“IMMIGRATION LAW CONNECTION”

As of June 4, 2010, in an effort to offset rising costs associated with visa processing, the U.S. State Department has just implemented sweeping fee increases, raising the current $131 MRV fee (”Machine-Readable Visa” fee) to a tiered-fee system, based on individual visa categories.
In a press release the U.S. State Department stated: “For a number [...]

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AILA reports that the U.S. State Department’s Visa Office continues to work on fixing the DS-160.  In the meantime, most consulates have resumed accepting the “old” DS-156 and DS-157, until some major kinks and issues in the online DS-160 can be ironed out.
My advice to current visa applicants with NIV appointments would be [...]

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DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano today announced the designation of Greece as a member of the Visa Waiver Program (VWP)—strengthening passenger information sharing and ensuring strict security standards while streamlining travel for Greek citizens visiting the United States.
“Our efforts to guard against terrorism while enhancing legal travel and trade depend upon close collaboration with our international [...]

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Starting March 1, 2010,  the U.S. State Department, which oversees all U.S. Embassies and Consulates, started rolling out the new DS-160 non-immigrant visa application form.   This form will supercede all three of the current forms, DS-156, DS-157 and DS-158.   This transition has been fueled by the U.S. government’s efforts to streamline the visa application process, [...]

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The annual DV program, frequently referred to at the “Green Card Lottery”, makes visas available to persons meeting simple, but strict, eligibility requirements. A computer-generated, random lottery drawing chooses selectees for D(iversity) V(isas).
The visas are distributed among six geographic regions, with a greater number of visas going to regions with lower rates of immigration, and [...]

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The U.S. State Department, now headed by former NY Senator Hillary Clinton, recently reminded all U.S. Consular posts that B-1 visas for certain, bona fide religious workers are appropriate in cases where the visa-applicant would otherwise be entitled to the R-1 visa, but for meeting the requirement of at least 2-years active membership in the [...]

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People often wonder what reasons are behind the cancellation or revocation of a visa previously issued.
The fact that a visa has been cancelled does not necessarily indicate anything negative about the visa holder. A visa may be cancelled because there has been a clerical or similar error. Example: The person was approved for [...]

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“Visa shopper” is the term used to describe a foreign national who applies for a U.S. visa at a U.S. Embassy or Consulate where he/she thinks it will be easier to qualify for a visa, rather than the embassy or consulate responsible for the area where he/she lives.
Such applicants may be trying their luck, or [...]

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While the process of applying for a U.S. visa at a consulate or embassy is not a secret, most people are not familiar with it, unless they have personally been through the process or maybe heard about someone’s experience with the process.
With some exceptions, U.S. law requires every applicant to make a personal appearance for [...]

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CBP officers and others may encounter foreign passports which have been stamped “Application Received,” usually with another stamp indicating the date and the name of a U.S. Embassy or consulate. The “Application Received” stamp usually appears on the back page of a passport. It means that the person applied for a visa on [...]

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