India suspends visa services for Canadians, tells Ottawa to cut its diplomatic staff

India halted all visa services for citizens of Canada and told Ottawa to reduce its diplomatic staff Thursday as a rift widened between the countries after Ottawa said New Delhi might have been involved in the killing of a Canadian citizen......Read More

Canada considering foreign student visa cap to address housing shortage

he Canadian government, under pressure over the rising cost of housing, could consider capping foreign student visas, which have rocketed in recent years, new Housing Minister Sean Fraser said on Monday. Official data show there were more than 800,000 foreign students with active visas in 2022, up from 275,000 in 2012. Canada is a popular destination for international students since it is relatively easy to....Read More

UK opens second ballot for Young Professionals Scheme visas for Indian citizens 

The UK government has announced the opening of the second ballot of the Young Professional Scheme for Indian citizens between 18 to 30 years of age. The ballot, which opened on Monday, will close at 1.30 p.m. on Thursday, the British High Commission announced in...Read More

Canada to introduce new work permit for US H-1B visa holders

Canada’s high-growth industries will provide the jobs of the future, and companies need access to top talent that will fuel innovation, and drive emerging technologies forward. The\e Honourable Sean Fraser, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship launched Canada’s first-ever Tech Talent Strategy......Read More

Canada to introduce new work permit for US H-1B visa holders

Canada’s high-growth industries will provide the jobs of the future, and companies need access to top talent that will fuel innovation, and drive emerging technologies forward. The Honourable Sean Fraser, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship launched Canada’s first-ever Tech Talent Strategy. This new strategy includes new measures and improvements on existing measures to help businesses in Canada thrive in a competitive landscape. .....Read More

Canada unveils new passport design with state-of-the-art security features

The Canadian passport is one of the most powerful and respected travel documents in the world. For some, it is used to reconnect with loved ones, to explore, and have an adventure. For others, it marks the final step in their immigration journey, becoming Canadian citizens and joining a diverse and inclusive society that values democracy, freedom, and human rights.......Read More

Canada needs 30,000 new immigrants in agriculture sector

Canada needs 30,000 permanent immigrants over the next decade to either start up their own farms, or take over existing ones, to address a looming labour crisis in the agriculture industry, says a new study. According to a Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) research, 40 per cent of Canadian farm operators will retire by 2033, placing agriculture on the cusp of one of the biggest labour and leadership transitions in the country's history. Over the same period, a shortfall of 24,000 general farm, nursery and greenhouse workers is expected to emerge, and in 10 years, 60 per cent of today's farm operators will be over the age of 65, that is, close to retirement.....Read More

Wait time for US visitor's visa interview in India reduced by 60% this year

The wait time for a US visitor’s visa interview in India has been reduced by 60 per cent this year, a senior official has said, attributing it to several steps the United States has taken, including increasing the number of officials and opening other diplomatic missions to process these applications......Read More

700 Indian students face deportation from Canada
for fake admission letters

tudents were sent to Canada by a Jalandhar-based company, but when they applied for PR, their admission letters were found to be fake. About 700 Indian students are reportedly facing deportation from Canada as their admission offer letters to educational institutions were found to be fake. These students received the deportation letters from the Canadian Border Security Agency (CBSA) recently.....Read More

Visitors can continue applying for work permits inside Canada

Foreign nationals who are in Canada as visitors and who receive a valid job offer will be able to apply for and receive a work permit without having to leave the country, the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has announced. The move, an extension of a Covid-era temporary public policy that was set to expire today, has now been extended by two years, until February 28, 2025.......Read More

Canada welcomes record 226,450 Indian students in 2022

With 226,450 students, India has become the top source of new international students entering Canada in 2022, according to data released by the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). The North American nation set an immigration record by welcoming 551,405 international students from 184 countries in 2022.....Read More

US Planning To Resume 'domestic Visa Revalidation'
On Pilot Basis To Benefit H-1B Visa Holders

The US is planning to resume the process of domestic visa revalidation in certain categories, like H-1B and L1 visas, on a pilot basis later this year, a move that will benefit tens of thousands of foreign tech workers, particularly from India. Until 2004, certain categories of non-immigrant visas, particularly the H-1B, could be renewed or stamped inside the US......Read More

Low H-1B visa limit affecting employers

The low annual limit for US H-1B work visa petitions is currently the main problem facing employers trying to secure foreign-born talent, according to a new research. The H-1B visa denial rates have returned to low levels following the administration’s losses in federal court during former President Donald Trump’s last year in office.....Read More

