US Green Card processing delay at all-time high, may force out talent: Report
US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is grappling with an unprecedented backlog of immigration cases, reaching a record 11.3 million pending applications, according to another Newsweek report published in July.The think tank warned that the increasing challenges faced by applicants in obtaining Green Cards could weaken the US' ability to attract skilled workers from around the world.PREMIUM FEE ALSO FAILING TO SPEED UP GREEN CARD DELAYS: REPORTAccording to the Cato Institute's report, even applicants who pay a "premium processing fee" wait almost two years on average before making it out of the "government's regulatory morass" – a confusing and complicated set of rules and paperwork which makes it hard for people and businesses to get things done quickly and smoothly.These wait times come on top of the time applicants already spend trying to get a cap slot, which depends on the limits the government sets for each country and category. Applicants also have to go through several months of paperwork before they can even file their applications.The Cato Institute outlined six key stages involved in the process of obtaining an employer-sponsored Green Cards in the United States, each of which has seen increased processing times since 2016.These six stages are as follows: gathering eligibility documents, determining a fair wage, recruiting US workers, obtaining labour certification, filing an employer petition, and finally submitting the green card application, which includes background and medical checks. Each step adds to the overall delay.According to the Cato report, the prolonged delays effectively force many workers to rely on H-1B or other temporary visas before they can even apply for a Green Card."America will lose the global talent competition when other countries grant Green Cards in a matter of a few weeks or months, not years," the Cato Institute said in its report cited in Newsweek."The US government needs to significantly simplify its legal immigration process and remove excessive, outdated requirements," the think tank added.The US offers a Green Card, which lets people live there permanently. There are a few ways to get one, like having a family in the US, a job offer, or winning the lottery.- Ends
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Economic Times
6 minutes ago
- Economic Times
Apple plots expansion into AI robots, home security and smart display
AP Apple is plotting its artificial intelligence comeback with an ambitious slate of new devices, including robots, a lifelike version of Siri, a smart speaker with a display and home-security cameras. A tabletop robot that serves as a virtual companion, targeted for 2027, is the centrepiece of the AI strategy, according to people with knowledge of the matter. The smart speaker with a display, meanwhile, is slated to arrive next year, part of a push into entry-level smart-home products. Home security is seen as another big growth opportunity. New cameras will anchor an Apple security system that can automate household functions. The approach should help make Apple's product ecosystem stickier with consumers, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the initiatives haven't been announced. Apple shares climbed to a session high on Wednesday after Bloomberg News reported on the plans. The stock was up nearly 2% to $233.70 as of 2:17 p.m. in New York. It's all part of an effort to restore Apple's mojo. Its most recent moon-shot project, the Vision Pro headset, remains a sales flop, and the design of its bestselling devices has remained largely unchanged for years. At the same time, Apple has come under fire for missing the generative AI revolution. And OpenAI may even threaten the company's home turf by developing new AI-driven devices with the help of former Apple design chief Jony Ive. Though Apple is still in the early stages of turning around its AI software, executives see the pipeline of hardware as a key piece of its resurgence — helping it challenge Samsung Electronics Co., Meta Platforms Inc. and others in new categories. A spokesperson for Cupertino, California-based Apple declined to comment. Because the products haven't been announced, the company's plans could still change or be scrapped. Many of the initiatives and their timelines rely on Apple's continued progress in AI-powered software. Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook told employees in an all-hands meeting this month that Apple must win in AI and hinted at the upcoming devices. 'The product pipeline — which I can't talk about — it's amazing, guys. It's amazing,' Cook said. 'Some of it you'll see soon. Some of it will come later. But there's a lot to see.' Beyond the home devices, Apple is preparing thinner and redesigned iPhones for release this year. And further out, it aims to introduce smart glasses, a foldable phone, a 20-year anniversary iPhone and a revamped headset dubbed N100. It's also planning a large foldable device that melds a MacBook and an iPad. Apple is looking to boost sales after years of slowing growth for its flagship products. It also nixed some expansions into new areas, like self-driving cars, adding pressure to find other sources of revenue. Moreover, the new initiatives will help rebut the idea that the company is no longer innovating like it used News first reported last year that Apple was moving forward with a tabletop robotics project, code-named J595, and developing a new smart-home strategy. But now a clearer picture is forming of its push into that market — and what it means for its AI ambitions. Robots The tabletop robot resembles an iPad mounted on a movable limb that can swivel and reposition itself to follow users in a room. Like a human head, it can turn toward a person who is speaking or summoning it, and even seek to draw the attention of someone not facing it. The hope is to bring AI to life in ways that other hardware makers have yet to do. Apple imagines customers placing it on a desk or kitchen counter and using it to get work done, consume media and manage their day. FaceTime calls will also be a key function of the device. During videoconferencing, the display will be able to shift to lock on to people around a room. Apple is testing a feature that turns an iPhone screen into a joystick, letting users move around the robot to show different people or items in a room during video