US Immigration News

The US has eased the visa application process for eligible Indians wishing to visit the country. Children under seven years of age are no longer required to appear for a nonimmigrant visa interview after a completed visa form is submitted. Additionally, no extra visa fees will be charged for applicants if they are reapplying after their visa application was earlier put on hold or pending.

The US economy is being held back because the government has not increased the cap on H-1B visas for highly skilled workers, according to a new report from analysts at the Brookings Metropolitan Policy Program.The study found that US employers want more H-1B visas to be made available so they can hire more foreign nationals for highly skilled, hard-to-fill jobs. The H-1B visa program is popular among US businesses wishing to employ graduate level foreign workers in specialty occupations.

The US State Department has announced that it has already processed more than 1 million visas in China this year, a 43 percent increase over the first six months of fiscal year 2011. Visa applications this year are also up by 44 percent in Brazil and Mexico has shown a 36 percent increase during the same period. Of the top 20 countries sending tourists to the US, only the UK, Spain and Ireland have shown decreases in visitor visa numbers to the US so far this year.

According to the US Department of Commerce, the US travel and tourism industry is expecting a record-setting year with spending and visitor numbers already well above last year's figures.

As the 2012 US Presidential election approaches, several US states are working to reach agreements with federal officials to access a US immigration database in order to remove non-citizens from voter rolls.Last week, Florida reached its own agreement with the US Department of Homeland Security to use a database, known as Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) that contains information about immigrants who are in the US legally.

US Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano traveled to Brazil this week to meet with international counterparts to discuss joint efforts to combat human trafficking, and facilitate legitimate trade and travel."Brazil is one of the United States' most steadfast allies and partners when it comes to protecting our hemisphere from evolving threats," said Napolitano. "We're pleased to be working with our Brazilian counterparts on efforts to both ensure national security and facilitate economic security."