International travelers whose sole objective of visiting India is recreation, sightseeing, casual visit to meet friends or relatives or to attend a short-term yoga programme, are eligible to enter India on an electronic tourist visa (e-TV). The validity of this type of visa is 60 days from the date of arrival in India with double […]

There are some significant variances which can be seen in the immigration law and policies of Canada and the U.S. Given the current climate under the Trump administration, the U.S. each day is becoming overtly anti-immigrant whereas Canada on the other hand being an immigrant-friendly country is aggressively soliciting immigrants from across the globe. The […]

Dowry is a big social evil, unfortunately, still prevalent in the Indian society.  Dowry is the property and money that a bride brings to her husband’s house at the time of her marriage.   Although dowry was legally prohibited in 1961 in India, it continues to be practiced throughout the country, particularly in the rural areas […]

A Medical Visa for India is available to foreign nationals desiring to seek medical treatment in recognized hospitals and medical centers in India.  The initial duration of the Medical Visa is up to one year or the period of treatment, whichever is lesser, with a maximum of three entries during the one year.  It has […]

It has been reported that the Indian government is working on a revised visa application form to capture a foreign applicant’s criminal history including cases of child abuse, and so on.  The Minister of State for Home Affairs, Mr. Kiren Rijiju has been reported to have said that in the existing visa application forms, there […]

This year, per the USCIS’s report, the government received 3,36,000 H-1B petitions (both new petitions and extensions) and approved 1,97,129 as of June 30, 2017.  One of biggest users of the H-1Bs – technology outsourcing companies – are seeking lesser number of H-1B visas compared to the past few years, as is evident from the […]

President Trump endorsed a new bill – the ‘Reforming American Immigration for Strong Employment (Raise) Act’ – aimed at cutting back legal immigration by 50% over a decade. The Bill, sponsored by Republican Senators Tom Cotton and David Purdue,   introduces a points-based system for adjudicating green card applications.  The proposed legislation creates a “merit-based” immigration […]

The Indian government in March 2017, added a new visa category – the Intern Visa.  The Intern Visa is available to foreign nationals desiring to pursue internships with an educational institution, company or NGO in India.  Recently, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) published detailed guidelines and criteria in relation to the issuance of the […]

The Supreme Court of India, on August 22, 2017, struck down the Islamic practice of ‘triple talaq’ as being violative of the Indian Constitution, directing law makers to enact a new legislation.  The apex court has put a six month ban on this practice. The triple talaq practice allows Muslim men to divorce their wives simply by saying the […]

The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced that effective October 1, 2017, applicants of employment based green cards will be required to attend an in-person interview during the I-485 (adjustment of status) stage of the green card process.  The adjustment of status application is the final stage of the green card (permanent residence) process where […]