calls. But the hallmark of the device is an entirely new version of the Siri voice assistant that can inject itself into conversations between multiple people. It will be able to engage with users throughout the day and more easily recall information. The idea is for the device to act like a person in a room. It could interrupt a conversation between friends about dinner plans, say, and suggest nearby restaurants or relevant recipes. It's also being designed to engage in back-and-forth discussions for things like planning a trip or getting tasks done — similar to OpenAI's voice mode. Apple is planning to put Siri at the centre of the device operating system and give it a visual personality to make it feel lifelike. The approach, dubbed Bubbles, is vaguely reminiscent of Clippy, an animated paper clip from the 1990s that served as a virtual assistant in Microsoft Office. Apple has tested making Siri look like an animated version of the Finder logo, the iconic smiley face representing the Mac's file management system. A final decision on its appearance hasn't been made, with designers considering ideas that veer closer to Memoji, the playful characters that represent Apple user prototypes use a roughly 7-inch horizontal display, approaching the size of an iPad mini. The motorized arm can extend the display away from the base roughly half a foot in any people familiar with the product call it the 'Pixar Lamp,' referring to the animated film company's famous logo. Apple has previously disclosed some research in this area: It published a paper in January detailing a light fixture that uses robotics to move around. Apple has multiple teams across its AI, hardware, software and interface design groups tackling the project. The work is being led in part by Kevin Lynch, who previously oversaw a push into smart watch software and technology giant is developing several other robots. It has teams exploring a mobile bot with wheels — something akin to Inc.'s Astro — and has loosely discussed humanoid models. Apple has a group actively developing a large mechanical arm for use in manufacturing facilities or handling tasks in the back of retail stores, a move that could potentially replace some staff. Such a robot, code-named T1333, remains several years away. Charismatic The smart-home push includes a standalone display poised to launch by the middle of next year. That device, code-named J490, is a stripped-down variant of the robot, lacking the arm and conversational Siri — at least to start. It will still have home control, music playback, note taking, web browsing and videoconferencing. It may also include the new Siri visual the smart display and tabletop robot will run a new operating system dubbed Charismatic, which is designed to be used by multiple people. The interface largely centres on clock faces and widgets — small software features that are typically dedicated to specific tasks. Charismatic, which was previously known as Pebble and Rock earlier in development, blends the approach of the Apple TV and Apple Watch operating systems. It offers features like multiuser modes and clock-face themes, such as one based on Snoopy, the beagle from the Peanuts comic strip. The devices are meant to be easily shared: They include a front-facing camera that can scan users' faces as they walk toward it and then automatically change the layout, features and content to the preferences of that person. Some versions of the software use circular app icons and feature a hexagonal grid of apps. Apple is planning to include many of its core apps, including the calendar, camera, music, reminders and notes software. But the interface will be heavily reliant on voice interaction and widgets, rather than jumping in and out of the device will have a touch screen, the primary input method will be Siri and an upcoming upgrade to a feature dubbed App Intents. That software lets users precisely control the interface and applications via hardware itself looks similar to a Google Nest Hub but is shaped like a square, with thin black or white bezels and rounded corners. The non-robotic 7-inch display sits on a half-dome-shaped base, which includes some of the electronics and is perforated around the bottom edges for speakers and microphones. It can also be mounted on a wall. The launch will mark the first time Apple is making a serious push into the smart home and comes nearly a decade after Amazon and Alphabet Inc.'s Google started shipping smart speakers with screens. The home is a critical space for Apple to target, especially as more users consume content from the living room and automate household has long had a strong foothold in mobile devices and quickly became a player in the automotive industry via CarPlay — but that success hasn't followed into the smart home. Though the company launched HomeKit for controlling third-party devices in 2014, it has had limited success with its own HomePod speakers. Linwood and Glenwood Core to the new home devices — and current products like iPhones and iPads — is an overhaul to the underpinnings of are working on a version code-named Linwood with an entirely new brain built around large language models — the foundation of generative AI. The goal is to tap into personal data to fullfill queries, an ability that was delayed due to hiccups with the current new software, known internally as LLM Siri, is planned for release as early as next spring, Bloomberg News has reported. But work is going even further: Apple is preparing a visually redesigned assistant for iPhones and iPads that will also debut as early as next year. Craig Federighi, senior vice president of software engineering, hinted at a bigger-than-anticipated overhaul in an internal meeting with employees this month. 'The work we've done on this end-to-end revamp of Siri has given us the results we needed,' he said, adding that 'this has put us in a position to not just deliver what we announced, but to deliver a much bigger upgrade than we envisioned.' He said that 'there is no project people are taking more seriously.'Linwood is based on technology developed by the Apple Foundation Models team, but the company has a competing project dubbed Glenwood as well that would power Siri with outside technology.A final decision hasn't been made on which models will be used, but Apple has been testing Anthropic PBC's Claude for this purpose. Mike Rockwell, the former Vision Pro chief who was put in charge of Siri earlier this year, is overseeing both the Linwood and Glenwood development of the tabletop robot, Apple engineers have made heavy use of ChatGPT and Google Gemini to build and test features. Within Apple's AI and Siri teams as a whole, software developers are increasingly using third-party systems as part of their development process. Ring competitor Apple is working on a camera, code-named J450, designed for home security, detecting people and automating tasks. The device will be battery-powered and could last from several months to a year on a single charge, on par with rival products. The device has facial recognition and infrared sensors to determine who is in a room. Apple believes users will place cameras throughout their home to help with automation. That could mean turning lights off when someone leaves a room or automatically playing music liked by a particular family member. 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Business Standard
