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An Immigration Roundupby Jose LatourFollowing are select highlights of immigration events in March 2004.
L Visa Standards Addressed by DOS In Light of H-1B Cap The document begins with a speculation that "applicants may increasingly turn to other visa categories, particularly L-1, as a way to evade the H-1B limitations..." and discusses concern in Congress over abuse of the L visa category.
"There is no legal reason why aliens eligible for H-1B status cannot legitimately seek out other types of visas, including L. On the other hand, the inability of aliens to obtain H-1B visas can lead to increased fraud and abuse of the L and other categories, and posts need to be sensitive to this possibility." [Emphasis added] The cable describes and defines the requirements of the L visas with two concerns for potential abuse of the L visa category: "job shops" vs. "employer-employee relationship" and "specialized knowledge." Consuls are advised in the cable to seek an advisory opinion if uncertain.
Singapore Free Trade Agreement Visa Information The United States Embassy in Singapore has recently posted information regarding the visa categories made available to citizens of Singapore by the recently enacted (September, 2003) Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between the U.S. and Singapore. The FTA with Singapore allows for a limit of 5,400 H-1B visas for Singaporean professionals. These reserved visa numbers do count toward the H-1B cap. The three new nonimmigrant visa categories available to citizens of Singapore are the:
Here are some differences of the USSFTA Professional Visa from the traditional H-1B visa:
Singaporean citizens are still able to apply for traditional H-1B visas and all of the categories for which Singaporeans were previously eligible, as well as travel through Singapore's membership in the Visa Waiver Program. More detailed information about the new visa categories, as well as links to more information on qualification requirements, can be found on the website for the U.S. Embassy in Singapore. "Crew List Visas" to be Eliminated On March 18, 2004, an "Interim Final Rule" was published in the Federal Register by the Department of State, currently open for comments until May 17, 2004, to eliminate "crew list visas" which would be effective on June 16, 2004. Pursuant to Section 101(a)(15)(D) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), "aliens serving in good faith as crewmen on board a vessel (other than a fishing vessel having its home port or an operating base in the United States, unless temporarily landing in Guam) or aircraft" are exempted from being "deemed immigrants." Section 221(f) "permits an alien to enter...on the basis of a crew manifest that has been visaed by a consular officer." This section does not specify that the entire crew manifest be admitted, and authorizes a consular officer to "deny admission to any individual alien..." Previously, based upon these sections, there was a "Crew List Visa." However, citing security reasons, the State Department will now eliminate the "Crew List Visa" with the following new rule. Instead, "each crewmember...will be required to complete the nonimmigrant visa application forms, submit a valid passport and undergo an interview and background checks." The Federal Register document can be found at http://www.gpoaccess.gov/fr/index.html, and search for "22 CFR Part 41." Another Cap Reached and Still Early in the Fiscal Year On March 10, 2004, United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued a press release announcing that the H-2B cap of 66,000 new workers has been reached for FY2004 [October 1, 2003 - September 30, 2004]. We've heard a lot about the H-1B, but what is the H-2B visa? Glad you asked! The H-2B is for nonagricultural skilled or unskilled workers needed to meet temporary or seasonal needs in positions for which qualified U.S. workers are not available. (There is a separate visa for temporary agricultural workers, the H-2A, which has no annual cap.) The H-2B visa category has several stringent requirements:
Some of these temporary jobs approved in past years include: bricklayers, amusement park workers, cable splicers, housekeepers, construction workers, deckhands, meat processors, farm workers, forest workers, fish cleaners, kitchen helpers, lawn service laborers, musicians, produce packers, stable attendants, and others. Accordingly, some industries who use these visas are the construction, landscaping, restaurant, and service industries. The announcement that the cap has been reached states that:
Similar to the H-1B, continue to process requests regarding these visas that do not count toward the annual cap, which include petitions to:
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