Department of State Managing Director for Visa Services, Ed Ramotowski, announced yesterday that, due to their robust economies and currency strength against the U.S. dollar, 44% more U.S. visas have been issued in Brazil this year than last year and 35% more in China. DOS described its efforts to keep up with this skyrocketing demand.
Continue Reading...On August 11, 2010, the State Department published its final revised rule on J-1 Interns and Trainees. The revised rule makes 3 key changes. First, host companies no longer must provide a Dun & Bradstreet report Second, program sponsors may interview candidates by phone rather than only in person or by videoconference. And third, both interns and trainees may participate in unlimited J-1 programs as long as they will develop more advanced skills or train in a different field of expertise in each new program. Interns must still be enrolled full-time in a foreign college or university or have graduated within the 12 months just preceding the new J-1 program. Trainees (and interns who do not meet the preceding criteria) must reside outside the United States for at least 2 years before they are eligible for any additional J-1 program.
Qualifying foreign nationals planning to visit the United States under the Visa Waiver Program (VWP) must now register under the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) before traveling to the United States without a visa. ESTA is designed to identify those individuals who may be a security or law enforcement risk. The application takes only a few minutes to complete and can be completed online. Once approved, the ESTA authorization is valid for two years and can be renewed as often as required. Individuals who qualify for the VWP but who will be traveling to another country and stopping in the United States en route must also register under ESTA since the termination of the "Transit without a Visa" program. The USCIS Questions and Answers on ESTA fact sheet, which contains a list of participating VWP countries, can be read here.
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