US Immigration News

Outgoing Israeli Ambassador to the US, Gilad Erdan, claims that Israel will join the US visa waiver program by mid-2022. Workpermit.com has covered Israel’s quest to be included in the program extensively in recent months. Mr Erdan claims that Israel has been denied entry into the US visa waiver scheme amid ‘confusion over the Israeli lifestyle’.

 

Afghans who have helped the US military and were evacuated from Afghanistan to escape the Taliban, will not have to pay application fees for US green cards and work permits. The Biden administration has announced that fees will be waived for Afghans arriving in the US after July 30 under a humanitarian US immigration process known as ‘parole’.

 

By Sanwar Ali: There have been huge COVID-19 related delays in US visa processing around the world.  If you look at the State Department visa appointment wait times page you will see “Emergency Appointments Only”, for example, for the US Embassy in London.  While this may not be entirely accurate, there may be long wait times for many people for US visa appointments.

The spouses of US L1 visa holders will be made exempt from having to apply for work authorization. Following a recent lawsuit, which contests a policy that forces L2 visa holders to apply separately for a work permit, it seems that United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is set to scrap the requirement for an employment authorization document (EAD).

 

US President Joe Biden has strongly backed compensation for immigrant families separated at the border under Donald Trump’s ‘zero-tolerance US immigration policy’. According to Biden, the previous administration’s ‘outrageous behavior’ warrants cash payments for those affected.

 

However, Biden has stopped short of disclosing the amount of money that those affected will receive. The proposed move has drawn heavy criticism from several quarters, most notably the Republican Party.

H1B visas could become more expensive if US President Joe Biden’s Budget Reconciliation Bill is passed in its current form. It’s understood that the Bill features a provision to charge an extra $500 per H1B visa petition. Currently a basic application for an H1B visa, which is widely used by American tech firms, costs $460.