State Department: US and China To Extend Visas for Short-term Business Travelers, Tourists, and Students

The United States and the People’s Republic of China reciprocally increased the validity of short-term business, tourist, and student visas effective November 12, a move which coincided with President Obama's trip to China.

Secretary John Kerry, in remarks at the US Embassy in Beijing, said that with this change the US and China are "making an important investment in our relationship" which will "pay huge dividends for American and Chinese citizens, and it will strengthen both of our economies."

Chinese applicants may now be issued multiple-entry B visas for up to ten years—the longest visa validity possible under US law—for business and tourist travel, and Chinese students and exchange visitors who qualify are now eligible for F, M, or J-category multiple-entry visas valid for up to five years or the length of the school program.

In turn, US citizens are now eligible for multiple-entry, short-term business and tourist visas valid for up to ten years, while US students may receive student residency permits valid up to five years, depending on the length of the educational program.

The State Department says that in addition to the convenience and decreased cost for travelers, these visa changes will foster more international travel and exchange, enhance mutual understanding between China and the US, and increase the ease of trade and investment.

Since more nonimmigrant visas are processed in China than in any other country (with more than 1.95 million applications for Chinese nationals in fiscal year 2014) and student and exchange visitor visas issued to Chinese applicants represent thirty percent of all such visas issued globally, these changes will very likely have a significant impact for many Chinese nationals, not to mention frequent US travelers to China.

Business and tourist visa eligibility requirements as well as student visa requirements remain unchanged. For those curious, the State Department publishes visa reciprocity rules and tables for China and other countries.

With these visa changes, many anticipate more Chinese tourists to the US—at least in California, where Chinese nationals spent $2 billion last year—and possible long delays in visa processing at US Embassies or Consulates in China or other consular posts issuing visas to Chinese nationals.

Amnesty International on US-Mexico Border

"Many thousands of Mexicans (in particular) leave their homeland due to economic and social pressures and go in search of a better livelihood north of the border. Amnesty International does not take issue with the sovereign right of the United States to police its international borders in order to determine whether individuals have the legal right to enter the country. But it must do so in a manner which complies with its international human rights obligations."

- United States of America: Human Rights Concerns in the Border Region with Mexico

USCIS to Honor Veterans During Naturalization Ceremonies

In honor of Veterans Day, US Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS) is celebrating service members, military spouses, and veterans becoming US citizens by taking the Oath of Allegiance at naturalization ceremonies across the country from November 7th through the 14th. More than 3,000 will become new citizens at nearly forty naturalization ceremonies. USCIS reports that since September 2002 more than 102,000 service members, including those serving in Iraq, Afghanistan, South Korea, and Germany, have naturalized.

USCIS Director León Rodríguez, who yesterday administered the Oath of Allegiance and presented candidates for naturalization at a ceremony at the National Museum of the Marine Corps in Virginia, stated: “'On Veterans Day, we honor the men and women who have pledged to defend our nation, as we cherish the freedoms we enjoy because of the sacrifices of our service members, and their families...Today, we honor those who pledged to defend our nation before they were even citizens of our nation.'”

The USCIS fact sheet explains that special provisions of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) authorize USCIS to expedite the naturalization process for current members of the US armed forces and recently discharged members as well as spouses. 

Immigrants generally must be US citizens or Green Card holders to enlist in the military, but last year Representative Jeff Denham proposed under the ENLIST Act to amend the US military code to allow young undocumented immigrants who arrived in this country by age fifteen to serve in the armed forces in exchange for legal status and a path to citizenship. When he tried earlier this year to introduce †his measure as an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act, it was struck down.

Most recently, after announcing the military would allow young immigrants in the US under Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) to join through the specialized program called Military Accessions Vital to the National Interest (MANVI), the Pentagon has put this program on hold.

It's unclear if President Obama's long-promised executive action on immigration reform will include a path to citizenship through the military for the undocumented.

USCIS has invited users to share photos of new citizens on Twitter under the hashtag #newUScitizen (which along with today's new citizens includes a photo of actor Jonny Lee Miller becoming a citizen as well as an one-hundred-year-old woman who become a citizen earlier this year).

O-2s in America

There is the old adage, “It takes a village to raise a child,” and the same is true (well, the village part, not the child part) for many artists and athletes working in the US on an O-1 visa. Indeed, behind many leading photographers, directors, athletes, actors, make-up artists, and other O-1 holders here in the US, there is often an individual or team of qualified, experienced, and essential support personnel in O-2 status who have worked extensively with the O-1 beneficiary over the years and who ensure every project runs smoothly.

Who can use the O-2?
The O-2 classification is for essential support personnel of an O-1 artist or athlete. A photographer’s assistant or retoucher, members of a graphic design team, members of a film crew, actors, or other such personnel, may qualify for the O-2 visa. There is no enumerated list of qualified positions. Moreover, more than one support personnel member can apply for O-2 classification with the same O-1.

Read more

NPR: "Dozens Of Countries Take In More Immigrants Per Capita Than The U.S."

Despite America's reputation as a nation of immigrants and melting pot for the world's ethnicities, the US ranks 65th worldwide in terms of the percentage of population that is foreign born, NPR reports, citing a UN report "Trends in International Migrant Stock."

While the US is home to the most foreign-born people (45.7 million in 2013), immigrants in Australia make up more than a fourth (27.7 percent) of the population, and New Zealand and Canada come in at over 20 percent, still beating out the US, which is at 14.3 percent of its population. Sweden, Croatia, and Estonia also beat out the US in terms of the percentage of foreign-born immigrants, and Portugal, Spain, Italy, Norway, and the UK have larger net migration inflow than the US. This is not to mention Monaco (64.2 percent foreign-born), Andorra (56.9 percent), Luxembourg (43.3 percent), and Singapore (42.9 percent).

That said, a Gallup poll back in 2009 showed the US as the most desirable immigrant destination (with Canada coming in second) of the 700 million people worldwide who wished to immigrate permanently. Despite this, America "is just average" for immigrants, the Daily Beast argues. So where to go? Business Week says Switzerland and Germany (though they give an appropriate shout-out to the USA). But wait: migration hurts the homeland, this New York Times op-ed argues, which is perhaps unlikely to dissuade those seeking to immigrate because of war, political instability, or for economic reasons.