On September 27, 2023, DHS and DOS announced that, starting on November 30, 2023, the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) would be updated to allow Israeli citizens and nationals to apply to travel to the U.S. for tourism or business purposes for up to 90 days without obtaining an U.S. visa.
On October 19, 2023, DHS announced that the Visa Waiver Program (VWP) for Israelis would start IMMEDIATELY! Under the VWP, citizens and nationals of Israel who wish to travel to the U.S. for business or tourism for up to 90 days do not need to obtain a B visa anymore**. Travelers must apply online for an ESTA up to 72 hours in advance of travel. ESTA authorizations are generally valid for two (2) years, but need to be renewed in certain circumstances, such as obtaining a new passport or name changes. Israelis with valid B-1/B-2 visas may continue to use them for business and tourist travel to the U.S. ESTA applications may be found at esta.cbp.dhs.gov or download the “ESTA Mobile” app. **In general, foreign nationals who are determined by ESTA to be ineligible for participation in the Visa Waiver Program— because of past immigration compliance or law enforcement issues—will need to apply for a B visa at a U.S. consulate.
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The H-1B visa is the primary method for employing foreign nationals in the U.S. It is a very important visa for F-1 students who attend U.S. universities, as it is how they can work in the U.S. after they graduate. Due to the limit of H-1B visas in the U.S., many of these U.S.-educated foreign students are leaving the U.S. to share the knowledge they have gained here in other countries that have more flexible immigration systems. The U.S. has 85,000 visas available annually, which brings in approximately on average $2,500.00 in filing fee revenue plus on average creates 5 U.S. jobs per H-1B worker. There were over 781,000 applications for H-1B visa this past year and almost 700,000 applications were rejected, which could have brought in approximately $1.75 billion in revenue to the U.S. and possibly created 3.5 million U.S. jobs. Instead, Canada has realized the value of these U.S.-educated foreign students and has created a special visa program for them.
www.forbes.com/sites/stuartanderson/2023/07/19/h-1b-visa-holder-applications-overwhelm-canadas-new-program/?sh=7f0048d722c6 Great news! USCIS has released a new online tool that allows foreign nationals to reschedule their Biometrics Appointments online. Previously, in order to reschedule a Biometrics Appointment, foreign nationals or their attorneys had to call the USCIS Contact Center and request to be rescheduled. However, now foreign nationals can reschedule their Biometrics Appointments online.
Please note: foreign nationals cannot use the online tool if their appointment has been rescheduled 2 or more times already, or is within 12 hours of the appointment, or already has passed. https://www.uscis.gov/working-in-the-united-states/temporary-workers/address-index-for-i-129-o-and-p-consultation-letters GREAT NEWS! New USCIS Policy will allow some individuals who are stuck in the immigrant employment visa backlog to obtain a work permit based on new criteria!
If you are in E-3, H-1B, H-1B1, O-1, or L-1 status and have an approved Form I-140, Immigrant Petition, but are waiting for visa availability to apply for Adjustment of Status, you might be able to apply for an EAD Card/Work Permit based on "Compelling Circumstances." www.uscis.gov/newsroom/alerts/uscis-provides-guidance-on-employment-authorization-documents-based-on-compelling-circumstances To determine if this benefit could apply to you, please visit our website and schedule a consultation https://lnkd.in/giqVcUiF #employment #usvisas #immigrationlaw #immigrationattorney#americandream On Friday, April 28, 2023, the USCIS released its statistics regarding the FY 2024 H-1B Cap Registration process this past March 2023. The total number of H-1B Cap registrations almost DOUBLED from last year. Last year there were 483,927 total H-1B Cap Registrations. This year, there were 780,884 total H-1B Cap Registrations! Of these 780,884 registrations, 408,891 were for foreign nationals who had multiple companies submit an H-1B Registration on their behalf. Only 350,103 registrations were for foreign nationals who had only one (1) prospective employer submit a registration on their behalf.
This increase in multiple companies submitting H-1B Registrations on behalf of the same person increased from 165,180 last year to 408,891 this year. In addition, there were more H-1B1 visas claimed by citizens of Singapore and Chile, which resulted in only 110,791 registrations being selected this year for 85,000 slots whereas 127,600 applications were selected last year for the same number of slots. This doubling of total applications and then tripling of multiple companies submitting an application for the same person resulted in a REALLY bad selection percentage rate for almost all U.S. employers this year. Attorneys are reporting that approximately 8-12% of their submitted applications were selected this year versus 30-50% being selected over the past 3 years with this new H-1B Cap Registration process. The USCIS states that it will increase its fraud investigations into employers who might have abused the H-1B Cap Registration process this year. H-1B Cap Registrations are available now through Monday, March 20, 2023 until 5:00 PM EST.
USCISUSCIS78,067 followers78,067 followers 7h • 7 hours ago Yesterday some users were not able to complete the H-1B registration process. USCIS has fixed this technical issue & will now accept registrations until 5:00 pm ET Monday, March 20, 2023. Please note that any paid and completed registrations were not affected by this technical issue. H-1B Cap Update! The USCIS announced that it would be extending the H-1B Cap registration deadline after today. We will advise you when receive an update.
USCISUSCIS78,063 followers78,063 followers 22h • 22 hours ago Currently, some users are not able to complete the H-1B registration process. We apologize for any inconvenience & are working to fix the issue. We will extend the registration deadline. Stay tuned for more details. This is a very good article in The Washington Post about the problems facing 1000s of H-1B workers who have been laid off recently. Layoffs are difficult for everyone, but for H-1B workers, they can be catastrophic and result in "brain drain" leaving the U.S. to return to foreign countries. Many of these H-1B workers have received their Bachelor's and Master's degrees in the U.S. and have worked here for over 10 years, have Green Card Applications pending (some for more than 10 years), and have U.S. citizen children. It makes no fiscal sense to force these well-educated, tax-paying workers to leave our country. We need better options for H-1B workers who are laid off. Sixty (60) days is not enough time.
www.yahoo.com/finance/news/high-skilled-visa-holders-risk-131231991.html On February 9, 2023, the Department of State announced in an article in Bloomberglaw.com that it would be launching a pilot program later in 2023 offering some foreign nationals the ability to renew specific H and L visas in the U.S., rather than at a U.S. Embassy abroad. Stateside Visa Revalidation is not new- it used to be in effect until 2004 when it was discontinued. More details will be forthcoming, but regardless, this is exciting news! LOJLS will continue to monitor and provide updates on these exciting changes.
news.bloomberglaw.com/daily-labor-report/state-department-plans-pilot-for-domestic-visa-renewal-this-year |
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