The USCIS (The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services), which is the federal agency that runs the H-1B program has opened its window to accept H-1B visa petitions for the fiscal year 2019 from April 2, 2018.  The H-1B visa has an annual numerical limit of 65,000 visas under the regular cap and 20,000 visas […]

The Trump administration is seeking to change the visa application rules for both non-immigrants and immigrants by requesting them to submit details of their previous phone numbers, email addresses, social media histories and international travel historyfor the past five years.  If the proposed new rule is approved by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), […]

The USCIS (U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services) has announced on April 6, 2018, that the H-1B cap limit for the fiscal year 2019 has been reached. This applies to both the 65,000 regular H-1B cap limit as well as the 20,000-advanced degree (masters) cap exemptions.  The window was open for a period of five days […]

We have been evidencing constant changes in the U.S. immigration policy ever since the presidency of Donald Trump. Most of the policies are not welcoming to immigrants despite the U.S. being “A Nation of Immigrants”.  The federal government is demonstrating its power to transform the U.S. immigration system. According to a Homeland Security spokesman,” What […]

The Bureau of Immigration, India on February 12, 2018 announced the launch of ‘e-Services’ for all foreign nationals residing within the jurisdictions of Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru and Chennai FRROs. As on April 26, 2018 the e-FRRO Services have now been extended to include Kolkata, Amritsar, Lucknow, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Cochin, Thiruvanthapuram, Kozhikode and Puducherry.   e-FRRO visa services such as registration and visa extension among […]

The French Government has introduced a new system called France-visas for scheduling visa appointment.  France-visas is a portal which contains the detailed information about the visa application process. It guides the applicant on preparing and submitting the visa application, tracking the application etc.  French Consulates around the world are in the process of enforcing the […]

According to the recently released policy memorandum by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), unlawful presence of foreign students and exchange visitors entering the U.S. in valid F, J and M status will be calculated and accounted for. This new policy will come into effect on August 9, 2018. As per the new policy, […]

The move to repeal work authorisation to certain categories of H-4 visa holders is in final stages, the Trump administration has told a US court, a decision that could hit tens of thousands of Indians.  An H-4 visa is a visa issued by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to immediate family members (spouse […]

Earlier this year, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) made two radical changes affecting foreign students – (1) one pertaining to the calculation of unlawful presence for students; and (2) the second pertaining to third-party placements for STEM OPT students. Due to these changes, F-1 students could potentially find themselves accruing unlawful presence […]

The United States ‘B’ Category Visa allows foreign nationals to enter the U.S. on a temporary, limited basis to engage in legitimate business activities provided that they are not receiving remuneration from a U.S. source except for reimbursement for expenses while in the U.S. To prevent fraud and abuse of the ‘B’ Category Visa, the […]