Articles Posted in Updates

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The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said Tuesday that from Aug. 11, Taiwanese tourists can stay in Israel for up to 90 days visa-free.

The visa-waiver agreement was signed by Simona Halperni, director of the Israel Economic and Cultural Office in Taipei on June 17, and countersigned on June 27 by Taiwan’s representative to Israel, Chang Liang-jen. This agreement makes Israel the 114th country to grant visa free privileges to Taiwanese citizens.

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Reflecting the importance of the United States’ diplomatic relationship with the Pacific Islands Countries, Ambassador C. Steven McGann dedicated the new United States Embassy facility in Suva, Fiji today. Fiji’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs Permanent Secretary Mr. Solo Mara and Office Director of the Department of State’s Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations (OBO), Donald Schenck attended the ribbon cutting ceremony.

The new Embassy facility was designed to incorporate green building techniques and to meet the principles of the U.S. Green Building Council for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) green building rating system. The multi-building complex provides more than 150 U.S. embassy employees, both American and Fijian, with over 7,500 square meters of working space.

The new facility features a collection of 30 original works of art by artists from the United States and the Embassy’s countries of accreditation: Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Tonga, and Tuvalu, all inspired by the natural beauty of the South Pacific. The collection transcends barriers of culture, time, and language through a visual representation of shared values between the United States and the Pacific Islands Countries.

The Pernix Group of Lombard, Illinois constructed the facility, which was designed by the architectural firm of Hellmuth Obata and Kassabaum. The $81 million project generated jobs in both the United States and Fiji. The new facility was completed in June 2011 and at times involved more than 300 workers in its construction.

Since the 1999 enactment of the Secure Embassy Construction and Counterterrorism Act, OBO has moved more than 24,000 people into safer facilities. Including the dedication of the new Embassy in Suva, OBO has completed 81 diplomatic facilities and has an additional 35 projects in design or construction.

OBO’s mission is to provide safe, secure, and functional facilities for the conduct of U.S. diplomacy and the promotion of U.S. interests worldwide. These facilities should represent American values and the best in American architecture, engineering, technology, sustainability, art, culture, and construction execution.

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The Embassy of the United States of America would like to announce that the Consular Office will be closed for non-emergency services between Friday, July 1, 2011 and Friday, July 8, 2011 while the Embassy moves to its new location in Ta Qali. During this time, only emergency American Citizen Services will be available.

Since the U.S. Embassy will be closed on Wednesday, June 29 in observation of a Maltese holiday, the Feast of St. Peter and St. Paul, the last date available for visa interview appointments and non-emergency Consular services, will be Wednesday, June 22. Please remember that all Consular services are by appointment only and can be scheduled on the Appointment Calendar of the Embassy website at: http://malta.usembassy.gov. Inquiries can be directed via email to consularmalta@state.gov.

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The Department of State has released the new visa bulletin for July 2011 on June 9, 2011 which continues to bring cheers to Chinese and Indian nationals whose Priority Dates get benefited.

For the month of July 2011, the EB-1 category was current for both Chinese and Indian nationals. In the EB-2 category, the cut-off dates moved forward nearly five months for Chinese nationals (from October 15, 2006 to March 8, 2007), and also moved forward nearly five months for Indian nationals (from October 15, 2006 to March 8, 2007). In the EB-3 category, the cut-off dates moved forward from May 15, 2004 to July 1, 2004 for Chinese nationals and moved forward from April 22, 2002 to May 1, 2002 for Indian nationals.

For the month of June 2011, the EB-1 category was current for both Chinese and Indian nationals. In the EB-2 category, the cut-off dates moved forward more than two months for Chinese nationals (from August 1, 2006 to October 15, 2006), and moved forward more than three months for Indian nationals (from July 1, 2006 to October 15, 2006). In the EB-3 category, the cut-off dates moved forward from April 15, 2004 to May 15, 2004 for Chinese nationals and moved forward from April 15, 2002 to April 22, 2002 for Indian nationals.

We will keep you updated on the recent developments on the Employment base Visa Bulletin.

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It’s an age where almost every country is tightening its borders and increasing security in order to keep out unwanted elements and terrorist activities – after the recent spate of destruction on a mass scale, many more visa restrictions are in place. So if you’ve secured a visa to the USA as a tourist, a student, a non-immigrant worker, or in any other non-immigrant category, you must be careful not to abuse the privileges you’ve been given. There are consequences to overstaying your visa, and they’re harsh and could have a severe effect on the rest of your life; so before you’re trapped by visa regulations because of your lack of awareness or your overconfidence, here’s how you can set out to minimize your US visa troubles.

