Each year, thousands of international students arrive in the United States to pursue higher education opportunities at U.S. universities. Researching higher education options in a foreign country can be a daunting task, especially given the thousands of academic programs available in the U.S. and the...
On July 15, 2023, the official U.S. Department of State (DOS) Visa Appointment Service website for India will move to a new system for U.S. visa services. The DOS has asked that a U.S. visa applicant take certain steps to better ensure the appointment and...
Answer Many, if not most U.S. consular posts accept third-country national visa applicants. Some, however, do significantly limit which third-country nationals qualify. If a consular post has any restrictions on visa applications by third-country nationals, this information typically can be found on the consulate's website. (24.May.2023)Sheela...
The annual cap on the H1B category, combined with tremendous demand, has forced many employers and foreign national professionals to seek out reasonable alternatives. One such option for citizens of Chile or Singapore is the H1B1 visa category. This nonimmigrant category is very similar to...
The concept of priority dates is confusing for many. There are statutory limits to the number of foreign nationals who may be granted permanent residency (commonly, green cards) under all employment-based (EB) and most family-based (FB) categories. For these types of green card cases, priority...
Answer The USCIS technically considers an H1B applicant counted against the numerical H1B cap if s/he is issued an H1B visa "stamp" from a U.S. consulate abroad. In general, a foreign national who has been counted against the H1B cap may work in H1B status for...
The U.S. Department of State (DOS) recently published a final rule in the Federal Register to raise fees charged by U.S. consulates for many categories of nonimmigrant visas. The cost for border crossing cards for citizens of Mexico is also going up. These fee increases...
Answer While it is possible to file an H1B petition while the beneficiary is outside the United States, the case would have to be filed for consular notification (also commonly called "consular processing"). If the case is filed for consular notification, the USCIS will not approve...
The U.S. Department of State (DOS) recently announced that first time F and M student visa applicants now can be issued visas up to 365 days in advance of the program start date listed on the I-20 form. Prior to this change, F and M...
When an H1B visa foil (commonly referred to as a visa 'stamp') is issued, the consular officer typically annotates the visa with the petition number and expiration date of the I-797 approval notice presented at the U.S. consular post abroad. At the time of admission...