8 minutes ago
- Business Standard
WPI inflation dips for 2nd month, hits 25-month low of -0.58% in July
The Wholesale Price Index (WPI)-linked inflation on Thursday stayed negative for the second month in a row at -0.58 per cent in July, due to the decline in food and fuel prices, according to the data from the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. The wholesale inflation during the same period last year was 2.10 per cent, whereas the inflation for June stood at -0.13 per cent. "Negative rate of inflation in July, 2025 is primarily due to decrease in prices of food articles, mineral oils, crude petroleum and natural gas, manufacture of basic metals," the ministry said in a statement. Food articles saw sharper deflation According to the WPI data, food articles recorded a sharper deflation of 6.29 per cent in July, compared with 3.75 per cent in June, led by a steep fall in vegetable prices. Deflation in vegetables rose to 28.96 per cent in July from 22.65 per cent during the last month. Among other categories, inflation in manufactured products inched up slightly to 2.05 per cent in July from 1.97 per cent in June. The fuel and power segment saw a deflation of 2.43 per cent in July, as against 2.65 per cent in the previous month. CPI inflation slowed to 1.55% in July As reported by Business Standard earlier, the retail inflation, measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI), slowed to 1.55 per cent in July, down from 2.1 per cent in June. The decline was driven by a contraction in food prices, the data showed on Tuesday. This was the ninth consecutive month of easing prices, taking inflation well below the Reserve Bank of India's (RBI's) target band of 2–6 per cent. At 1.55 per cent, it is the lowest print since June 2017, according to data from the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation. Policy rates unchanged, inflation forecast lowered in August MPC The RBI, which tracks inflation for policy decisions, had kept benchmark rates unchanged at 5.5 per cent earlier this month. The RBI's monetary policy committee had revised its CPI-based inflation projections, sharply decreasing estimates for the financial year 2025-26 (FY26), mainly due to softer food prices, a favourable base effect, and easing global commodity costs. The FY26 inflation forecast has been eased to 3.1 per cent, down from 3.7 per cent.
India.com
8 minutes ago
- India.com
India's WPI Inflation Falls To 2-Year Low In July As Food Prices Fall
New Delhi: India's annual rate of inflation based on the Wholesale Price Index (WPI) fell further in the negative zone to a two-year low of (-) 0.58 in July this year, compared to the same month of the previous year -- primarily due to a decrease in the prices of food articles and fuels such as petrol, diesel and natural gas, according to data released by the Commerce and Industry Ministry on Thursday. The WPI inflation for July is also lower than the -0.13 per cent that was recorded in the previous month of June. WPI-based inflation has been steadily easing since March and hit a 14-month low of 0.39 per cent in May. There was a 2.15 per cent decline in the food index while the cost of fuels such as petrol and diesel fell by 2.43 per cent during July compared to the same month of the previous year, resulting in the inflation rate turning negative. The decline in WPI inflation is also expected to lead to further easing of retail inflation as the drop in prices of bulk goods is passed on to the retail level and the decline in fuel prices leads to a drop in transport costs. Meanwhile, the country's inflation rate based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI) eased further to 1.55 per cent in July this year compared to the same month of the previous year as prices of food declined during the month. This is the lowest level of year-on-year retail inflation since June 2017, according to a statement issued by the Ministry of Statistics. The retail inflation in July was also lower by 55 basis points than the 2.1 per cent for the previous month of June this year which was the lowest level of retail inflation since January, 2019. Food Inflation in July this year fell into the negative zone at -1.76 per cent as prices declined compared to the same month of the previous year. The significant decline in headline inflation and food inflation during July, 2025 is mainly attributed to favourable base effect and to decline in inflation of pulses, vegetables, cereals, egg and sugar. The inflation rate also fell due to the decline in cost of transport and communication and education. Besides, there was a mild drop in housing inflation during the month. Meanwhile, the Reserve Bank (RBI) has pegged India's CPI inflation at 3.1 per cent for 2025-26 as the steady progress of the monsoon and robust kharif sowing are expected to keep food prices in check. RBI Governor Sanjay Malhotra recently said, 'The inflation outlook for 2025-26 has become more benign than expected in June. Large favourable base effects combined with steady progress of the southwest monsoon, healthy kharif sowing, adequate reservoir levels and comfortable buffer stocks of foodgrains have contributed to this moderation.' CPI inflation, however, is likely to edge up above 4 per cent by Q4:2025-26 and beyond, as unfavourable base effects, and demand side factors from policy actions come into play. Barring any major negative shock to input prices, core inflation is likely to remain moderately above 4 per cent during the year, he explained.
