US Visa and Immigration News - IN 2025

05 February 2025

Bulgaria hopes to join Visa Waiver Program in 2026

Bulgaria is likely to remain the only EU country where citizens need a visa to travel to the US. Last week, it was announced that visas would be abolished for Romania, while Cyprus is expected to be liberalised this year. Data from the US State Department from the end of last year show that the percentage of tourist visas denied to Bulgarians in 2024 was 6.02%, the lowest level in the last 18 years. The percentage of refusals for Bulgarians in 2023 was almost twice as high - 11.61%. If the number of visa refusals falls below 3%, Bulgaria will meet all the requirements to be included in the visa waiver programme with the US. The ministry told Euractiv that, to reach this target, it has launched an information and training campaign to clarify the entire process of applying for a business and tourist visa to the US. They added that this will ensure that the target is met by the end of the financial year 2025 and that negotiations are successfully concluded. Since Bulgaria joined the EU, the issue of visa-free travel to the US has been a priority for Bulgarian diplomacy.

02 January 2025

Benefits of 10 Year US Visa for Indian Citizens!

A vlogger recently shared compelling reasons why Indian passport holders should consider investing in a 10-year US visa, emphasizing its long-term benefits for frequent travellers. The 10-year multiple-entry visa reduces the hassle of reapplying and provides flexibility for personal, professional, or leisure trips to the US. In a post on X, Ami Palan, who holds an Indian passport, highlighted that having a US visa often simplifies obtaining visas for other countries, as it signals credibility to immigration authorities worldwide. Moreover, for Indian passport holders, such a visa opens doors to global opportunities, including access to US territories and transit privileges, making international travel more convenient. She wrote, "Last year, I secured a 10-year USA visa, and it's one of the best travel investments I've made. For example, I can now get a Turkish e-Visa for just $60, a fraction of the standard cost. When I travelled to the UAE, I paid half the usual visa price, and it was visa-on-arrival and no prior hassle." "With a valid US visa, Indian passport holders get visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to over 25 countries, making travel more affordable and convenient. Also, with a US visa, countries like Mexico, Costa Rica, and the Philippines allow visa-free entry, making last-minute trips much easier," she added.

19 November 2024

Record High in International Student Enrolments!

Although international students make up just 6% of higher education students in the United States, they play an important role in the sector and in the economy more broadly. They are more likely than U.S. students to pay a college’s full sticker price, offering a financial boon for tuition-dependent institutions. International college students contributed more than $50 billion to the U.S. economy in 2023, per data from the U.S. Department of Commerce. The 6.6% increase in international students follows significant gains seen the year prior, when their enrollment jumped 11.5% year over year in 2022-23. With recent gains, international student enrollment has now recovered from steep losses seen during the pandemic. Open Doors’ total count includes international students attending U.S. colleges in person and those participating in the Optional Practical Training program. OPT allows student visa holders to work up to a year in the U.S. in their field of study, with a two-year extension available for those educated in STEM fields. In the 2023-24 academic year, India outpaced China as the country sending the most students to the U.S. to study. Nearly 332,000 Indian nationals enrolled at U.S. institutions that year, an annual increase of 23.3%. That’s compared with a total of about 277,000 Chinese students, a 4.2% year-over-year decrease. The change comes as colleges focus on recruiting in India. A significant majority, 81%, told Open Doors that they prioritized outreach to India for graduate student recruitment, and 65% said they did so for undergraduate students.

01 November 2024

Faster Visa Processing Times for Visitors to US!

In a significant boost for the U.S. travel and tourism sector, the Biden administration has announced ambitious goals aimed at reducing visa wait times and expanding travel access to the United States. The development comes as the U.S. prepares to host a series of high-profile events, including the FIFA World Cup and the Olympics, which are expected to draw millions of international visitors. The initiative to increase visa appointments and streamline processing is being welcomed across the travel industry. The administration plans to add 1 million visa appointments in Fiscal Year 2025, building on the record 11.5 million visas issued in Fiscal Year 2024. According to Secretary of State Antony Blinken, this milestone represents a world record for the United States, with 8.5 million of these visas issued for tourism. Blinken highlighted that visa wait times have decreased by 60% since the height of the pandemic, with the median wait time now under 60 days for first-time visitor visas. In response, U.S. Travel Association President and CEO Geoff Freeman praised the administration’s actions. “We applaud the Biden administration for taking important steps to welcome international visitors,” said Freeman. “Adding one million visa appointments that will enable visa wait times of 90 days for the vast majority of visitors is essential. This action not only strengthens the U.S. as a travel destination but also boosts our economy at a crucial time.”

