US Visa News and Updates
January
6, 2005 US Extends Protected Status for Salvadorans Through 2006
The
US Department of Homeland Security has announced it will extend Temporary
Protected Status for Salvadorans for an additional eighteen months, through
September 9, 2006.
January 3, 2005 H2B Visa Cap Reached for Temporary/Seasonal Workers
October 10, 2004 Application Dates Set for Next Green Card Lottery (DV-2006)
October 10, 2004 V-2 Visa Children May Stay in US Beyond 21st Birthday
June 25, 2004 Non-immigrant visa renewals discontinued in US. Last day to submit application and documents is July 16, 2004.
August 7, 2003 International travelers who stop over in US airports must now possess a valid U.S. visa. Read more here.
July 29, 2003 More than 600 US colleges and universities may have missed the SEVIS (Student Exchange Visitor and Information System) application deadline. This may cause problems for some foreign exchange students this fall when they try to enter the U.S.
July
21, 2003 Temporary Protected Status (TPS)
Extended for Somalian Citizens. TPS
has been extended by one year, to September 17, 2004.
Deadline to apply for this extension by September 19th, 2003.
May 20 , 2003 NOTICE TO TPS Victims of Hurricane Mitch: DEADLINE TO APPLY FOR TPS EXTENSION IS JULY 5, 2002 Temporary protected status for Nicaraguan and Hondurans will be extended for eighteen months. But you must apply for this extension.
May 19, 2003 US Visitors Subject to New Strict Inspections at Airports
January 2003 INS Splits into Two New Agencies, the BCIS and the BBS in the wake of September 11th.
January 8, 2003 BCIS (formerly INS) Announces New Rule for the Adjustment of Status of Certain Nationals from Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos.
October 28, 2002.BCIS (formerly INS) Announces Case Status Online. Interactive feature will let visa applicants check their status on the internet.
September 11, 2002 The National Security Entry-Exit Program, or NSEERS, requires temporary foreign visitors from 21 countries to register in person with the BCIS (formerly INS) .
April 8, 2002 BCIS (formerly INS) proposes tighter restrictions on tourist, business and student visas.
March 2, 2001 The Bush Administration allows certain Salvadorans currently residing in the US to apply for Temporary Protected Status
December 21, 2000 The LIFE Act extends adjustment of status deadlines under Section 245(i) to April 30,2001 - important news for immigrants who may have entered, worked or stayed illegally in the U.S.
December 21, 2000 - LIFE act provision creates 2 new visas, bringing families closer together while their visa applications are processed
October
17, 2000 President Clinton Signs H-1B Visa Bill Upping Quotas
October 3, 2000 Senate Passes High-Tech Visa Bill
June 2, 2000 H-1B Workers Group Lobbies for Law Changes
May 10, 2000 TPS
Extension Filing Period BegINS for Hondurans, Nicaraguans
April 15, 2000 Naturalization
Applicants: Change of Address Toll-Free Number
March, 2000 Clinton
Administration Extends NACARA Amnesty Deadline
March 21, 2000 H-1B
Petition Deadline for FY2000
August 9, 1999 Portugal,
Uruguay, Singapore added to Visa Waiver Program
July 1, 1999 H and L Visa Holders
Exempted from Advanced Parole Filing
April
8, 2002
The BCIS (formerly
INS) proposed significant changes to rules governing visitors and students,
including an interim rule taking effect immediately which would prohibit
visitor visa (B) holders from pursuing a course of study prior to obtaining
approval of a change to student status.
The new regulations will also reduce the maximum length of stay for B visa holders from one year to six months, limit the conditions for granting an extension of stay, and reduce the minimum stay for tourist visa holders.
June 1, 2001
The BCIS (formerly INS) announced new interim regulations for applying
for adjustment of status under several sections of the Legal Immigration
and Family Equity, or LIFE, Act. This procedure is popularly known as
"late amnesty" and the BCIS (formerly INS) estimates that almost
half a million undocumented aliens may be eligible to apply for it.
However, the new regulations apply only to those undocumented individuals who are already parties to one of three lawsuits (CSS, LULAC or Zembrano). These lawsuits were filed in response to a 1988 legalization program which, the parties assert, caused certain immigrants to be improperly denied legalization or incorrectly discouraged them from applying.
Are you eligible
for "late amnesty"? Find out by clicking here.
May
3, 2001
The
Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) announced today the extension
of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Honduras and Nicaragua for a period
of 12 months until July 5, 2002. The extension of TPS for Hondurans and
Nicaraguans is effective July 5, 2001 and will remain in effect until
July 5, 2002. This extension applies to approximately 105,000 Hondurans
and 5,300 Nicaraguans who have already registered for TPS.
The re-registration period begINS upon publication of the rule in the Federal Register, which is expected next week, and continues for 90 days from the publication date.
To learn more about Temporary Protected Status, click here.
Hondurans and Nicaraguans currently registered under TPS who desire an extension must re-register by filing both the TPS application (Form I-821) and an application for employment authorization (Form I-765) with anBCIS (formerly INS) Service Center. For re-registration, there is no fee for Form I-821. However, a $100 fee must accompany Form I-765 if an applicant requests employment authorization. If the applicant does not require employment authorization or already has employment authorization, Form I-765 is still required but no fee is necessary. These forms are available from the toll-freeBCIS (formerly INS) Forms line, 1-800-870-3676, and from the BCIS (formerly INS) Web site, www.INS.gov. An applicant may request a waiver of TPS-related application fees by submitting proper documentation of inability to pay.
