No change in visa policy towards Indian students: US

Washington: The US has said that there is no change in its policy towards issuing visas to Indian students.
 
"I don't think we've changed our policy with regard to the way we interview applicants," State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland told reporters at her daily news conference.
 
"I think what we are doing is making sure that the sponsoring organisations truly are what they say they are in the United States; that if they say that they are bringing students over to educate them, that they intend to educate them, not put them to work, et cetera," she said.
 
Nuland said the US supports the recent initiative of opening community colleges in India on the pattern of those here.
 
Last week, education ministers of four Indian States Punjab, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, and Jammu and Kashmir, visited several US cities to have a first hand experience of the community colleges here.
 
"Well, obviously, we support this initiative. We have been working with the Indian side to flesh out the initiative that was agreed between the President and the prime minister through our Education Bureau here. And obviously, we are responsible for the visa issuance for the various folks studying in the United States," Nuland said. 

China to introduce new 'talent visa' to attract foreigners

Beijing: China plans to introduce a new visa regime titled "talent introduction" in an effort to attract more skilled professionals from abroad. 
 
A draft law in this regard has been submitted to the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, China's top legislature, for its second reading.
 
Ordinary visas will be granted to foreigners who enter the country to work, study, visit relatives, travel or conduct business and to those who qualify for the talent introduction category, the draft said.
 
Yin Weimin, the Minister of Human Resources and Social Security, said last month that China will make greater efforts to resolve issues related to overseas talents' visas and residency permits this year.
 
China will bolster favourable treatment for them with advantageous policies in social insurance, taxation, medical services, their children's education and academic funding, among other areas, said the minister.
 
China has increased the age limit of foreigners seeking jobs in capital Beijing from 55 to 65 years.
 
The Beijing municipal government has relaxed the age limit for candidates applying to a scheme designed to recruit senior foreign experts to work in science and technology in China.
 
People applying for the "1,000 Foreign Experts" programme can now be up to 65 years old, rather than the previous age limit of 55.
 
"We used to require that all applicants be under 55. Considering the reality of foreign experts, however, we have loosened the limit on age and extended that to 65 years old," an official said last month.
 
Beijing's 1,000 foreign experts is part of the nation's Recruitment Program of Global Experts, initiated in 2008 to attract overseas experts in various industries to help boost the country's scientific and technical innovation.
 
Notably excluding social science fields, it was so called because it bids to recruit 500 to 1,000 foreign experts within five to 10 years.

Indians may be put off as UK closes post-study visa

London: A facility that allowed Indian students to work here for two years after their courses are over will be closed from tomorrow as part of the Cameron government's drive to cut migration, which may put-off those aspiring to study in the UK.

Under the Tier 1 (Post-study work) route, Indian and other non-EU students were able to take up work for two years here after the completion of their university courses.

This route will be closed from tomorrow, the Home Office has announced.

The facility was popular among self-financing Indian students who sought to recover some of the expenses of studying here by working for two years.

The facility also enabled them to gain work experience in the UK that was seen to aid career prospects in India.

There are already reports of falling numbers of Indian students applying for university courses starting from September 2012.

From tomorrow, following the closure of the facility, international students will be able to apply for leave to remain in the UK under other immigration routes if they meet the criteria, but most such students are  unlikely to meet the higher income level and other criteria.

International students are estimated to contribute over 14 billion pounds annually to the UK economy.  

The closure of the post-study route was opposed by Universities UK and the British Council, given the possibility that the measure would reduce Britain's attraction as a destination for students from India and other non-EU countries.

Prime Minister David Cameron had promised to crack down on immigration at last year's Conservative party conference.  

In February, the British Council had called for an "urgent review" of the changes to the student visa system, particularly the closure of the popular post-study work visa from April this year.

The Council, which is responsible for promoting British education overseas, presented a detailed report to the government on the likely impact the recent student visa changes will have, and compared the experiences of Australia and US in this regard.

In a report titled 'Impact of Visa Changes on Student Mobility and Outlook for the UK', the British Council said: "Students from certain countries who mainly study postgraduate courses in the UK -such as India, Pakistan and others will be affected by the removal of the post-study work visa...The sooner this situation is addressed, the more contained the damage of bad publicity overseas will be."

