Visa

From July 16, those holding H1-B visa, kin can apply for jobs in Canada too

There are approximately 400,000 H-1B visa holders in the US, which is why the government is setting a cap on the new stream of people who could hold those visas at 10,000.

Rush at European embassies: Walk-ins, more staff to cut visa wait time

Embassies 'put in measures' to reduce turnaround time

China granted visas to over 18,000 Indians since January: Diplomat

China has issued visas to over 18,000 Indians in the last three months, a Chinese diplomat said. Interacting with a group of journalists in Kolkata, Minister Counsellor of the Chinese Embassy in India, Chen Jianjun, said he was looking forward to more Chinese being given visas by India. "The number of visa applications for China has been on the rise. Since January, we have given visas to 18,560 Indians," he said. "Since August, 9,409 student visas have been issued to Indian students," he said. However, Jianjun said, the number of visa applications is yet to reach the pre-pandemic levels. In June last year, China announced plans to provide visas to Indian professionals and their families stranded in India following the strict restrictions imposed by Beijing due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Separately, it also started processing visa applications of thousands of Indian students studying in Chinese universities who conveyed their interest to rejoin their colleges and universities. Abou

Visa applications from Delhi reach 80% of pre-pandemic levels: VFS Global

Visa applicants are advised to beware of fraudulent entities who charge fees from customers for scheduling appointments or providing any other services using VFS Global's name or independently

Apply for jobs, give interviews on tourist, biz visa in US: Federal agency

The US has announced that individuals travelling to the country on a business or tourist visa - B-1 and B-2 - can apply for new jobs and even appear in interviews, but the prospective employees must ensure that they have changed their visa status before starting a new role. B-1 and B-2 visas are generally referred to as B visas, and they are the most common types of visa issued for a wide range of uses in the United States. The B-1 visa is issued mainly for short-term business trips, while the B-2 visa is issued mainly travelling for tourism purposes. In a note, and a series of tweets, the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) said on Wednesday when nonimmigrant workers are laid off, they may not be aware of their options and may, in some instances, wrongly assume that they have no option but to leave the country within 60 days. The move by the USCIS came as thousands of highly skilled foreign-born workers, including Indians, in the US, have lost their jobs due to a series

H1-B visa deadline likely to get extended as users face technical glitches

USCIS took to Twitter to announce that some users have not been able to register, and thus they will extend the deadline

Canada to deport 700 Indian students as visa documents found to be fake

These visa applications were filed in 2018 onwards till 2022

Novak Djokovic withdraws from Indian Wells tournament amid visa row

The Serbian great asked American authorities last month for special permission to enter the United States despite being unvaccinated against the coronavirus

Visa issue priority, people-to-people ties bedrock of India-US relations

People-to-people ties form the bedrock of the India-US relationship and addressing the visa wait time issue is critical to maintaining them, senior administration officials said here. Reducing the visa wait time is a top priority for Secretary of State Tony Blinken, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Nancy Jackson told Indian reporters at a roundtable organised on Tuesday by the State Department, along with the Foundation for India and Indian Diaspora Studies (FIIDS). "As I look at the relationship, it strikes me that people-to-people ties between our two nations are really the bedrock of what is one of our most consequential relationships in the world and that's the US-India relationship. We can't underscore that enough. So addressing the visa wait times that we've been facing is critical not only to maintaining those people-to-people ties, but to expand them," Jackson said. FIIDS has been working with the Biden Administration for the past several months

US policy manual update to help aged-out children of long-term visa holders

The Biden administration has announced a policy manual update for the purpose of calculating a noncitizen's age in certain situations under the Child Status Protection Act (CSPA), a move seen as a small but important step in addressing the woes of the aged-out children, a large number of whom are Indians, who came to the US legally with their parents. For a child to obtain lawful permanent resident status in the United States based on their parent's approved petition for a family-sponsored or employment-based visa, the child generally must be under the age of 21. If the child turns 21 and ages out during the immigration process, the child generally is no longer eligible to immigrate with the parent based on the parent's petition. The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has officially made one of our long-requested policy changes. The USCIS will use the dates for the filing chart to determine CSPA age and any previously denied petition can be reopened, said Dip Patel, from

EB-5 visa: What is it, who can apply and how it is different from H1-B visa

H1-B visa requires a sponsor for the immigrant to stay in the US but no such sponsorship is needed in the EB-5 scheme

