USWorkVisa.com News Archive
for the ‘DOS’ Category

The Department of State’s Visa Office announced in the April 2008 Visa Bulletin that visa numbers have once again become available to the India employment second preference category. 

The Department noted that if total demand is insufficient to use all available numbers in a particular employment preference category in a calendar quarter, the unused numbers may be made available without regard to the annual “per-country” limit.  Based on the current level of demand, the Department said, there would be otherwise unused numbers in the employment second preference category. The rate of number use in that category will continue to be monitored, and the Department said it may be necessary to make adjustments should the level of demand increase substantially.

The Department also stated that the National Visa Center has already scheduled 485 Iraqi and Afghani special immigrant translator cases for interview in fiscal year 2008.  Of these, 332 special immigrant visa numbers have been issued to principal applicants and another 170 cases are scheduled for March.  Given the number of cases scheduled, along with those still pending, the Department said it is likely that the FY 2008 numerical limitation of 500 visas in this category will be reached soon.

Stephen “Tony” Edson, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Visa Service, testified on February 7, 2008, before the House of Representatives’ research and science education subcommittee. Among other things, he noted that foreign students contribute over $13 billion annually to the U.S. economy. “Their work significantly boosts our academic and scientific research and their exposure to our culture and freedoms is a crucial public diplomacy success,” he said. Mr. Edson noted that exchange visitor admissions have risen to record highs; in fiscal year (FY) 2007, the Department issued 343,946 J-1 visas, which was 11 percent over the same period in FY 2006. He noted that 90 percent of posts have wait times of less than 30 days for student and business travelers.

The hearing testimony of all the witnesses is available here.

The Department of State’s Visa Office announced that visa number cut-off date movement for March in several employment categories is significant.  Advancement of the priority cut-off dates now, the Department said, “should prevent a situation later in the fiscal year where there are large amounts of numbers available but not enough time to use them.” If an expected increase in number use materializes from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service processing, future cut-off date movements could slow or stop, the Department warned. The India employment-based second preference category remains unavailable in March.

Despite two retrogressions of the India employment second preference cut-off date recently, demand for numbers by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service offices for adjustment of status cases has remained extremely high in recent months, the Department of State reported in the February 2008 Visa Bulletin.  As a result, the annual limit for the India employment second preference immigrant visa category has been reached, and the category has become “unavailable.”

The Department of State issued a reminder that effective January 23, 2007, all persons traveling by air between the U.S. and Canada, Mexico, Bermuda, and the Caribbean region must present a passport or other valid travel document to enter or re-enter the U.S. Beginning January 31, 2008, U.S. and Canadian citizens need to present either a Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI)-compliant document, or a government-issued photo ID, such as a driver’s license, plus proof of citizenship, such as a birth certificate.