Posts Tagged ‘consulate’

DEPARTMENT OF STATE EXPEDITES STUDENT VISAS

Nov 16, 2011 by No Comments

U.S. Embassies and Consulates worldwide are instructed to expedite F-1 student visas to ensure that qualified foreign nationals are able to start their U.S. academic programs on time.  This instruction is part of the U.S. Department of State’s effort to attract talented foreign nationals and potential future leaders to the U.S. 

Students are able to apply only 120 days in advance of entry to the U.S., thus, it is critical that Embassies and Consulates act quickly when processing these applications.  Currently, the maximum wait time for a visa appointment worlwide is fewer than 15 days, which is very fast in comparison to other visa categories.    

International students comprise a large portion of the student-body at many U.S. universities.  In the 2010/11 school year, international education grew by nearly nine percent.  International students also bring extensive revenue to the U.S. economy.  In the 2010/11 school year, foreign students brought $21.3 billion from abroad.   

Please don’t hesitate to contact our San Francisco Immigration Law Office if you need assistance with a student visa or have questions about the above.

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Posted in F-1 | Read More »

VISA FEES TO INCREASE JULY 13, 2010

Jun 28, 2010 by No Comments

This is an update to a previous post on June 3, 2010, regarding passport and visa fee increases.  The Department of State (DOS) is in the process of developing a final rule regarding its current passport and visa fee structure.  The first proposed rule in March 2010 received over 1700 comments from individuals, businesses, advocates and attorneys.  As a result, the DOS has developed an interim rule effective July 13, 2010, that will increase various passport and visa fees while they figure out the final rule’s parameters. 

The interim rule changes the fees as follows:

1. The application fee for a U.S. passport book for an adult (age 16 and older) is increased from $55 to $70. The application fee for a passport book for a minor (under age 16) will remain at $40.   

2. The passport book security surcharge is increased from $20 to $40

3. There will be an $82 fee for adding extra pages to an existing passport (this used to be a free service)

4. The adult passport card application fee is increased from $20 to $30 and the minor passport card application fee from $10 to $15

5. The fee for verifying U.S. citizenship when no evidence is presented is increased from $60 to $150

6. The fee for a Consular Report of Birth Abroad (U.S. citizen birth in foreign country) is increased from $65 to $100

7. The application fee for a family-based visa (processed on the basis of an I-130, I-600 or I-800 petition) will be $330

8. The application fee for an employment-based visa (processed on the basis of an I-140 petition) will be $720

9. Other immigrant visa applications (including for diversity visa applicants, I-360 self- petitioners, special immigrant visa applicants, and all others) will have a processing fee of $305

10. The immigrant visa security surcharge will increase from $45 to $74

Please refer to our June 3, 2010 post for the nonimmigrant fee changes currently in effect.  Please also stay-tuned for an update on the final rule to be implemented.  In the meantime, don’t hesitate to contact our immigration law firm with any questions.

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Posted in Alerts, Immigrant Visas, Nonimmigrant Visas | Read More »

Beware: Consulates and Immigration Officers are Reading Your Facebook

Sep 05, 2009 by 1 Comment

We’ve received a number of reports over the last couple of years that some consular officials as well as USCIS officers look for information on Facebook about a person before adjudicating their case.  It appears that they are looking for any information that contradicts what’s stated on the application.  This should serve as a little reminder to keep your settings on Facebook private, and watch what you tweet.

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Posted in Uncategorized | Read More »