Upgraded Visa Rules for Highly-Skilled Individuals
February 9, 2012 – US makes US visa rules reforms to attract and retain highly skilled immigrants.
Recently, as part of ongoing efforts to attract and retain immigrants who create jobs and boost competitiveness in the U.S., Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has recently introduced series of administrative reforms, including changes in the F-1 and H-1B USA visa application rules.
These American visa changes were intended in making the United States more attractive to highly-skilled foreign students and workers, thereby improving the competitiveness of U.S. companies in the world market and stimulating U.S. job creation.
The proposed reforms include providing work authorization for spouses of certain H-1B United States visa holders; thus, allowing them to legally work while their USA visa holder spouse waits for his or her Adjustment of Status application to be adjudicated.
Also included in the reforms is the harmonizing rule that enables E-3 visa holders from Australia and H-1B1 visa holders from Singapore and Chile to continue working with their current employer for up to 240 days from the expiration of their authorized period of stay while their petitions for extension of status are pending.
The reforms also proposed to allow outstanding professors and researchers to present a broader scope of evidence of academic achievement in their US visa application. This would increase the types of evidence that employers can submit to demonstrate that a Professor or Researcher is among the very best in their field and allow “comparable evidence” beyond the specifically articulated regulatory list.
Moreover, the reforms would also allow for additional part-time study for spouses of F-1 students and expand the number of Designated School Officials (DSOs) at schools certified by DHS to enroll international students.
The series of reforms has no definite implementation date yet but DHS only indicated that these administrative reforms will be completed in the future.
Meanwhile, this Feb. 22, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will launch its Entrepreneurs in Residence initiative with an Information Summit in Silicon Valley, California. The summit will discuss how to maximize current immigration laws’ potential to attract foreign entrepreneurial talent, focusing on ensuring that immigration pathways for foreign entrepreneurs are clear and consistent, and better reflect today’s business realities.
Source:
indiatoday.intoday.in
