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India.com
5 days ago
- Politics
- India.com
US tightens rules for issuing Green Cards with focus on married couples; how will it affect Indians?
(Representational image: New Delhi: America has tightened the rules for issuing green cards for married couples. The US Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) has issued a guideline in this regard. It talks about tightening the scrutiny of family-based immigrant visa applications, especially marriage-based applications. Its purpose is to eliminate fraudulent claims and ensure that green cards are approved only based on genuine relationships. This decision will also have a direct impact on Indian citizens, as Indians make up a large number of foreigners living in America. When were the new rules implemented? The new rules regarding green cards have come into effect on August 1. It also applies to all pending and newly filed petitions. USCIS has said that fraudulent visa petitions undermine confidence in family-based methods of obtaining lawful permanent resident (LPR) status. In such a situation, we are committed to keeping Americans safe by detecting foreigners with bad intentions. What are the new changes? The new guidelines tighten strict scrutiny and documentation processes. These include improved eligibility checks and adjudication processes for family-based petitions. Clear documentation along with photos, shared financial details and family affidavits will be required to prove a bona fide marriage. Couples will also undergo mandatory personal interviews, aimed at evaluating the authenticity of the relationship. Along with this, there will be a thorough scrutiny of immigration history. USCIS has added more stringent checks to its policy, especially for applicants who are already in the US on other visas and seek status adjustment through marriage. If a US citizen sponsors a foreign spouse, such as someone from India, then the couple will now have to provide solid proof of a bona fide relationship. What is the Green Card? The Green Card is officially called the US Permanent Resident Card. It is proof of the right to live and work permanently in the USA. It looks like a plastic card. It contains the person's information, photo, and fingerprints. The Green Card holder is considered a Lawful Permanent Resident (LPR).
India.com
01-08-2025
- Politics
- India.com
Trump to make big changes in H1-B visa programme, citizenship test will become...; how difficult is it going to be for Indians?
New Delhi: America's H1-B visa has been an important way for foreigners to get work here and people from all over the world try to get this document, especially Indians who go to great lengths to get an H1-B visa in large numbers. Is Trump administration going to make citizenship test stricter? According to reports, the Trump administration is going to make big changes in the rules for issuing this visa, which can have a direct impact on Indians. The Trump administration is also considering making the citizenship test stricter. Joseph Edlow, the new director of the US Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS), said in an interview to the New York Times that the Trump administration intends to make radical changes in the H-1B visa system for skilled foreign workers. Edlow said that the exam to become an American citizen is very easy and it should be changed. 'I don't think we are really following the spirit of the law right now,' he said. What is the controversy over H-1B Visa Programme? The H-1B visa programme for foreign workers has long been a matter of controversy even within the ruling Republican Party. The Trump administration has talked about major changes in the H-1B visa selection process. The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the US Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) have also sent a proposal to the White House for the new H-1B visa selection system. How will now H-1B candidates be selected? According to Financial Express, indications from the Trump administration indicate that H-1B candidates will be selected on the basis of skills, experience level and salary. In this, selection will be done on efficiency instead of equal treatment for all. Edlow has said that in this, priority will be given to those corporations who want to pay higher salaries to foreign workers. Does the Trump government want to change US citizenship test? Joseph Edlow, the director of the USCIS, said that the Trump government wants to change the citizenship test required for potential US citizens. Currently, immigrants study 100 questions of civics. To pass this part of the exam, they have to answer six out of 10 questions correctly. Edlow says the government intends to reintroduce a new version of that exam soon.
Irish Examiner
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Irish Examiner
Donegal man facing deportation from US waiting three years for green card
A Donegal man facing deportation from the US has been on the waiting list for consideration for a green card for more than three years. The 40-year-old man, who has been living in the US for more than 15 years after overstaying on a travel visa, was awaiting judgement on a petition for legal residency with the US Citizenship and Immigration Service — the sister agency of America's Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE). The man was recently apprehended by ICE on the back of an historic driving offence and taken into custody at an immigration detention centre. He is expected to be deported in the coming days. Should that come to pass, he will be banned from re-entering the US for 10 years. The man's status as having entered America on a travel visa waiver programme, which was voided when he overstayed the 90 days visiting period, means that he can be subjected to immediate deportation without the need for due process. His legal counsel, experienced Boston immigration lawyer John Foley, said that the man has all but accepted that his deportation is now inevitable. Petition Mr Foley said that an extended wait for a green card petition is not unusual. He said he had been confident that the man's application for legal status would be approved given he has two American-born children — sons aged nine and 10. 'It is not unusual that the process could take that long, but it is unusual that ICE wouldn't let it be adjudicated upon," Mr Foley said. It's a long runway, but I was pretty confident that he would be approved He said that he had sought for his client, who runs a construction company with a handful of employees, to be allowed wear an ankle bracelet in order that he could stay free and manage his business while awaiting the result of his petition, but to no avail. 'ICE locally said no. They no longer have any flexibility,' Mr Foley said, adding that the immigration enforcement system 'has never been this rigorous, this aggressive, or frankly this scary'. Describing the current aggressive crackdown on illegal immigration within the US as 'heartless, mean-spirited and un-American", Mr Foley said the current situation would have been 'unthinkable 112 days ago'. 'This situation, like so much under the Trump administration, is a lose-lose for everyone — but particularly so for my client's young family,' he said.
