US Immigration News

US lawmakers are urging the State Department, Department of Defence (DoD) and the White House to accelerate US visa processing for Afghan interpreters who supported US troops in Afghanistan. The call for faster action comes ahead of the planned withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan on the 20th anniversary of 9/11.

 

The Biden administration has lifted a regulation proposed by former US President, Donald Trump, which sought to narrow the definition of ‘speciality occupation’ under the H1B visa program. The removal of the regulation is a welcome relief for Indian IT firms in particular, which are the biggest beneficiaries of the US H1B visa program.

 

Romania will remain on a list of three EU members whose citizens require a visa to travel to the US, according to Romania’s foreign affairs minister, Bogdan Aurescu. The announcement comes amid a high US visa refusal rate among Romanian citizens. A stipulation of US visa-free travel for another country’s citizens is a visa refusal rate below 3%.

 

US President Joe Biden has revoked an order issued by former President Donald Trump, which sought to deny US visas to immigrants unable to afford healthcare costs. In a statement issued by Biden, he said: “The previous proclamation issued by Donald Trump does not advance the interests of the United States.”

 

Google is reportedly leading a huge effort by US tech giants to back a program that gives the spouses of H1B visa holders authorization to work in the US. The multinational tech company is joined by 30 other firms in support of the H4 EAD (Employment Authorization Document) program. 

 

US President, Joe Biden, met with six immigrants on May 14 as part of his plans for a US immigration overhaul. The six immigrants were brought to the US illegally and have benefitted from the Obama-era, Deferred Action for Child Arrivals (DACA) program, which protects them from deportation from the US.