed to reach the Congressionally mandated 65,000 H1-B visa cap for the fiscal year 2023, the country's federal agency for immigration services said on Tuesday. The H-1B visa is a non-immigrant visa that allows US companies to employ foreign workers in speciality occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise. Technology companies depend on it to hire thousands of employees each year from countries like India and China.
The United Arab Emirates confirmed it would allow Israel's Andy Ram to play in next week's men's Dubai Tennis Championships, the state news agency WAM said on Thursday. A UAE foreign ministry official was quoted as saying the doubles specialist would be given 'special permission' to take part in the tournament.
Cox & Kings Global Services (formerly known as Quoprro Global Services) was incorporated in 2008.
'Any earnings, regardless of location, will be subject to Indian income tax.'
The proposed annual quota for Indian companies could be between 10 and 15 per cent. Currently, there are no country-specific limits on H-1B allotment.
A Delhi court Friday dismissed the anticipatory bail plea of Congress MP Karti Chidambaram in a case registered by the Enforcement Directorate in the alleged Chinese Visas scam.
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