The Home Office also announced that the annual limit for skilled Indian and other non-EU migrants with job offers in the UK would remain at 20,700 for the next two years until April 2014.

During the first year of its operation ending this month, the limit has been undersubscribed by about 50 per cent.  

Immigration Minister Damian Green said: "The government has been clear that the UK is open for business and our limit has been designed with the industry's needs in mind.

We believe there is no incompatibility between economic growth and controlling migration our reformed, more selective immigration system can achieve both." 

Visa View - US

Toiling with the idea of getting a visa for the US? Wait no more. The process of applying for the visa has become simpler with efficient systems and cooperative consular officers ready to offer help at every step. William S Rowland, consular section chief, US Consulate Kolkata, says, “We want everyone to understand the visa process and apply for it. We have a huge robust bilateral exchange of people between India and US.”

There are nearly 104,000 Indians studying in the United States – second only to China. Indian students visa applications across the five consular posts increased by 18 per cent between FY 2010 and FY 2011. But there are no magic numbers or a certain amount of bank balance that can secure a visa for you. The important factor is the interview where some basic questions such as what you do in India, why are you going to US and how long do you intend to stay makes your intentions clear to the interviewer.

It is always advisable to tell the truth. Jeffrey K Reneau, director, American Centre, feels, “If your story is not genuine and you are terrified at the interview window, it will definitely show. In case of refusal you should wait for some time before you reapply.” Refusal does not mean you can’t apply some other time. Wait for your situation to change or collect enough documents to support your stand.

April, May, June and July are busy seasons so it is advisable to apply for the visa ahead of your scheduled  journey. It will take you hardly an hour to complete the visa process from the time you enter their premises to the time you depart. To minimise communication gap, interviews are conducted in English, Hindi, Bengali and Odiya. For other regional languages interpreters are allowed to assist applicants. Windows 1-7 are for the cashier, the intake windows and interview windows.

If planning for a holiday or looking to utilise the gap year, the visa renewal process is all good news. As part of the Department of State’s continuing efforts to streamline the visa process, the US Diplomatic Mission to India has implemented a pilot programme that will allow certain qualified individuals to apply for  visas without being interviewed in person by the US consular officer. This is done to boost travel and tourism in US and benefit visa applicants in India.

For applicants who are renewing visas, if the visa is still valid or expired within the past 48 months, and is within categories like business/ tourism (B1 and/or B2), transit (C), and crew member (D), the renewal application must be within the same classification as the previous visa. These applicants may get an interview waiver.

Students now can apply for visas 120 days before their studies begin, and are encouraged to apply as soon as possible. All embassies and consulates give priority to appointments for student and exchange visitor visa applicants. “We are proud to welcome foreign students as they offer valuable skills and knowledge, and contribute to advancements in academic fields through their work and research. The flow of international students into the US bridges cultural gaps, facilitates cultural interaction, and contributes to overall global awareness and goodwill,” avers Rowland.

No hike in H-1B visa fee for next year, says US

Washington: The US government has clarified that there will be no hike in fee for H-1B work visa for professionals next year.

The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) had on March 28 in a press release detailed application procedure for H-1B visa for fiscal year 2013 which was wrongly interpreted as hike in visa fee.
    
Subsequently, USCIS as well as Indian IT industry body Nasscom have clarified that there is no hike in the visa fee.

The US immigration agency announced that applications for the most sought after H-1B work visa used extensively by Indian IT professionals for the fiscal year 2013 would be accepted from April 2.

The congressionally mandated numerical limitation on H-1B petitions for the fiscal year 2013 is 65,000, as has been in the previous year.

Additionally, the first 20,000 H-1B petitions filed on behalf of individuals who have earned a US masters degree or higher are exempt from the fiscal year cap.

The USCIS said H-1B applications will be considered accepted on the date it takes possession of a properly filed petition with correct fee and not the date on which it was sent.

"If the number of applications received exceeds the numerical cap, USCIS will randomly select the number of petitions required to reach the numerical limit from the pool of petitions received on the final receipt date," USCIS said in a statement, adding that it will reject cap-subject petitions that are not selected, as well as those received after the final receipt date.