17 October 2024

Romanians Won't Need US Visa from March 2025!

Andrei Muraru, Romania’s ambassador to the United States, has stated that Romania will enter the US Visa Waiver program in March or April of 2025. The Ambassador made these remarks during a live interview and pointed out that the current government will likely make the announcement in January. The US presidential elections will be held on November 5, and the handover is possibly to happen by next year, By joining the US Visa Waiver program, Romanians will be permitted to visit the US visa-free for a period of up to three months. This could boost employment opportunities for Romanians and also allow them to explore all 50 states. The country made progress in several fields, including data exchange with the US and combating crime. However, one requirement that Romania struggled to meet was visa rejection rates. According to the rules, a country needs to have below three per cent visa rejection rates to be eligible for joining the US visa waiver program. This percentage rate would indicate that the candidate country does not pose threats to irregular migration to the US.

23 September 2024

US Tech Layoffs Hit Indian Workers Hard

New visa rules increase fees and scrutiny for applicants while extending work permit validity to five years. A recent wave of layoffs in the US Tech industry has shocked the sector to the core with its disproportionate impact on workers of Indian origin, especially those on H-1B visas. This situation along with the new visa rules introduced has created a challenging new landscape for the immigrant international students and skilled workers in America. In a sector once considered to be recession-proof, approximately 438 tech companies have laid off 137,500 employees, as reported by Layoffs.fyi. This has created a scarcity of job options in the tech market. Moreover, the H-1B visa provides a limited timeframe for Indian workers to look and secure for a new job or face having to leave the country. Reports by the U.S. Congressional Research Service suggest that Indian workers have to wait for long periods for green cards, sometimes over 190 years even after meeting every labour requirement. This accumulation of requests has made the unstable situation even worse.

10 September 2024

US Visa Application Center Opens in the Philippines

From September 28, the US Embassy in the Philippines will open a new Visa Application Center (VAC) in Parañaque City, making it easier for people to access visa services. The embassy will also launch an upgraded online visa appointment system to improve user experience and streamline the application process. Immigrant and nonimmigrant visa applicants seeking interview appointments starting September 28 will be required to schedule a separate appointment at the VAC for photo capture and fingerprint scanning before their interview at the US Embassy on Roxas Boulevard. Scheduling will be done through the new and redesigned online appointment system. According to the Embassy, ​​the new visa application process will feature a more secure and user-friendly interface for applicants. In addition, as of June 17, 2023, the US Embassy in the Philippines has revised the fees for various nonimmigrant visa applications. Applicants for visitor visas, including those for business or tourism (B1/B2) and other non-petition-based nonimmigrant visas such as student and exchange visas, are now charged $185 (P10,397). This represents an increase of $25 (P1,405) from the previous rates.

20 August 2024

How Does Immigration Affect the United States?

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, in 2022, immigrants made up 13.9% of the total population. Among them are highly skilled workers who fill critical gaps in high tech industries as well those who construct the buildings in which we live and who plant and harvest the foods we eat. Some arrive seeking greater opportunity while others bring hope simply for a life free from persecution and poverty. In every country and context, immigration is as much a force for shaping society as it is a flashpoint for anger and prejudice. At the same time, research shows that immigrants make important contributions to their new countries. “Immigrants are part of the fabric of a country’s economy and society,” said Giovanni Peri, director of the Global Migration Center and a professor of economics at UC Davis. “We want to bring more information, clarity, facts and discussion to shine the light that immigrants are human beings who bring assets with them to their new countries.” In the U.S., the negativity associated with immigration is partly driven by the idea that immigrants are a threat to jobs. For nearly 30 years, Peri has published papers on how immigrants affect jobs and wages for everyone in the U.S. For a 2006 report for the American Immigration Council, Peri analyzed over a decade of economic data to understand the dynamics of how immigrant workers shape local job markets. Instead of revealing a zero-sum game in which immigrants and native-born workers compete for a limited number of jobs, the analysis found a net positive effect on native-born workers. The study found that immigrants did not drive down wages, as is often contended. From 1990-2004, immigration increased wages by as much as 3.4% for the 90% of native-born workers with at least a high-school diploma. For those without a high-school diploma, immigration caused a loss of 1.1% percent of their yearly wages.