March
2, 2001
The Bush Administration has granted certain
Salvadorans who have resided continuously in the US since February 13,
2001 the opportunity to apply for Temporary Protected Status, which would
grant them the ability to live and work legally in the US for up to 18
months and obtain temporary working papers.
To learn more about Temporary
Protected Status, click here.
December
21, 2000
President Clinton signed into law the LIFE Act,
or the Legal Immigration and Family Equity Act Amendments. This law will
benefit many immigrants who were previously ineligible to adjust their
status to permanent U.S. resident.
The LIFE Act benefits those who have entered the U.S. illegally, worked in the U.S. illegally, or overstayed their temporary visas illegally but are otherwise eligible to apply for a green card, through family, employment, investment in a US business, etc.
As long as these immigrants can prove they were in the U.S. on the date of the bill's signing (December 21, 2000), they may submit a petition to adjust their status to permanent resident until April 30, 2001. Previously the law, called Section 245(i), applied only to those who had submitted their petitions on or before January 14, 1998.
The law requires these new applicants to pay a $1,000 filing penalty with their application.
December
21, 2000
The new LIFE Act (see above for
more info) also creates 2 new temporary visas designed to enable families
to live together while awaiting the outcomes of their green card applications:
The V Visa - for spouses and children under 21 of green card holders, who have applied for residency under the family preference 2A category. Previously 2A applicants had to wait 4-6 years while their applications were processed before being allowed to join their relative in the U.S.
The extended "K" Visa - for spouses of U.S. citizens and their children who have applied to become permanent residents. The extended K visa allows such relatives to live and work in the U.S. indefinitely while awaiting the outcome of their applications. This visa may only be applied for outside the U.S.
October
17, 2000
President
Clinton has signed a bill (S2045) which will increase the number of H-1B
visas issued to foreign workers to 195,000 per year over the next three
years. The new law also gives more
flexibility to current H-1B visa holders seeking
to change jobs as well as those attempting to adjust their status to that
of permanent resident.
The law will double the fee an employer petitioner must pay from $500 to $1,000 in order to pay for high-tech job training for American citizens.
October
3, 2000
The U.S. Senate overwhelmingly passed a bill (95-1)
to provide nearly 600,000 new visas for workers sought by the high-tech
industry. The bill raises the yearly H-1B visa quota to 195,000 from 115,000
per year, and would exempt from the cap foreign graduates of U.S. master's
or doctoral programs or foreign workers at U.S. colleges. President Clinton
is expected to sign the bill into law before leaving office.
June
2, 2000
An H-1B workers advocate group, the Immigrants
Support Network, is lobbying Congress for less restrictive laws and
quotas concerning H-1B visa holders attempting to gain permanent
residency (green cards). Read more about this important issue in an
article at the San
Francisco Chronicle website (sfgate.com).
May
10, 2000
TPS (Temporary Protected Status) extensions
for Honduran and Nicaraguan refugees may be filed atBCIS (formerly INS) Centers beginning
May 11, 2000 through Jun 9, 2000. Only those who were residing in the
United States prior to December 30, 1998 and were eligible under the original
TPS designation are eligible to apply for the extension. Spouses and children
of aliens may also apply for the extension, as long as they meet the original
TPS eligibility requirements.
April
15, 2000
Naturalization applicants:BCIS (formerly INS) change of address service is now available by calling a toll-free number:
800-375-5283
March,
2000
Central American amnesty application
deadline has been extended for those applicants eligible under NACARA
( Nicaraguan Adjustment and Central American Relief Act).
March
21, 2000
The Immigration and Naturalization Service is
no longer accepting H-1B visa petitions for employment for Fiscal Year
2000. The next earliest time to submit a petition will be October 1, 2000
(for FY 2001). The cap on H-1B visas for FY 2001 has been set at 107,500,
slightly less than for the previous year. For more detailed information
on this subject, click here
to head to the BCIS (formerly INS) website.
Citizens of Portugal, Singapore and Uruguay may travel to the US without a visa for up to 90 days under the Visa Waiver Pilot Program (VWPP). To see the other members of the VWPP, click here.
Restrictions:
-No change of visa status allowed-No visa extension past 90 days
-Travellers under the program are prohibited to work or study in the US
-If entering by air or sea, travellers must have a round-trip ticket with a carrier that has signed a VWPP treaty with the US
To learn more about visa waivers, click here.
Other Participating Countries: Andorra, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brunei, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Monaco, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, San Marino, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and United Kingdom.
July
1, 1999
BCIS (formerly INS) interim regulations taking
effect July 1, 1999 exempt H and L visa holders applying for adjustment
of status (Form I-485) from having to apply for advance
parole in order to re-enter the country, as long as they have not
obtained an employment authorization document (EAD) and used it to to
accept employment with an employer other than the original employer sponsor.
In that case their status changes to "adjustment applicant"
and they must apply for advanced parole.