• Know the visa rules of the country you’re traveling to – the rules are different for each country and each type of visa. If you’re not sure, ask a few people who are knowledgeable about these issues, like visa lawyers or others who are professionally linked to immigration offices.

• Do not overstay your visa by even a few hours – you may assume that it’s ok, but it’s actually not. You will have to face severe consequences by overstaying your visa, for whatever reason.

• If you need to overstay your visa or desire a change in the status of your application, file for an extension well in advance. Even if your application is pending, you could have to leave the US for your home country and return when your visa has been approved. Check with an experienced visa lawyer about the rules regarding extension of stay and change in status of visa.

• If you have overstayed your visa for any period of time, you could not be allowed back into the country for as many as 10 years. Check with your visa lawyer to see what consequences you could be facing and how to negate them if you’ve overstayed your visa.

• If you overstay your visa, your application may not be considered favorably even if you apply for a visa after serving your three or ten year ban.

• Don’t violate the terms of your visa – if you are not permitted to work, then don’t do so; if you are not permitted to study, then don’t do so – violating the terms of your visa too could get you deported and bring about a ban on future visa applications.

• Remember, even if you hold a valid visa, the country you are trying to visit could still refuse you right of entry at the immigration point if they find that your answers are not satisfactory. So know what you must do and say in order to honor your visa and be a respected guest in the USA.

By-line:
This guest post is contributed by Chris Jacobson who writes on the topic of Criminal Justice Degrees . Chris can be reached at his email id: chris.jacobson7-AT-gmail-Dot-com

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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) reminds Haitian nationals that the registration deadline for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) is Jan. 18, 2011.

Haitian nationals who have continuously resided in the United States since Jan. 12, 2010, and who meet other TPS eligibility requirements, must file their applications for TPS no later than Jan. 18, 2011. The TPS designation for Haiti will remain in effect through July 22, 2011.

USCIS advises Haitian nationals to review their TPS application packages carefully. Details and procedures for applying for TPS are provided on the USCIS website and in the Federal Register notice announcing TPS for Haiti.

TPS forms are available on the USCIS website or by calling toll-free 1-800-870-3676. For additional information, applicants may also contact the USCIS National Customer Service Center at 1-800-375-5283.

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In view of Mr. President Barack Obama visit to South Asian giant ‘India’, here are some updates on Indo-US bilateral relationship. The basic purpose of Mr. Obama’s visit is to strengthen the bilateral relationship.U.S. President Barack Obama began his maiden visit to India on last Saturday by promising to remove restrictions on sensitive high-tech exports, a nagging irritant in the evolution of bilateral ties, even as he declared deals worth $15 billion that would support some 54,000 American jobs and seek to answer critics back home. This step will considered to be greatest achievement of Mr. Obama after the recent debacle in US Polls.

The United States is the world’s largest recipient of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). India is among the fastest growing investors in the United States. As the U.S.-India economic relationship deepens, investment from India contributes to the growth and vibrancy of the American economy and in the creation of jobs in the United States. Over the last decade, investment capital from India grew at an annualized rate of 53% reaching an estimated $4.4 billion in 2009. This growing flow of capital from India reflects the increased integration of the two economies and has brought many benefits to the United States, increasing U.S. exports and supporting tens of thousands of jobs in the last six years alone.

An increasing number of Indian-owned firms contribute to U.S. jobs, exports, and growth:
• Goods exports to India reached approximately $17 billion in 2009, in part due to increased FDI from India.

• Indian companies have aided the turnaround of struggling U.S. firms, saving jobs and improving company performance. They have also made important new investments, stimulating innovation and production in the American economy.

Just a few examples include:
* The Essar Group invested over $1.6 billion in the declining Minnesota Steel Industries and now employs over 7,200 people in almost a dozen states.

* The Tata Group has invested more than $3 billion in the U.S. and now employs nearly 19,000 throughout the country.

* Jubliant Organsys Total Capital invested $246 million in the U.S. and now employs nearly 900 employees throughout the country.

* Wockhardt, a pharmaceutical company, acquired Morton Grove for $37 million. The deal preserved the jobs of all 200 original Morton Grove employees.

* Crompton Greaves, an entity of the Indian conglomerate Avantha Group, has invested and partnered on a $20 million project to launch a Center for Intelligent Power with the University of Albany. The deal will create 100 high-tech jobs in upstate New York.

Indian FDI in the U.S. is on the rise:
• Indian investment capital is spread throughout the United States; it has reached states on both coasts and in the American Midwest. Geographically diversified investment by Indian firms has helped to support employment, particularly in towns reliant on industry and manufacturing that faced difficulties during the recent economic downturn.

