Indian Students, Among Hundreds, Face Deportation Over US Visa Fraud

Mostly Indian and Chinese students are among over 1,000 people facing deportation from the US after being caught in an undercover operation that involved a fake university set up by the US government to catch visa fraud.

21 suspects were arrested on Tuesday of felony charges that include conspiracy to commit visa fraud; they could face multiple years in prison.

"Foreigners who used the services will likely not be prosecuted, but will have their visas revoked," New Jersey US Attorney Paul Fishman told reporters on Tuesday. Read more: http://www.ndtv.com/indians-abroad/indians-students-among-hundreds-face-deportation-over-us-visa-fraud-1339668

Contact Darren Heyman, Immigration attorney Las Vegas, for free immigration consultation.

U.S. adds visa restrictions to Yemen, Somalia, Libya travelers

The United States has added Yemen, Somalia and Libya as "countries of concern" under its visa waiver program, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said on Thursday, in a move that will make U.S. visa procedures more stringent for individuals who have visited those nations during the past five years.
The new restrictions were imposed under a law passed after the November attacks in Paris attributed to Islamic State. Citizens of U.S. allies who previously had been able to travel to the United States without first obtaining a visa now will have to apply to U.S. consulates for such visas if they have traveled to those designated countries in the past five years. Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-travel-visa-idUSKCN0VR1W1.

Contact Darren Heyman, Las Vegas Immigration Attorney for details.

Visa fee hike to hamper trade ties with US: FICCI

Terming the hike in visa fee as “discriminatory”, industry body FICCI today said the move will have a negative impact on efforts made by India and the US to build stronger trade ties.
Such legislation will also hamper the growth of the US economy as it will hurt huge tax revenues coming from Indian IT firms, it said.
“FICCI feels that the hike in special fee on the popular H-1B and L-1 visas for James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act of 2010 will hamper the growth of the US economy and will be discriminatory for Indian IT companies,” FICCI said in a statement. Read more:http://www.financialexpress.com/article/economy/us-h1b-l-1-visa-fee-hike-to-hamper-trade-ties-with-us-ficci/182688/.

Contact Darren Heyman, Las Vegas Immigration Attorney, for more information.

WASHINGTON: The US today notified massive increase in fees in certain categories of the popular H-1B and L-1 visas which would mainly hit Indian IT companies.

The US Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) said applicants for certain categories of H-1B visas post December 18, 2015 must submit an additional fee of USD 4,000.

In addition, for those applying for certain L-1A and L-1B must submit an additional USD 4,500.

Referring to the Consolidated Appropriations ..

Read more at:
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/50554159.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst

WASHINGTON: The US today notified massive increase in fees in certain categories of the popular H-1B and L-1 visas which would mainly hit Indian IT companies.

The US Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) said applicants for certain categories of H-1B visas post December 18, 2015 must submit an additional fee of USD 4,000.

In addition, for those applying for certain L-1A and L-1B must submit an additional USD 4,500.

Referring to the Consolidated Appropriations ..

Read more at:
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/50554159.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst

Restricting the U.S. Visa Waiver Program Is a Bad Idea for Business

In the aftermath of last week’s brutal attacks in Paris, conservative U.S. politicians are calling for a crack down on travel from 30 countries with muslim residents.
Sen. Rand Paul introduced legislation on Monday that would “impose a 30-day waiting period for all entries to the U.S. in order for background checks to be completed, unless the traveler has been approved through the Global Entry program.”
It would also “suspend issuance of visas to nationals of countries with a high risk of terrorism” until more stringent screening and surveillance methods are put into place by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

Nominally the bill is designed to keep Syrian refugees from entering the U.S., although Paul originally introduced similar legislation in 2013. Read more: http://skift.com/2015/11/18/restricting-the-u-s-visa-waiver-program-is-a-bad-idea-for-business/

Contact Darren Heyman, Las Vegas Immigration Attorney, for more information.

Visa Bulletin: More Changes Impacting the I-485 Process

As previously reported in our legal update from September 10, 2015, the Department of State (DOS) made a major change to the Visa Bulletin in early September. Then, on September 25, 2015, that Visa Bulletin was rescinded and replaced with a new bulletin. Since that time, a lawsuit was filed in the Western District of Washington, DOS published the November Visa Bulletin, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued guidance on when to file, and rumors abound. Here is what you need to know about the changes to the Visa Bulletin.
Read more: http://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/visa-bulletin-more-changes-impacting-42871/

Contact Darren Heyman, Las Vegas immigration attorney, for more information.

Previously, we wrote about the significant revisions to the October 2015 Visa Bulletin (Original Bulletin), and the Original Bulletin’s impact on foreign nationals and employers.  Just five days before the start of October, the Department of State (DOS) published a revised October 2015 Visa Bulletin (Revised Bulletin) that supersedes the previously published Original Bulletin.  The sudden revision has caused significant headache and anger among affected foreign nationals, particularly nationals of China and India, who viewed the Original Bulletin as a much needed step forward in their journey to become Lawful Permanent Residents (Green Card holders). - See more at: http://www.natlawreview.com/article/updated-instruction-using-dos-visa-bulletin#sthash.jOtwxVZM.dpuf

Previously, we wrote about the significant revisions to the October 2015 Visa Bulletin (Original Bulletin), and the Original Bulletin’s impact on foreign nationals and employers.  Just five days before the start of October, the Department of State (DOS) published a revised October 2015 Visa Bulletin (Revised Bulletin) that supersedes the previously published Original Bulletin.  The sudden revision has caused significant headache and anger among affected foreign nationals, particularly nationals of China and India, who viewed the Original Bulletin as a much needed step forward in their journey to become Lawful Permanent Residents (Green Card holders). - See more at: http://www.natlawreview.com/article/updated-instruction-using-dos-visa-bulletin#sthash.jOtwxVZM.dpuf

The privilege of natural-born U.S. citizenship

After nearly seven grueling years, I reached my first lifelong goal on Aug. 9. I became a U.S. citizen.

During the first two years of processing my permanent residency for the United States, I battled various culture shocks studying in South Korea and later in Canada—my parents had been denied visas to return to the United States. Depression and anorexia set in when I realized I had to abandon my childhood home and friends in America.

After coming back to the United States in 2010, I saw my family break up to the point that my father was unable to live with me until 2012 because he could not find a stable job in the United States. To me, my U.S. citizenship represents all the tears I shed during family feuds, the mockery hurled my way for my low-income status, and the suicidal thoughts that I’ve had to overcome. Read more: http://columbiaspectator.com/opinion/2015/10/18/privilege-natural-born-us-citizenship

Contact Darren Heyman, immigration attorney Las Vegas, for more information.

Deadline approaches to submit online entry for Diversity Visa Lottery

You have until noon on Tuesday, Nov. 3, to submit your online entry for the Diversity Visa Lottery — which gives green cards to 50,000 randomly selected people from countries with relatively low immigration to the U.S.
Natives of most countries qualify — except those from Bangladesh, Brazil, Canada, China, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Haiti, India, Jamaica, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, Peru, the Philippines, South Korea, Vietnam, and the United Kingdom and its dependent territories aside from Northern Ireland.
Those born in Northern Ireland as well as Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan are eligible. Winners get their visas during the 2017 fiscal year. Get more information at the Department of State website, usvisas.state.gov. Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/deadline-nears-submit-entry-diversity-visa-lottery-article-1.2390831

Contact Darren Heyman, Immigration attorney Las Vegas, for more information.