Germany to ease visa conditions for few earthquake victims in Turkey, Syria

The German government wants to temporarily ease visa restrictions for survivors of the earthquake in Turkiye and Syria who have close family ties to Germany if they are facing homelessness or were injured. It's about helping in times of need. We want to make it possible for Turkish or Syrian families in Germany to bring close relatives from the disaster region, German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser tweeted late Saturday. They can find shelter with us and receive medical treatment, Faeser said. With regular visas, which are issued quickly and are valid for three months. However, not all the requirements of a regular visa procedure are being waived. Applicants must still be able to present a valid passport likely to be an obstacle for people who fled collapsing buildings. Several million people in Germany have Turkish roots because, more than 60 years ago, West Germany recruited guest workers from Turkey and elsewhere to help the country advance economically. More recently, hundred

US launches new initiative to cut delays in visa processing in India

With an aim to cut delays in visa processing in India, the US has launched new initiatives, including scheduling special interviews for first time applicants and increasing strength of consular staff. As part of the multi-pronged approach to cut the visa backlog, the US embassy in Delhi and the consulates in Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata and Hyderabad conducted "special Saturday interview days" on January 21. "On January 21, the US mission in India launched the first in a series of special Saturday interview days, as part of a larger effort to reduce wait times for first-time visa applicants," the US embassy said on Sunday. "The United States Embassy in New Delhi and Consulates in Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata and Hyderabad all opened consular operations on Saturday to accommodate applicants who require in-person visa interviews," it said in a statement. The mission will continue to open "additional slots" for appointments to take place on select Saturdays in the coming months. "These ...

Visa, Mastercard may be allowed a share of India's online payments

Growing from nothing in 2016, the smartphone-based UPI - a public utility - handled nearly Rs 13 trillion ($160 billion) in December

US expands premium processing of various visa and green card categories

The Biden Administration has announced plans to expand the premium processing of some of the important categories of green card applicants and some categories of visas, particularly those related to training of foreign students. The expansion of these categories would be carried out in phases beginning with the premium processing of EB-1 and EB-2 applications of Green cards. This will be in addition to all previously filed Form I-140 petitions under an E13 multinational executive and manager classification, or E21 classification as a member of professions with advanced degrees or exceptional ability seeking a National Interest Waiver (NIW), US Citizenship and Immigration Services said. USCIS said this is part of its efforts to increase efficiency and reduce burdens on the overall legal immigration system. In March, we will expand premium processing to certain F-1 students seeking Optional Practical Training (OPT) and F-1 students seeking STEM OPT extensions who have a pending Form

Making every effort to reduce visa interview appointment time in India: US

The United States is making every effort to reduce the waiting time for visa interview appointment in India as soon as possible, a State Department spokesperson said Wednesday. "Visa processing is recovering faster than projected and over the coming year, we expect to reach pre-pandemic processing levels," State Department spokesperson Ned Price told reporters at his daily news conference. The US issued more student visas in fiscal year 2022 than in any year since 2016, he said, adding that its embassy and consulates in India in particular broke their all-time record for the number of student visas issued in a single fiscal year. "We issued nearly 1,25,000 student visas. We recognize that some applicants may still face extended visa wait times, and we're making every effort to further reduce visa interview appointment wait times as quickly as possible in India and around the world, including for first time tourist visa applicants," he said. Responding to a question, Price said he .

Indonesia starts implementation of Second-Home Visa to attract investors

Indonesia's Second-Home Visa allowing foreigners to stay in the Southeast Asian country for either five or 10 years began to take effect

Canada issues record-breaking 4.8 million visas in 2022, says IRCC

Canada has processed an all-time high of 4.8 million visa applications in 2022, nearly twice the 2.5 million processed during the same period last year

UK providing visit visas within 15 days to travellers from India: Envoy

The UK is now providing visit visas to travellers from India within 15 days of receiving applications, British High Commissioner Alex Ellis said on Friday. At the same time, he said a small number of trickier cases take longer time. "Two months ago, I said that our aim was by the end of the year to be turning around visit visas from India to the UK within our standard time of 15 working days. The great news is that the team has now achieved it through fantastic work here in Delhi and across the whole visa network," Ellis said in a short video clip that he posted on Twitter. "There are still a few cases which take longer, the very complex ones and that's right that they do," he added. The high commissioner described quicker visa processing as "good news". "You can of course use the priority visa channel if you still want. We are turning that around within five days. And finally we have a big intake of student visas for the student session starting in January of next year," he said.

Visa consultancy firm BLS International crosses $1 bn in market cap

Delhi-based company says its business gained after countries eased travel restrictions for Covid-19