The Department of State announced earlier today that starting November 12, 2014, the U.S. and PR China have agreed to start issuing longer-term visas for visitors and students. Chinese nationals who qualify for a B-category nonimmigrant visa (NIV) may now be issued multiple-entry visas for up to 10 years for business and travel. Qualified Chinese [...]
Business or pleasure travelers to the United States from a number of visa waiver program (VWP) are already familiar with the requirements of the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) and specifically that the ESTA questionnaire must be completed, paid for and approved before visa waiver program travel to the U.S. On November 3, 2014, [...]
Our office serves many first-time and returning reentry permit applicants and one of the most frequently asked questions or concerns related to the ability to extend a reentry permit after its initial term (of often two years) and about the validity of subsequent renewal reentry permit documents. The good news is that there is no [...]
We are getting updates from the U.S. Department of State and from other sources that the global visa processing system used by the Department of State to process U.S. visa applications and passports is experiencing technical problems -- as a result, U.S. Consulates around the world are unable, at least temporarily, to complete visa application [...]
The Department of State (DOS) has just confirmed that due to increasingly heavy demand by Canada-based visa applicants, the seven U.S. visa processing posts (U.S. Consulates) in Canada are extremely limited in their ability to accept TCN cases during the peak demand period of June, July, and August. TCN refers to "third-country nationals" or non-Canadians [...]
Customs and Border Protection (CBP) just announced that they have launched an extension of their electronic I-94 arrival/departure system where now nonimmigrants can obtain their arrival/departure history going back five years from the requested date. As a result of the new enhancement to the electronic I-94 retrieval system, nonimmigrants (only) can access their entry and [...]
The process of hiring foreign workers is complicated and time-consuming thus many employers find it necessary to have a dedicated staff with expertise in making strategic decisions regarding hiring foreign nationals. The immigration function is typically housed in various departments at different organizations but most commonly within the HR department. With proper planning and follow [...]
The Department of State ("DOS") has issued travel warning for Russia, alerting U.S. citizens planning to attend the 2014 Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia that they should remain attentive regarding their personal security at all times. “There is no indication of a specific threat to U.S. institutions or citizens, but U.S. citizens should be aware [...]
Our foreign national clients and readers often ask us about the requirements on carrying specific immigration documents with them while they are in the U.S. - whether around town or for domestic U.S. travel. We find that this topic is not very well covered and many foreign nationals are not aware of the applicable requirements [...]
U.S. diplomatic posts in 19 cities in the Mideast and North Africa will remain closed until Saturday, August 10, though the closures could be extended beyond this date and to other posts. Per the Department of State, the following U.S. embassies and consulates are affected: Manama, Bahrain Bujumbura, Burundi Djibouti Cairo, Egypt Amman, Jordan Kuwait [...]
