 It looks like the new U.S. Embassy in Beijing will open for consular services on Tuesday, October 28, 2008. The Embassy’s notice is here. The new location is No. 55 An Jia Lou Road. The entrance for consular services, including American citizen services and the visa section, is located at the Embassy’s east gate at…
Category: Temporary Visas
USCIS Finds Small Companies More Likely to Violate H-1B Rules
H-1B Benefit Fraud & Compliance Assessment, a study published by U.S. Citizenship and Immigraton Services last month, finds that small companies are more likely to violate the rules related to H-1B temporary work visas. This finding is unsurprising because–as my clients constantly remind me–the rules are hyper technical. They consist of hundreds of pages of…
EB-5 Investor Visa Update from USCIS
On Sept. 22, 2008, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services released a powerpoint presentation with updates on the EB-5 investor visa program for Fiscal Year 2008. Here are the highlights: 12 new EB-5 regional centers were approved. 1017 Forms I-526, Immigrant Petitions for Alien Entrepreneurs, were filed. 350 Forms I-829, Petitions by Entrepreneurs to Remove Conditions,…
U.S. Visa Invitation Letters for Sale—$16,000 a Piece
 The U.S. State Department has announced it is searching for Philip Ming Wong, a fugitive who has been indicted for his role in a visa fraud scheme. “Operation Shell Games” Targeted Brokers Who Supplied Chinese Citizens with False Documents and Fraudulent Visa Applications United States Attorney Joseph P. Russoniello and Diplomatic Security Service (DSS)…
Gazing into the Crystal Ball: Possible Future Changes in U.S. Visa Processing
If you had just one chance to gaze into a crystal ball, you probably wouldn’t use the opportunity to learn about the future of U.S. visa processing in China. So you’ll have to settle with glimmers of the future from a recently published U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) report, Border Security: State Department Is Taking…
Two Bites at the Apple? Filing Multiple Visa Petitions
Recently, USCIS Service Center Operations offered an opinion on whether it’s possible to file a second visa petition if the first one was denied and is currently on appeal or a motion to reopen is pending:
Administrative Appeals Office Ignores USCIS Policy on L-1B Specialized Knowledge
In a July 2008 decision, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Administrative Appeals Office (AAO) made a fundamental mistake by concluding that it is not required to follow USCIS headquarters’ policy memos. [1] What ever happened to chain of command?
Update: Consular Recommendations to Revoke Visa Petitions
Our law firm is often retained to represent clients where a U.S. Consulate has returned the visa petition to USCIS to consider revocation. This process is slower and less transparent than it should be. Still, this update explains that recently there have been some minor improvements in the process. These improvements were mentioned by Jonathan…
Map of Schools Approved to Sponsor Students with F-1 Visas
A map of schools approved for admission of students with F-1 visas has been posted on U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s webpage. If you know where you want to live but need help choosing a school, this map will tell you what schools in that location have been authorized by the government to sponsor students…
U.S. Visa Information Call Center Unable to Book Appointments
To book an appointment at the U.S. Consulates in China to apply for a visa, normally the applicant must purchase a card with a PIN number at CITIC Bank and then call the Visa Information Call Center. PIN cards cost 54 RMB for 12 minutes of phone time or 36 RMB for 8 minutes. From…
Tourism Agreement Should Be Applauded, But Does It Create an Unfair Monopoly?
On Dec. 11, 2007, the U.S. and China signed a memorandum of understanding on group leisure travel from China to the United States. This MOU should be applauded because it lifts prior Chinese rules restricting the travel industry. Still, a question remains whether travel agencies designated by the China National Tourism Agency (CNTA) will receive…
Visa Statistics from the U.S. Embassy in Beijing
U.S. visa-issuing posts in China include the U.S. Embassy in Beijing and the Consulates in Shanghai, Guanghzou, Shenyang, and Chengdu. In calendar year 2007, the U.S. Embassy and Consulates in china issued 417,146 nonimmigrant visas, a 17% increase over 2006. The vast majority, 417,146 or 69%, were B1/B2 visas (visitors for business and pleasure). Student…
U.S. Visa Application Fee Increase
NONIMMIGRANT VISA APPLICATION FEE WILL INCREASE TO $131 Effective January 1, 2008, the application fee for a U.S. nonimmigrant visa will increase from $100 to $131. Those applicants who paid the prior $100 application fee before January 1, 2008 will be processed without further payment only if they appear for a visa interview before January…
GAO Report: Growing Visa Demand a Challenge for State Department
A new report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office highlights several challenges the State Department faces in keeping up with growing visa demand at consular posts in China. GAO, Border Security: Long-Term Strategy Needed to Keep Pace with Increasing Demand for Visas, GAO-07-847 (July 2007). INACCURATE ESTIMATES OF VISA APPOINTMENT WAIT TIMES One challenge is…