The U.S. Consulate in Toronto, Canada, has implemented a new, streamlined E-2 visa application process for renewal cases. The revised process should make renewal applications faster and less burdensome for qualifying applicants. Overview of E-2 Visas The E-2 (treaty investor) visa is only available to a foreign...
Following a recent update of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) website, online case status information for some cases has temporarily become unavailable. Additionally, as the USCIS is working to fix the "glitch," this is leading to outdated or inaccurate case status update eMails...
India has been consistently growing as one of the world's greatest producers of computer programmers, analysts, software engineers, entrepreneurs, and just about every role in the industry one can imagine. Enter SiliconIndia. Recognizing a need, SiliconIndia has built an online community to answer questions and...
The United States has entered into a reciprocal agreement with China regarding the duration of commonly utilized nonimmigrant visa categories. This agreement, effective November 12, 2014, applies to B-1/B-2 business and tourist visitors, F-1 and M-1 students, as well as J-1 exchange visitors. Chinese nationals...
The January 2015 Visa Bulletin was released by the U.S. Department of State (DOS) earlier this evening. As expected, this month's visa bulletin offers little relief for most foreign nationals hoping to become permanent residents of the United States. There is no significant movement in the...
For the first time in over a decade, more immigrants are choosing the United States over the European Union as their destination for a better life. This was the finding of the International Migration Outlook 2014 report released on December 1, 2014 by the Organization...
Answer The time abroad does not have to be continuous, as long as the trips to the U.S. meet the regulatory requirement of being "brief trips for business or pleasure." The time in the U.S. doesn't count toward the 365 days, but - if the requirements...
Answer The work authorization is based upon the approval. But, the employer must comply with the I-9 requirements for proof of work authorization. There is some brief allowance for these situations to avoid having to terminate the employee. Check the I-9 information on the USCIS website...
Answer There is no need to get an F-1 visa stamp if one is not traveling abroad. The USCIS does not care about whether the person has a visa stamp or not. The USCIS reviews whether or not the person is in a valid status in...
Answer There is not a specific restriction on initiating the GC process. However, it is always best to start far enough in advance to qualify for extensions of the H1B beyond the standard 6-year max. Thus, in order to safely meet the 365-day rule, in this...