Petitions for new H-1B employment are exempt from the annual cap if the beneficiaries will work at institutions of higher education or related or affiliated non-profit entities, non-profit research organisations or governmental research organisations, USCIS said.
    
The department also listed out the details of fees to be filed by the applicants for H-1B visas, which starts from a base fee of USD 325 for fiscal year 2013.

It is charging USD 750 for employers with 1 to 25 full-time equivalent employees, and USD 1,500 for employers with 26 or more full-time equivalent employees.

There is another USD 500 listed as fraud prevention and detection fee.
    
A fee of USD 2,000 is to be paid by the petitioner who employs 50 or more employees in the US - where more than 50 per cent of its workers in the US are in H-1B or L-1 non-immigrant status. 

H-1B visa applications to be accepted from April 2

Washington: Applications for the most sought after H-1B work visa – used extensively by Indian IT professionals – for the fiscal beginning October 1, would be accepted from April 2, a federal immigration agency announced.

The congressionally mandated numerical limitation on H-1B petitions for the fiscal year 2012-13 is 65,000, as has been in the previous years.

Additionally, the first 20,000 H-1B petitions filed on behalf of individuals who have earned a US masters degree or higher are exempt from the fiscal year cap.

The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) said H1B applications will be considered accepted on the date it takes possession of a properly filed petition with correct fee and not the date on which it was sent.

"If the number of applications received exceeds the numerical cap, USCIS will randomly select the number of petitions required to reach the numerical limit from the pool of petitions received on the final receipt date," USCIS said in a statement, adding that it will reject cap-subject petitions that are not selected, as well as those received after the final receipt date.

Petitions for new H-1B employment are exempt from the annual cap if the beneficiaries will work at institutions of higher education or related or affiliated non-profit entities, non-profit research organisations or governmental research organisations, USCIS said.

Petitions filed on behalf of beneficiaries who will work only in Guam or the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands are exempt from the cap until December 31, 2014.

Employers may continue to file petitions for these cap-exempt H-1B categories seeking work dates starting in FY 2012, it said.

USCIS said that up to 6,800 visas are set aside from the cap of 65,000 during each fiscal year for the H-1B1 programme under the terms of the legislation implementing the US-Chile and US-Singapore Free Trade Agreements.

Unused numbers in this pool are made available for H-1B use for the next fiscal year.

The federal agency cautioned applicants from filing duplicate applications.

To ensure fair and orderly distribution of available H-1B visas, USCIS will deny or revoke multiple or duplicative petitions filed by an employer for the same H-1B worker and will not refund the filing fees submitted with multiple or duplicative petitions, it said.

In another statement, USCIS listed out the details of the fees to be filed by the applicants for H-1B visas. It starts from a base fee of USD 325 to USD 2,000 by the petitioner which employs 50 or more employees in the US where more than 50 per cent of its workers in the US are in H-1B or L-1 non-immigrant status.

Such a move is expected to hit majorly Indian IT companies.

USCIS this year is charging USD 750 for employers with 1 to 25 full-time equivalent employees, and USD 1,500 for employers with 26 or more full-time equivalent employees.

There is another USD 500 listed as fraud prevention and detection fee.

And employers seeking premium processing service, in which application is processed within 15 days, need to submit an additional USD 1,225, it said. 

UK visa applications to be made online

Applicants and their dependants who are applying for a UK visa will need to make their applications online from March 5. The UK Border Agency will no longer accept manually completed application forms from that date onwards.

The URL for applying for visas online is - https://apply.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/iapply.portal

Applicants will then need to print off a hard copy of their application form and make an online appointment to attend their nearest visa application centre (VAC). They should bring the application form printout to their appointment at the VAC, along with the necessary supporting documentation. Applicants will need to give their biometrics (finger scans and digital photograph) at the VAC in line with current practice.   

Thomas Greig, Regional Director, UK Border Agency (UKBA) said, “We have been introducing the use of online applications gradually so that customers are able to get used to the process. Customers already need to make online applications for visas under the points based system. We are now extending the requirement to all categories of UK visa applications.”
 
Applicants can refer to http://www.vfs-uk-in.com/additionalservice.html for further guidance.