Feb
22
Immigration Theme for Lent
Filed Under Immigration News | Leave a Comment
Leaders of the Roman Catholic church in Orange County and Los Angeles marked Ash Wednesday by dedicating the fast of Lent to immigration reform, and urging Catholics to try to help immigrants in need.
Catholics in Orange County are asked to consume nothing but liquids between March 26 and 30 as part of as an appeal for better and faster citizenship opportunities for illegal immigrants, as well as a temporary worker program.
Cardinal Roger M. Mahony is particularly concerned about the fate of the children of illegal immigrants. He says, “They are innocents impacted by an unjust system that has failed and will continue to fail them and our society until true comprehensive reform is passed by Congress and the president.”
To read more about the Catholic Church’s appeal, go here.
Feb
22
Kate Moss To Undergo Drug Test for US Visa
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British supermodel Kate Moss will have to undergo a drugs test in order to get a US work visa.
Moss, who is planning to travel to the US to promote her new fragrance, visited the American embassy in London to obtain the visa. She will have to submit to the drugs test after pictures were published in a British newspaper in September 2005 of her allegedly taking cocaine.
Feb
21
Small towns are suffering from a lack of qualified physicians after growth in the H1-B visa has caused less medical professionals to use the J-1 waiver.
The H1-B visa allows US companies to hire non-American citizens for jobs that are very specialized and, as a result, hard to fill. Unlike the J-1, the H1-B does not force physicians to spend three years in underserved and mostly rural settings.
The result of this is that the number of foreign doctors on a J-1 visa fell by 45 percent to almost 6,000 in 2005-06, compared to nearly 11,000 in 1995-96.
To read more about this problem and its possible solutions, click here.
Feb
21
A man in Jacksonville, Florida has written a book called “How To Not Get Burned By Internet Dating and Mail Order Brides” after a woman he was engaged to used him to procure a US visa.
Anthony Penoso met his fiancé online and helped her to apply for a visa so she could come to the United States for their wedding. But Penoso was left devastated after the woman never showed up in Jacksonville, choosing to go to Los Angeles instead to pursue a career in the entertainment industry. Read more
Feb
20
Increased Visa Fees Cause Hardship
Filed Under Immigration Fees | Comments Off
An increase in the cost of filing paperwork relating to US work visas is causing great hardship for immigrants, according to new figures which show the cost of immigration forms is set to rise by an average of 66% this year.
The majority of immigrants who are filing for residency will face charges that will rise from $935 to $1985.
Attorney Susan Bower says, “A lot of them are making very difficult choices, between food and bills and rent and these fees, plus whatever they have to pay an attorney. Even with our reduced fees, it would be a real hardship.”
730,642 immigrants applied to become U.S. citizens last year with 497,005 applying to become permanent residents.
Feb
20
New US Visa Email for Kuwaiti Students
Filed Under J1 Visitor Exchange | Comments Off
Kuwaiti students who are in the process of applying for their US student visas have been assigned a new email (kuwaitstudentstate.gov) so they can check the progress of their applications.
According to a statement from the American Embassy, the new email address is part of an effort by the US Department of State to make sure that student visa applications are prioritized.
The address can also be used by parents to inquire about the many things related to acquiring a student visa, such as the visa process and specific applications.
Feb
13
Birth Certificates: Long Form vs. Short Form
Filed Under Interesting Immigration Tips | Comments Off
In many countries birth certificates come in two forms, a long-form shows bother parents of the child and the other information whereas the short-form shows only the child’s birth information.
For immigration purposes short-forms are fine for adult travellers, however, long-form birth certificates are essential when children are travelling with their parents since the long form establishes who the child’s parents are. Otherwise, Uncles and Aunts could take children to the US under the pretense that the child (sharing the same last name) is theirs.
Feb
13
Are Business Plans Important?
Filed Under Ask Chris | Comments Off
Many people ask me about business plans when applying for business visas. Who should write them, the immigration attorney, an independent business plan writer or the client themselves? Read more