Business leaders welcomed new legislation signed by US President Obama and the 21 leaders of the Asia-Pacific Economic cooperation (APEC) to enable the introduction of the APEC Business Travel Card Scheme to make travel across the Asia-Pacific region easier, faster, and more secure.
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US Immigration News
Items tagged with "US Immigration News":
Republican presidential candidate Rick Perry has proposed the federal government grants work visas to illegal immigrants in the US. The program would be an alternative to the amnesty supported by other candidates, which would provide a path to citizenship for immigrants that do not hold a valid US visa.Perry, currently Texas Governor, said in an interview with CNN last week that expecting authorities to arrest and deport millions of illegal immigrants isn't realistic.
The U.S. State Department announced Monday they will significantly increase the number of US Embassy visa officials in Brazil and China over the next year, citing a surge in demand for US visas in these countries. The department will add at least 100 more visa officials in China and Brazil, who experienced a 34 percent and 42 percent increase, respectively, in visa applications last year.
US Immigration has issued a record number of H-1B work visas for Indian citizens this year. According to a press release from the US embassy in India, the 2011 fiscal year saw 24% more visas being issued than in 2010. A total of 67,195 visas were issued this fiscal year versus 54,111 in 2010. It is interesting to note that earlier this month there were complaints from India stating that the US State Department was making the H-1B visa process too difficult.
A new bill proposed by the US Senate would offer residential visas to immigrants purchasing eligible property in the US.
The bill would require foreign nationals to purchase real estate for $500,000USD or more. At least $250,000 of that total must be used to purchase a primary residence; the remainder of the money could be spent on investment properties.
Authors of the bill, Senator Charles Schumer of New York and Senator Mike Lee of Utah, believe the bill will increase foreign investments in the US.
One bit of good news for graduate level skilled professionals wishing to work in the US is that there are still plenty of US H-1B visas available. This is an indication that the US economy is still not doing very well. Before 2008 in some years H-1Bs were used up almost as soon as they became available.