12 July 2024

Decline in EB-5 Visas Issued to Indian Citizens

Despite the increase noted for the US EB-5 visa program in the last 8 months, visa issuance rates for Indians through consular processing have declined by 22 percent. During the period from October 1, 2023, to May 31, 2023, a total of 7,173 EB-5 visas were issued through consular processing, accounting for an increase of 42 per cent year-over-year increase compared to the statistics from the same period in FY2023. However, during the same period, or in the first eight months of FY 2024, the number of issued EB-5 visas to Indian applicants was 512, accounting for a decline of 22 per cent year over year. Consequently, the monthly visa issuance to the Indians at the US Consulate in Mumbai, India, revealed that a decline was registered in productivity with just 50-60 visas processed per month, and only 4 EB-5 visas issued in May. However, the statistics from the US Department of State also reveal that May 2024 was recorded the second-highest monthly visa issuance rate so far for a period from October 1, 2023, until May 31, 2024, after that month alone, 1,222 EB-5 visas were issued. Of the total 7,173 EB-5 visas issued in the first eight months of FY2024, over 1,990 belong to the adjustment of status side, all as part of the Unreserved category.

17 May 2024

Congress Introduces Bill to Add Ireland to E3 Visa

This week, the US House of Representatives has introduced two bills seeking to add Ireland to the E3 nonimmigrant visa program. The first bill is sponsored by Representative Richard Neal (D-MA) and cosponsored by Representative Mike Kelly (R-PA). The two, who are co-chairs of the Congressional Friends of Ireland Caucus, formerly introduced similar legislation in 2022. The second bill is sponsored by Representative Mike Lawler (D-NY) and is cosponsored by Representative Kevin Mullin (D-CA). Both bills have been referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary. Attempts to include Ireland in the E3 Visa program have been running for years. Legislation nearly passed in 2018 but was narrowly defeated. In May 2019, Neal re-introduced legislation to grant Irish access to the E3 visa, and it unanimously passed the House in March 2020, but was never voted upon in the US Senate. In 2022, Neal and Kelly again reintroduced legislation, however, it lapsed when Congress concluded. The E-3 Visa Program was introduced in 2005 as part of the Australia-United States Free Trade Agreement (AUSFTA), and makes 10,500 visas available to skilled Australian nationals annually.

22 April 2024

USCIS Instituted a 250% Visa Fee Increase for Global Musicians

On April 1, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services instituted a 250% visa fee increase for global musicians hoping to tour in the U.S. Artists, advocacy groups and immigration lawyers are concerned it could have devastating effects on emerging talent worldwide and local music economies in the United States. If you’re a musician from outside of the United States hoping to perform stateside and you filed visa paperwork before April 1, the cost per application was $460. After that date? $1,615 to $1,655. Bands and ensemble groups pay per performer. A standard rock band of four members went from paying $1,840 to around $6,460. And if you can’t wait a few months for approval, add $2,805 per application for expedited processing. If the application is declined, that money is not refunded — on top of losses from a canceled tour and missing out on “significant, potentially career-changing opportunities,” says Jen Jacobsen, executive director at The Artist Rights Alliance. If a musician has support staff, a backing band or other employees to bring on the tour, these individuals need visas, too. “Even if you’re Capitol Records and you have all the money in the world to throw at it, you still can’t get rid of U.S. bureaucracy,” says immigration attorney Gabriel Castro. All international musicians require work visas to perform in the U.S. There are a few exemptions: Those are reserved for “showcases” through the Visa Waiver Program — like what is often used at South by Southwest, where international artists perform exclusively at official showcases, without pay and for exposure. Currently, there are few obstacles for U.S. musicians looking to enter other countries for the specific purpose of earning money through live performances. According to Castro, American performers are able to enter most countries without a visa and under an exception to tourism rules.