Canada admits record 431,645 new immigrants in 2022

Canada has set a new record in immigration by admitting 431,645 new permanent residents in 2022, the largest number of people ever welcomed in a year in the country’s history. Newcomers play an essential role in filling labour shortages, bringing new perspectives and talents to our communities, and enriching our society as a whole.” The Minister hinted that even more newcomers could be admitted in 2023.....Read More

Number of immigrants in S Korea down 2% in 2022 amid Covid pandemic

The number of immigrants, including naturalised citizens, in South Korea fell around 2 per cent on-year in 2022 amid the Covid-19 pandemic, the government data showed on Tuesday. The number of immigrants here reached 1.35 million as of May 2022, down from 1.38 million tallied a year earlier, according to the data compiled by Statistics Korea. Foreign nationals accounted for 1.3 million, down 2.2 per cent on-year, with naturalised citizens taking up 52,000, up 5.6 per cent over the period, Yonhap News Agency reported citing the data.....Read More

Canada to strengthen visa processing capacity in Delhi, Chandigarh

As a Pacific nation, Canada constituted an ambitious plan, which initially provides for an investment of nearly $2.3 billion over the next five years as it recognises that the Indo-Pacific region will play an important and fundamental role in Canada's future. The government will invest in strengthening the visa processing capacity within the centralised Canadian network.......Read More

Canada to welcome 5 lakh immigrants per year by 2025

The federal government is planning a massive increase in the number of immigrants entering Canada, with a goal of bringing in 500,000 people in 2025.Immigration Minister Sean Fraser revealed the new targets Tuesday, saying the move is necessary to ensure Canada's economic prosperity. The announcement signals a significant increase from the 405,000 immigrants that came to Canada last year and the 465,000 expected to arrive next year........Read More

German Visa Rules to Get More Tough for Indian Students

According to the German Embassy, applications for APS certification have been open since October 1, and the certificate will be required to be submitted along with the visa application. A Sharpe increase in the number of Indian students applying for courses in Germany has also resulted in an increase in the number of fraudulent practices, such as attaching forged language and residency documents........Read More

Immigration Fights Face Make-or-Break Moment at End of Year

Immigrants’ rights advocates are making final plays for action on Capitol Hill as a once-promising session of Congress nears its end without any major immigration legislation locked in. Legal status for young immigrants known as Dreamers tops the list, after a federal appeals court last week said the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program was unlawful. A lower court still must review the Biden administration’s fresh DACA regulation, but legal prospects are grim......Read More

Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders, Presidential commission recommended for Stamping of H-1B visas inside the US

A Presidential commission on Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders unanimously approved a recommendation for the provision of stamping of H-1B visas inside the US. If accepted or approved by President Joe Biden will come as a big relief to thousands of foreign professionals. This is good news for Indian professionals.......Read More

US issues 82,000 student visas to Indians, highest ever globally in 2022

The US Mission in India has issued a record-breaking 82,000 student visas in 2022, higher than any other country, comprising nearly 20 per cent of all international students studying in the United States, according to an official statement. "We are happy to see so many students were able to receive visas and reach their universities after the delays caused in previous years by the COVID-19 pandemic.......Read More

Immigration law change leaves some newcomers struggling to prove their marriages are genuine

Deeparani Harishkumar Dhaliwal says she ends up emotionally and financially drained every time she travels to India to visit her husband and young son. Sometimes he stays two months, other times up to six. But she ends up having to find a new job and a new apartment every time she returns to Canada alone. Due to his frequent travel and moving around, Dhaliwal, 37, has very few belongings. The Mississauga woman has been making these trips for a decade, ever since she returned to India for an arranged marriage in 2011......Read More

Canada visa delays: Indian embassy issues guidelines for students. 5 points

With many Indian students unable to join the academic courses in Canada owing to processing delays of visa and student permits, the Indian High Commission in Ottawa has urged the authorities to urgently look into the matter.The high commission informed that officials in Ottawa and Consulates in Toronto and Vancouver are in touch with.....Read More

Lawmakers introduce amendment to address 'documented dreamers' and immigration backlog

For the past fourteen years, Sashank Sabbineni, a rising senior at NC State, has lived in the United States. "Growing up, Charlotte was my home. I didn't really know much about visas. I didn't even know I was on a visa. I grew up every day saying the pledge of allegiance," said Sabbineni, standing in front of the Memorial Bell Tower on campus.....Read More

