US invites India to work with it in more regions of world

WASHINGTON: The US has appealed to India to work with it in other parts of the world, just not only in South Asia. “We are counting on India’s rise not just as an economic partner but as a global power–one that engages everywhere from Latin America to the Middle East to East Asia,” Deputy Secretary [...] Read more »

Visa reform to boost international arrivals, create jobs: US Travel Association

The US Travel Association has rallied behind new visa reform legislation, claiming the legislation will address “problems with the US visa system that are currently discouraging international visitors from doing business and traveling here”. According to the US Travel Association, HR 3039, the ‘Welcoming Business Travelers and Tourists to America Act of 2011’, introduced by [...] Read more »

Indians rush to send money home as rupee plunges

KUWAIT — Money exchange centers across Kuwait are witnessing a heavy rush of Indian expats in the last few weeks who sought to cash in on the continued plunge of the Indian rupee against the US dollar. Though, the rupee improved marginally at the local forex market yesterday against the dinar, it continued to remain [...] Read more »

India’s call centre growth stalls

India’s call centre industry has grown rapidly in the past decade, but recent research suggests it’s no longer the world’s biggest. Some British and American companies are moving operations back home, so what’s the future for Indian phone bashers? In a classroom above a bus station in Mumbai, a group of students is being given [...] Read more »

U.S. to streamline visa issuance for Chinese, Brazilians, Indians: official

HAWAII, United States, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) — The visa processing time for Chinese, Brazilians and Indians may be shortened to 30 days, said a U.S. tourism official on Monday. “The U.S. Senate just introduced a legislation last week to bring the waiting time (for a visa) to under 30 days,” Roger Dow, president and CEO [...] Read more »

Startup Visa Act Looks Towards Senate

Google is just one of several prominent tech companies with an immigrant co-founder (Sergey Brin). Under the terms of the bill, immigrant entrepreneurs will be able to receive a two-year visa if their start-ups have received at least $100,000 in capital from investors. After two years, the business must have created at least five new [...] Read more »

Reminder from USCIS to Visa Applicants as Widow(er)s

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) reminds eligible widow(er)s who want to immigrate to the United States that they must file their visa petitions by October 28, 2011. Widow(er)s of U.S. citizens who died before October 28, 2009 may be eligible to immigrate to the US if they were married for less than 2 years [...] Read more »

InfoZen Wins $90 Million U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Contract

ROCKVILLE, Md., Sep 26, 2011 (BUSINESS WIRE) — InfoZen, a leading provider of IT services, technology and solutions for the public sector, announced today that it won a new five-year prime contract valued at $90 million from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the principal investigative arm of the Department of Homeland Security. Under the [...] Read more »

ETA system for online visa approval

The Department of Immigration and Emigration has made all arrangements to establish and implement a system called “Electronic Travel Authorization – ETA” in order to grant prior approval for visa via online for foreign nationals who visit Sri Lanka and those who travel via Sri Lanka for short term requirements. The inauguration ceremony to introduce [...] Read more »

U-visas gaining momentum

Rep. Judy Chu (D-Monterey Park), above, has pushed the Power Act, which would expand U-visas to include victims of labor exploitation and increase the number of such visas to 30,000 annually. Program gives temporary legal status to undocumented abuse victims who help police investigate crimes. Supporters want it to grow, while foes seek tighter controls. [...] Read more »