26 March 2024

Immigration is Powering US Growth

In February, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) calculated that immigration will generate a $7 trillion boost to gross domestic product over the next decade. The agency came to that conclusion after incorporating the recent surge in immigration. The CBO release spurred a flurry of fresh number-crunching among investment bank economists, to account for the boost those immigrants are giving to the labor force and consumer spending. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. revised up its near-term economic growth forecasts Sunday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. and BNP Paribas SA were among banks that acknowledged the economic impact from surging immigration in recent weeks. “Immigration is not just a highly charged social and political issue, it is also a big macroeconomic one,” Janet Henry, global chief economist at HSBC Holdings Plc, wrote in a note to clients Tuesday. No advanced economy is benefiting from immigration quite like the US, and “the impact of migration has been an important part of the US growth story over the past two years.” Morgan Stanley economists Sam Coffin and Ellen Zentner noted that in February, that faster population growth fueled by immigration lends itself to stronger employment and population estimates than initially thought — though added that the full effect might not be captured by official statistics.

12 March 2024

US Consulate in Mumbai Screens 1,500 Applicants

The US Consulate in Mumbai arranged a special 'Super Saturday' drive on March 9, screening 1,500 visa applicants to help overcome the visa backlog. The diverse group of applicants included elderly parents visiting their children, students pursuing education abroad, temporary workers, tourists, and businessmen, many of whom were first-time visitors. 'Super Saturday' drives, initiated sporadically since 2022, are set to become a quarterly feature. The surge in demand had previously led to a waiting period of up to 1,000 days. However, concerted efforts to increase manpower and resources have significantly reduced the backlog, according to visa chief Katherine Estes. The US Consulate's spokesperson, Greg Pardo, highlighted that applicants traveled from various parts of the country, not limited to Maharashtra and western India. Furthermore, he emphasized that visa openings are regularly updated on the website, allowing applicants to apply visas from any embassy or consulate based on their preferences and the waiting period in different locations.

08 February 2024

US Declares Visa Ban on those who Misuse Commercial Spyware

Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken, announced the new policy, and he said the ban was in the best interests of US national security. "The State Department is implementing a new policy today that will allow the imposition of visa restrictions on individuals involved in the misuse of commercial spyware," said Blinken in a press statement. "The United States remains concerned with the growing misuse of commercial spyware around the world to facilitate repression, restrict the free flow of information, and enable human rights abuses. The misuse of commercial spyware threatens privacy and freedoms of expression, peaceful assembly, and association. "Such targeting has been linked to arbitrary detentions, forced disappearances, and extrajudicial killings in the most egregious of cases. Additionally, the misuse of these tools presents a security and counterintelligence threat to US personnel." The new visa restriction follows an executive order issued by the Biden administration, a year ago, that outlaws the use of commercial spyware by the government if it threatens foreign policy or national security interests.

02 January 2024

New Immigration Rules Increase Visa Approvals for STEM workers!

In January 2022, USCIS amended its guidance criteria relating to two visa categories available to STEM workers. Firstly, the O-1A, a temporary visa for “aliens of extraordinary ability” that often paves the way to a green card. Secondly, a subset of an EB-2 (employment-based) visa. which provides a green card on those with advanced STEM degrees. Consequently, the USCIS data demonstrates that the number of O-1A visas awarded in the first year of the revised guidance jumped by almost 30%, to 4570, and held steady in fiscal year 2023, which ended on 30 September 2023. Similarly, the number of STEM EB-2 visas approved in 2022 after a “national interest” waiver shot up by 55% over 2021, to 70,240, and stayed at that level, in 2023. Although the O-1A visas have no caps on the number awarded, foreign-born scientists have largely ignored this option because it was not clear what metrics USCIS would use to assess their application. The 2022 guidance on O-1A's removed that uncertainty by listing eight criteria—including: awards, peer-reviewed publications, and reviewing the work of other scientists—and prescribing that applicants need to satisfy at least three of these criteria.

04 December 2023

Paperless US Visas Planned - No Visa Stamps!

The US Government plans to gradually implement a digital visa system, signifying a large shift in visa processing. Recently, the Biden administration concluded a successful pilot project for "paperless visas" at the U.S. diplomatic mission in Dublin, where there is already an Airport facility with US Officials, who can check the Visa status before boarding a plane. Julie Stufft, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Visa Services, said, "We did our first small scope pilot of a paperless visa, which means that the visa process is the same but there's no physical visa in someone's passport. It will take us probably 18 months to have widespread use of this or longer." Therefore, the plan is that Visitors to the US will show evidence of their visa status, on an App.