Joe Biden Suspends Rules Limiting Immigrant Arrest, Deportation

The Biden administration has suspended an order that had focused resources for the arrest and deportation of immigrants on those considered a threat to public safety and national security.Many living in the country illegally will now be afraid to leave their homes out of concern they’ll be detained, even if they’re otherwise law-abiding, said Steve Yale-Loehr, an immigration law professor at Cornell University....Read More

Canada’s Super visa program for parents and grandparents will help reunite families & allow Up To 7 Years

The Government of Canada continues to prioritize family reunification so that we can attract, retain and integrate immigrants who contribute to the success of our country. Sean Fraser, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, announced enhancements to Canada’s super visa program... Read More

Migrants in Mexico despair; U.S. extends pandemic asylum limits

Migrants across northern Mexico voiced frustration and desperation on Monday, after the U.S. government failed to lift a pandemic-era policy that has largely prevented them from seeking asylum in the United States for over two years. An eleventh-hour decision by a federal judge in Louisiana on Friday made it impossible for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to end.........Read More

Can a cannabis shop owner sponsor a relative for a green card?

The short answer is yes, but marijuana is a Schedule I drug under the federal Controlled Substances Act. The sale of marijuana is still illegal under federal law, even if cannabis has been legalized in your state for medical or recreational use. (In general, a sponsor’s criminal activity or criminal history will not negatively impact the beneficiary’s green card application

Afghan Diplomats in the U.S. Left With Few Options as Embassy Closes

U.S. Supreme Court mulls Republican bid to defend Trump immigration rule

$2,000 an hour for a bankruptcy lawyer? 2022 could be the year

The company and law firm names shown above are generated automatically based on the text of the article. We are improving this feature as we continue to test and develop in beta. We welcome feedback, which you can provide using the feedback tab on the right of the page......Read More

US to allow waiving of in-person interviews for H-1B visa applicants through 2022

The United States will allow its consular officers to waive in-person interviews for H-1B and other certain non-immigrant visa applicants through next year to help reduce visa wait times."The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in profound reductions in the department’s visa processing capacity,"....Read More

Biden’s H-1B Conundrum

Salil Choudhary’s American dream started in India. Choudhary completed his degree at Punjab Engineering College in Chandigarh in the mid-1990s, when political and business leaders were consumed with the pending threat of Y2K. Demand for software programmers who could prevent a worldwide systems meltdown was exploding, but America wasn’t producing enough engineers to meet the need........Read More

USCIS Temporarily Waiving 60-Day Rule for Civil Surgeon Signatures

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services is temporarily waiving the requirement that the civil surgeon sign Form I-693, Report of Medical Examination and Vaccination Record, no more than 60 days before an applicant files an application for the underlying immigration benefit (including Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status), until Sept. 30, 2022. .......Read More

Immigration to UK slumped in 2020 due to COVID and Brexit

Net immigration to Britain fell by almost 90% last year to its lowest level since 1993 due to the impact of COVID-19 and Brexit, official figures showed on Thursday. The Office for National Statistics released a first provisional estimate showing that 34,000 more people moved to Britain last year than emigrated,.....Read More

USCIS Expands Credit Card Payment Pilot Program to Vermont Service Center

As part of our credit card payment pilot program, the Vermont Service Center is now accepting credit card payments using Form G-1450, Authorization for Credit Card Transactions, for petitioners filing Form I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker, for O and P nonimmigrants....Read More

USCIS Awards FY 2021 Citizenship and Integration Grants

On Sept. 20, 2021, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced the award of $10 million in grants to 40 organizations that prepare lawful permanent residents (LPRs) for naturalization. The grants also aim to promote prospective citizens’ integration into American civic life by funding educational programs designed to increase their knowledge of English, U.S. history and civics.........Read More

DHS Seeks Public Comment on Public Charge Rulemaking

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is seeking data and information from the public that DHS intends to use to develop a public charge regulatory proposal. The purpose of public comment is to ensure that the proposal is fair, consistent with law, and informed by relevant data and evidence. Public comment also will help DHS ensure that the proposed regulation does not impose undue burdens......Read More

DHS Announces Extension and Redesignation of Somalia for Temporary Protected Status

