Category: B Visas

On March 15, 2016, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced the establishment of the Electronic Visa Update System (EVUS), a new platform under development to enhance border security in accordance with the bilateral arrangement with China to issue 10-year-validity tourist and business visas.  Beginning in November 2016, nationals of the People’s Republic of China… Read More

The Department of State has revised the visa reciprocity schedule for Cuba for B-2 nonimmigrants, changing the validity from 6 months to 60 months. The updates are available at DOS website. The full schedule of visa fees and validity periods is available here. 

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services’ new policy memorandum (PDF) on B-2 extensions for cohabiting partners and other household members of principal nonimmigrants does not change eligibility requirements for change of status to B-2, or extension of B-2 status. Rather, it clarifies that such a change and/or one or more extensions are appropriate in the exercise… Read More

Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) has asked (PDF) the Departments of State and Homeland Security to investigate the B-1 visa program and its use by employers “to recruit foreign workers who are then not subject to the cap and the prevailing wage requirements of the H-1B program.” In a letter to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton… Read More

The Departments of Homeland Security (DHS) and State (DOS) have announced the creation of an annotated version of the B-1 visa that will make foreign maritime workers eligible to apply for a Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC). The TWIC is a tamper-resistant biometric identification card that maritime workers must obtain to gain unrestricted access to… Read More