For foreign students who want to boost their resume with real-world experience, or young professionals starting out their career who want to sharpen their skills, or even seasoned professionals who want to round out their global industry knowledge, internships and training programs in the US might be excellent opportunities. When foreign nationals secure internships/training programs in the US, there are three nonimmigrant visa types in particular that may be most appropriate: the J-1, H-3, or B-1. In this post, we explain the basics of each visa type and also include a chart that breaks down in more detail their differences. As always, foreign nationals should consult with an experienced immigration attorney when deciding what the best visa option is for their particular circumstances.
Read moreThe Atlantic: “The Thousands of Children Who Go to Immigration Court Alone”
Immigration courtrooms in the San Francisco Bay and surrounding areas have seen an increase of “unaccompanied alien children” (UAC) in court for removal proceedings. Most of these children, sometimes as young as four years old, do not have legal representation. In 2017 California had the second highest number of UACs in removal proceedings. While volunteer immigration attorneys, state funding, and organizations that provide legal aid to these immigrant children are more easily accessible in larger cities such as San Francisco, for immigrant children hundreds of miles away in the Central Valley and Fresno County areas, these resources are hard to access. “We’ve seen children from the Central Valley who have been to court four or five times without an attorney,” Katie Annand, managing attorney for the Kids in Need of Defense (KIND) organization, says. “They’ve had to pay $200 each time to get a ride up here for court, so they are coming up to court just to say ‘I don’t have an attorney.’”
Read moreA Better Tomorrow
Wake
Wake by artist Mel Chin rises up from the plaza in Times Square "like the beached remains of a massive beast." The boat-like sculpture is modeled on the USS Nightingale, a 19th-century expedition and merchant clipper ship that transported coal, cotton, munitions, and tea, and was also used as a slaving vessel before being commandeered by the US Navy during the American Civil War. According to Chin, the USS Nightingale "crystallizes the ways in which the expanding economies of the past are prologue to our current societal and environmental dilemmas." The figurehead is of famous 19th century opera star Jenny Lind, known as the “Swedish Nightingale," whose likeness was featured on many ship prows in the New York harbor, including the USS Nightingale. Through the sculpture, Mel Chin opens "a physical and virtual gateway to the future of human existence, inviting participants to contemplate their place within the world’s transforming climate."
USCIS Will Increase Premium Processing Fee Effective October 1, 2018
US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced last week that effective October 1, 2018, the agency is increasing the premium processing fee for Form I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker, and Form I-140, Immigrant Petition for Alien Workers, from the current amount of $1,225 to $1,410, a nearly fifteen percent increase. With this fee increase, which is in accordance to the percentage change in inflation since the fee was last increased in 2010 based on the Consumer Price Index for all Urban Consumers, USCIS claims they can “more effectively adjudicate petitions and maintain effective service to petitioners.”
Read moreRepay the Debt
Have an Ace Labor Day!
It's the US Open again and time for all things tennis (and Roger Federer!). This week I was at Arthur Ashe Stadium in Flushing, Queens when the five-time US Open champion delivered fourteen aces (including the one above) and defeated Yoshihito Nishioka in straight sets. Roger (we're on a first name basis) continued his success in US Open night matches, notching another record: the most wins without a loss in the first round of the US Open by any man in the Open Era (since 1968), according to ESPN. In total, Roger has eighty-three career wins at the US Open, putting him 2nd behind Jimmy Connors (who had ninety-eight). Just some fun facts as you go into the long weekend. Go Roger! And Happy Labor Day!
USCIS: Extension and Expansion of Premium Processing Suspension for H-1B Petitions to Reduce Delays
US Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS) is extending the previously announced temporary suspension of premium processing for cap-subject H-1B petitions and will also expand the temporary suspension to additional H-1B petitions effective September 11, 2018. USCIS says that they expect these suspensions to last until February 19, 2019, and will provide notice before resuming premium processing for these petitions. During this time when H-1B premium processing is suspended, USCIS will reject any Form I-907, Request for Premium Processing Service, filed with an affected Form I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker. If petitions are submitted with one combined check for the Form I-907 and Form I-129 H-1B, both forms will be rejected.
Read moreDance Magazine: “Is the US Government Cracking Down on Artists’ Visas?”
Throughout the past year, dancers and US-based theatre companies have been experiencing delays and denials in attempts to obtain approvals for performances in the US. In late March, the Joyce Theater's annual gala performance had to include a last-minute substitution after two Paris Opéra Ballet dancers were unable to obtain visas. "It was a shock," Linda Shelton, executive director at The Joyce Theater, tells Dance Magazine. "In all 25 of my years here, I think we'd only been turned down once before. That was ages ago and we already had a feeling that dancer wouldn't be approved anyway, because of an issue with their passport. This was just a big, big surprise." Then, less than a month later, visa petitions for Bolshoi Ballet stars Olga Smirnova and Jacopo Tissi to perform at the Youth America Grand Prix gala were denied. Last year, South Korea's Bereishit Dance Company had to cancel a performance because of similar issues.
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