The Department of Homeland Security today published a Federal Register notice (FRN) extending and redesignating Somalia for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for 18 months, from Sept. 18, 2021, through March 17, 2023.  Secretary Alejandro N. Mayorkas made the decision to extend and redesignate Somalia for TPS after consultation .....Read More

USCIS Updates Policies to Improve Immigration Services

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has issued new policy updates in the USCIS Policy Manual to clarify the criteria and circumstances for expedited processing; improve request for evidence (RFE) and notice of intent to deny (NOID) guidance; and increase the validity period for initial and renewal employment authorization documents (EADs) for certain noncitizens with pending adjustment of status applications.....Read More

US immigrants create more jobs than Americans, study shows

Immigrants moving from one Country to another are more likely to be entrepreneurial.  To start a business is difficult and risky.  It means a lot of hard work.  Long, long hours.  Perhaps no holiday.  Most people would like the relatively more comfortable existence of working.....Read More

US Citizenship and Immigration Services staff face furlough

We are still waiting to hear if there will be a temporary non-immigrant worker visa ban for certain US visa categories.  The current coronavirus COVID-19 situation may be used as an excuse for what in reality, if it happens, will be some sort of partial work visa suspension.....Read More

Canada-Peel Police issued hundreds of tickets on street racing
(Mostly Students involved, according to Toronto NRI Media)

Peel Regional Police stopped hundreds of cars in a Mississauga shopping mall parking lot and issued hundreds of tickets on May 22, Friday night as part of a crackdown on large gatherings in parking lots, some of which are believed to be related to illegal street racing.....Read More

Food banks struggle to keep pace with immigrant communities hit hard by pandemic

As the coronavirus pandemic has hit – and large swathes of the US economy have shut down – food banks across the US have seen a huge rise in demand. But as food supplies dwindle, many in Texas are being turned away and experts.....Read More

President Trump Suspended Immigration to U.S for 60 days

President Trump on Wednesday said he would sign an executive order limiting immigration into the country, as he hailed what he said was a “very tight” security situation at the southern border.....Read More

APPEALS COURT LIFTS SOME RULINGS BLOCKING TRUMP ‘PUBLIC CHARGE’ RULE FOR IMMIGRANTS

A divided federal appeals court has lifted several injunctions blocking the Trump administration from implementing a rule aimed at limiting immigration benefits for individuals who participate in government programs such as food stamps or Medicaid.....Read More

THE YEAR TRUMP “EFFECTIVELY” SHUT OFF ASYLUM AT THE BORDER AND RESTRICTED IMMIGRATION

Lee Gelernt has spent much of 2019 crisscrossing federal courts across the country trying to halt some of the Trump administration's most controversial immigration policies.....Read More

PRIVATE BORDER WALL CONSTRUCTION CONTINUES DESPITE COURT ORDER

The construction of a private border wall partially funded by rightwing allies of Donald Trump continued with vigor in south Texas this week, seemingly in blatant violation of a court injunction ordering work to be suspended.......Read More

THIS IS WHERE MY EVERYTHING IS’: US CITIZEN SUDDENLY FACES DEPORTATION

A New Yorker who gained US citizenship as a child is suddenly facing deportation, along with several green card-holding members of his family, after apparent targeting by the Trump administration in what the family believes is a clear case of anti-Muslim bias......Read More

DREAMERS PREPARE FOR FIGHT AS DACA DECISION HEADS TO SUPREME COURT

When Antonio Alarcón stood on the steps of the US supreme court for a group photo with the other plaintiffs suing Donald Trump in one of the biggest immigration lawsuits of his presidency, he was flooded with memories from his US history textbooks and.....Read More

EXCLUSIVE: TEXAS IMMIGRATION CENTER GUARD ACCUSED OF ASSAULTING BOY, FIVE

A private prison guard physically assaulted a five-year-old boy at an immigration detention center in Texas, according to a complaint filed with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).....Read More

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION TO CLOSE ‘PRISON-LIKE’ FACILITY FOR MIGRANT CHILDREN

The Trump administration has announced it is shutting down one of the largest US facilities for child migrants, which had come under intense criticism because of its regimented conditions and the contractor’s ties to a freshly departed White House official.....Read More

WHERE IN THE U.S. ARE IMMIGRANTS MOST LIKELY TO BE CAUGHT BY ICE?

Immigrants in Dallas and North Texas are more likely to be arrested by federal immigration officials than any other region of the U.S. In fiscal year 2015, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, arrested about 8,000 immigrants in the sprawling region, which.....Read More