26 October 2023

US Visa Backlog Clears for Indian Applicants

Recently, Visa Waiting periods have been reduced significantly for Indian applicants, and there has been a reduction in Visa rejections, with now 95% of visa applications getting cleared. In addition, Applicants have options available to re-schedule Appointments. Applications for Student visas are considered high priority and are most rapidly cleared. In addition, with the visa backlog now cleared, many Indian citizens are applying for US Visitor visas, and receiving 10 year Visitor visas, stamped on their passports. The Indian travel industry are very pleased with the backlog clearance, and consequently many opportunities will arise for Indian travelers to visit the US during the vacation season.

20 September 2023

EB-5 Visa - Migration Agents must Register with USCIS

USCIS now requires that all Migration Agents or EB-5 Promoter Consultants advising and assisting clients with an EB-5 Investor Visa Project must register their information, and complete a Form I-956K -'Registration for Direct and Third Party Promoters'. In addition, the Promoter Agent must specify the full details of the EB-5 Project, which they are promoting, and include a signed printed copy of their Finders Agreement with the Regional Center. Also, the Promoter Agent must include copies of their Identification, such as certified Passport biodata page and certified Drivers License. There is no Filing fee and the I-956K application must be sent by Courier to the USCIS office, in Lewisville, Texas, US.

19 September 2023

Revived Semiconductor Manufacturing in the US

The United States Government has implemented a law in 2022 to revive the Semiconductor manufacturing industry in the US. The new 2022 Law is The Creating Helpful Incentives to produce Semiconductors (CHIPS), which channels billions of USD into bringing back the manufacturing of semicnductors to the US, which has been outsourced overseas over the past three decades. To enable this manufacturing endeavour, the United States would need a massive skilled talent pool of Engineers and Techincians, at all levels. Unfortunately, now there is a dearth of sufficient skilled talent in the US. This is eveidenced by the fact that the United States currently manufactures only 12% of the world's chips, which is a decline from 37% in 1990.

13 September 2023

Indians are Fourth biggest Source market for Overseas Visitor to the US

Indians were the 4th largest source of foreign inbound Visitors to the US, after Canada, Mexico and the UK, during the June peak summer travel month, despite high airfares and visa backlogs. Anil Kalsi, VP of Travel Agents’ Federation of India, said: "The demand for travel to the US is tremendous because of a number of factors like visiting friends and relatives (VFR), students, parents going to visit children and business". After making a payment for a Visitor visa, Applicants have 365 days from the date of payment to schedule an appointment before the payment expires.

28 August 2023

EB-1 Indian Visa Applicants Now Face 10 Year Processing Time

The EB-1 'Einstein' Visa is for Applicants with Exceptional Talent or Academic Achievments for a US Green card (Permanent residence). However, according to the Department of State's latest Bulletin, in August 2023, there is now a 10 Year Retrogression for Indian EB-1 Applicants, which moves the final action date back to 1 January 2012 from 1 February 2022. Possible reasons for Retrogression in the EB-1 Visa category include huge demand, which cause a shortage in available visas for the current fiscal year. Nevertheless, the good news is that the Department of State foresees that Indian EB-1 cut-off dates may revert back to August 2023 levels in October 2023.

9 August 2023

Decrease in Student Numbers due to Visa Refusals

There has been a 15% decrease in numbers of International students attending US Universities recently, due to Visa refusals and uncompetitive immigration policies, in a comparison between the 2016/17 and the 2020/21 academic years. However, during the same period, there has been a corresponding rise in enrolments in Canadian Colleges and Universities, with an increase of 46% of International students. It appears that Indian students have been a major reason for the increase in International students in Canada, with an increase of 324% or 135,294 between 2016/17 and 2020/21 academic years. Indian students prefer the more liberalized immigration policies in Canada than in the US, and easier transition from University to temporary work status and then permanent residence, whereas in the US, most H-1B Visas are refused due to low annual limits.

3 August 2023

Proposed Changes to the E-3 Visa for Australians

The E-3 Visa is exclusively for Australians, with a total of 10,500 reserved for Australians each year, but the quota never gets completely filled. By comparison, the H-1B Work Visa is dramtically oversubscribed, with a total of 65,000 issued each year worldwide. However, there is no mutually equivalent E-3 type Work visa for Americans who wish to work in Australia, apart from the Work and Holiday visa for 18 to 30 year olds. In 2020, there are nearly 30,000 Australians living and working in New York and 25,000 Australians in California. Even if the E-3 Visa is granted, it does not mean that the Australian applicant will get a Job Offer in the US. In addition, there is a proposal to open up the E-3 Visa to Irish citizens.