Boston Globe
17-04-2025
- Sport
- Boston Globe
Did elite runners from other countries have any trouble obtaining visas in order to compete in the Boston Marathon?
More than 40 countries, half in Africa, are on the draft list that would ban or restrict their citizens from entering the United States. But this year's Marathon, which will be held for the 129th time on Monday morning, wasn't affected. All of the invited foreign runners have their papers in order. Advertisement 'Everybody got their visas this year,' said Mary Kate Shea, the Boston Athletic Association's senior director, who recruits the professional men's and women's fields. 'We didn't have any issues at all.' The elite group includes representatives from 18 foreign countries. Most of them — from Europe and Japan — come under the US Citizenship and Immigration Service's Visa Waiver Program. But the Kenyans, Ethiopians, Eritreans, and the rest of the African competitors need to have the P-1 visa for international athletes and their support people. The BAA, which handles travel and housing arrangements for the top runners, won't make their bookings without it. 'It's beholden on the athlete to have that visa in hand,' said Shea. 'It doesn't make sense to bring someone over who can't get into the country.' Advertisement Most of the runners who compete frequently in the US, where three of the World Marathon Majors are staged, already have the visas, which are good for up to five years. Some, such as Kenya's Hellen Obiri, who'll be chasing a third consecutive Boston crown, and countrywomen Edna Kiplagat, also a two-time champion, plus returning runner-up Sharon Lokedi, train in the States. Everyone without a visa goes through the application process, which can take weeks and costs a little more than $1,000. 'As soon as they get invited to Boston, which could be as early as August but mostly September-October-November, they're already starting the application process,' said Shea. 'They will try to go for the longest amount of time for that visa. The time factor is inherent. It's something they always come to expect.' The BAA provides an invitation letter that athletes include with their application packet. 'The letter would include their passport information, date of birth, when they'll be in the US, the dates of the Boston Marathon, which hotel they'll be staying at,' said Shea. 'All those types of details that each embassy is looking for.' Related : Sometimes glitches derail the process. When Kenya's Geoffrey Mutai set an unofficial world record here in 2011, he didn't receive his visa until the 11th hour. Nor did countrywoman Rita Jeptoo when she won in 2006. Kenya's Robert Cheboror, a top contender in 2005, didn't get his visa until days after he'd scratched. 'We actually don't know where the issue is,' Shea said about the occasional holdups. 'It could be in filing the application. It could be the application process. It could be the embassy wait list. There are so many variables that it's hard for us to say.' Advertisement Events such as the global pandemic, which delayed Boston for six months in 2021 and crammed five majors into six weeks that fall, slow the process for everyone. 'COVID put in a curveball for a lot of countries because the embassies were overburdened,' Shea said. When delays occur the BAA may enlist help from Massachusetts senators to move the process along. 'Because their offices are in Boston they can help clarify for the processing agent in the embassies in Nairobi and Addis Ababa what a world-class event the Boston Marathon is,' said Shea. 'So there is nothing lost in translation.' Last year Kenya's Sabastian Sawe, the world half marathon champion, hadn't received his visa for the BAA 10K as the June race approached. 'It was getting to be difficult to meet the timeline to get on a plane to Boston,' Shea said. 'We contacted Senator [Elizabeth] Warren's office. Her staff is amazing. They understand running in Boston and they understand who the BAA is. We were able to work with them and assist the athlete and the agent in creating the packet and the details that had to be included so that Sabastian could get the visa appointment in Nairobi.' Kenya's Sabastian Sawe, winner of last year BAA 10K, hadn't received his visa as the June race approached. Kayla Bartkowski For The Boston Globe The timeline for the Marathon is designed to get the athletes here the Thursday before the race. 'They can have a course tour, do training, get some good food and sleep, get over the jet lag,' said Shea. 'All that stuff.' John Powers can be reached at