• According to a report by Ernst & Young and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), the largest share of investment capital from India has been allocated to industries associated with the knowledge economy. This capital is helping the U.S. increase employment in high value-added industries, such as IT and pharmaceuticals.

• FDI from India is expected to continue to grow in the future. There is strong interest from Indian investors in the power, steel, and extractive industries. The pharmaceuticals and health care industries are also expected to receive major investments. This inflow of capital will expand the U.S. economy across a wide variety of fields, creating jobs and keeping the U.S. competitive in global markets.

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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) today announced it has begun issuing a redesigned, more secure Certificate of Naturalization (Form N-550) as part of its ongoing efforts to enhance the integrity of the immigration system. The agency anticipates that over 600,000 new citizens will receive the enhanced certificate over the next year.

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Tourism in Russia has seen rapid growth since the late Soviet times, first inner tourism and then international tourism as well. Rich cultural heritage and great natural variety place Russia among the most popular tourist destinations in the world. The country contains 23 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, while many more are on UNESCO’s tentative lists. Major tourist routes in Russia include a travel around the Golden Ring of ancient cities, cruises on the big rivers like Volga, and long journeys on the famous Trans-Siberian Railway. Diverse regions and ethnic cultures of Russia offer many different food and souvenirs, and show a great variety of traditions, like Russian banya, Tatar Sabantuy, or Siberian shamanist rituals.Despite being home to some of the world’s great attractions – from Red Square and the Kremlin in Moscow to the famed Hermitage museum in Saint Petersburg – Russia has struggled to attract tourists.

The major hurdle towards attracting less tourism is it is epicenter of some of the most expensive hotels in the world, inadequate tourism infrastructure, a reputation for surly service and bureaucratic headaches for visitors and the absence of English. To tackle this, the Russian government is hoping to change all that and is planning to launch an ambitious programm to make the country a tourist paradise by 2016 and thrust it into the ranks of major tourism destinations. The deputy minister for tourism and sport, Nadezhda Nazina said “We are going to do everything possible so that a foreign visitor feels comfortable in Russia.”
The Russian government will soon be considering a 352-billion-ruble (11.7-billion-dollar, 8.5-billion-euro) plan to improve infrastructure, train specialists and launch a major advertising campaign, she said. If the plan is successful “in five years up to 40 million foreign tourists could visit Russia every year,” Nazina said.

Russia last year attracted only 2.3 million foreign visitors, according to the federal tourism agency, placing it far below the top destinations for international tourists. The top two destinations, France and the United States, attracted 74 million and 55 million visitors respectively in 2009, according to the World Tourism Organization. To reach its target, Russia would need to attract about as many tourists every year as Italy, which last year hosted 43 million foreign visitors.

Industry experts in Russia said they would love to see the plan succeed but were highly skeptical. The figure of 40 million tourists “is a prediction that is in the realm of science fiction,” said Maya Lomidze, the executive director of the Association of Tour Operators of Russia.

“Too many conditions would have to be met for this plan to be realized. The main necessity is that we have hotels at affordable prices. Russia is a very expensive country,” she said.

According to a recent study by travel consultancy the Hogg Robinson Group, the average price of a hotel room in Moscow is 402 dollars (288 euros), the most expensive in the world. In Paris the average price was 318 dollars (227 euros) and in New York 297 dollars (213 euros).

“In Moscow there are almost no economy-class hotels or they are very bad. The prices are exorbitant,” said Irina Tyurina, the spokeswoman for the Russian Tourism Industry Union.She said Moscow and Russia’s Tsarist-era capital Saint Petersburg, famed for their luxury hotels, continue to host most visitors to Russia, accounting for 95-98 percent of foreign guests.

The next most-popular destinations are the so-called Golden Ring of ancient cities near Moscow including Vladimir and Rostov, the Kamchatka peninsula in Russia’s Far East and the Lake Baikal region in Siberia. Industry experts said Russia will also have to overcome the bureaucratic red-tape that is the bane of visits to the country.

Foreign visitors are not only required to indicate the cities they plan to visit when applying for a Russian visa, they are also required to register with local migration authorities every time they visit a new city, a process Tyurina described as “humiliating.” Russia is also country “that has not yet adapted to the needs of foreign tourists,” Lomidze said. For example, there are no signs in English in the Moscow Metro except for small plans posted in the underground transportation network.

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USCIS has recently announced the H-1B Cap updates for the H-1B Cap Count in FY 2011.

Current H1B Cap Count

Regular Cap Limit- 65,000
Regular Cap Cases Filed- 22,900 (Approx)
Date of Count- June 18, 2010
Advanced Degree Cap Limit- 20,000
Advanced Degree Cap Cases Filed- 9,700 (Approx)
Date of Count- June 18, 2010