Category: Travel

The United Kingdom clarified that Indian students would face no change in the visa application even as New Delhi takes note of British decision to exclude Indian students from a new list of countries considered “low risk” in order to facilitate an easier visa application process to UK universities.

“Indian students will experience no change as a result of this announcement – there is no limit on the number of genuine Indian students who can come to study in the UK. The fact that the year ending March 2018 saw a 30% increase in Tier 4 visas issued to Indian students is proof that the current system allows for strong growth in this area”, said the spokesperson of British High Commission in New Delhi.

On a question why Indian students were not part of the “low risk” category, the spokesperson said “This was a routine review of the Appendix H list conducted by the Home Office, which is regularly updated due to the fact that countries’ risk profiles change over time. Analysis of objective data has shown that India remains below the level required to consider a change at the current time.”

In changes to its immigration policy tabled in Parliament on Friday, the UK Home Office announced a relaxation of the Tier 4 visa category for overseas students from around 25 countries. The list includes countries like the US, Canada and New Zealand, the Home Office added China, Bahrain and Serbia as countries from where students would face reduced checks.

Commenting on the development, an Indian official said “We have taken note of the recent announcements. We always maintained that the easy mobility of students and professionals are an important aspect of ties.”

Lord Karan Bilimoria, Indian-origin entrepreneur and President of the UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA) described the move of not including India in the “low risk” group as an “insult” to India and another example of Britain’s “economically illiterate and hostile attitude”.

From next Saturday (June 30) passengers flying to the United States may not be allowed to carry more than 12 ounce or about 350 grams of powdery substance in hand bags. The US Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has enacted this rule after a foiled attempt to put an improvised explosive device using powder explosives on a Gulf carrier in Australia last year. Airlines are advising US-bound flyers to put such things in check-in bags to avoid extra screening of the same and possibly being thrown if the security personnel are not sure what it is.

Air India has a number of daily nonstops from Delhi and Mumbai to US destinations+ like New York, Newark, Chicago, Washington an San Francisco. United has a daily direct from Newark to Delhi and Mumbai. Delta will start flights to Mumbai next year. From next Saturday everyone traveling with powdery substances including dry spices, talcum or cosmetic powders will need to check them in if carrying more than 350 grams that stuff.

TSA says “powder-like substances greater than 12 ounce/350 ml must be placed in a separate bin for X-ray screening. They may require additional screening and containers may need to be opened. For your convenience, we encourage you to place non-essential powders greater than 12 ounce in checked bags.”

Airlines have accordingly started advising passengers. Singapore Airlines says on its website in a June 18 post: “Additional security measures for non-stop US-bound flights: TSA may require customers travelling on non-stop flights to US to undergo enhanced security measures. Such checks may include the inspection of powder-like substances where powder-like substances that are 12 ounce (350ml) or larger will not be allowed for carriage in the cabin. Customers are advised to place such items in their checked baggage.” “Medically-prescribed powder-like substances, baby formula, human remains and duty-free powder containers inside a properly sealed secure tamper evident bag (STEB) may be brought into the cabin. Customers are advised to proceed to the boarding gates early to allow sufficient time for the enhanced security measures,” Singapore Airlines says.

American Airlines’ website says: “Carry-on restriction: powder-like substances. For international travel to the US, powder-like substances over 12 ounce/350 ml should be placed in checked bags. Powders over 12 ounce/350 ml in carry-on bags may be prohibited. Effective June 30, 2018.”

On May 25, Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen M. Nielsen announced that an additional 15,000 H-2B temporary nonagricultural worker visas will be available for Fiscal Year 2018. In this determination, Secretary Nielsen determined there are not sufficient, qualified, U.S. workers available to perform temporary non-agriculture labor to satisfy the needs of American businesses in FY18. This allocation is in addition to the 66,000 visas already issued this year. Secretary Nielsen made this decision after consulting with Secretary of Labor Alexander Acosta, members of Congress, and business owners.

“The limitations on H-2B visas were originally meant to protect American workers, but when we enter a situation where the program unintentionally harms American businesses it needs to be reformed,” said Secretary Nielsen. “I call on Congress to pass much needed reforms of the program and to expressly set the number of H-2B visas in statute.  We are once again in a situation where Congress has passed the buck and turned a decision over to DHS that would be better situated with Congress, who knows the needs of the program.  As Secretary, I remain committed to protecting U.S. workers and strengthening the integrity of our lawful immigration system and look forward to working with Congress to do so.”

The H-2B temporary nonagricultural worker program was designed to serve U.S. businesses unable to find a sufficient number of qualified U.S. workers to perform nonagricultural work of a temporary nature. Congress set the annual H-2B visa cap at 66,000. A maximum of 33,000 H-2B visas are available during the first half of the fiscal year, and the remainder, including any unused H-2B visas from the first half of that fiscal year, is available starting April 1 through September 30.

On February 27, 2018, USCIS determined that it had received sufficient H-2B petitions to meet the full FY 2018 statutory cap of 66,000.

In the FY 2018 Omnibus, Congress delegated its authority to the Secretary to increase the number of temporary nonagricultural worker visas available to U.S. employers through September 30, just as it did in the FY 2017 Omnibus. In the intervening time since enactment of the FY 2018 Omnibus, the Secretary consulted with the Secretary of Labor on the issue, in accordance with Congressional requirements, and developed this rule.

Starting today, eligible petitioners for H-2B visas can file Form I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker.  Eligible petitioners must submit a supplemental attestation on Form ETA 9142-B-CAA-2 with their petition.

Details on eligibility and filing requirements are available in the final temporary rule published today and on the Increase in H-2B Nonimmigrant Visas for FY 2018 webpage.

DHS is committed to ensuring that our immigration system is implemented lawfully and that American workers are protected. If members of the public have information that a participating employer may be abusing this program, DHS invites them to submit information to ReportH2BAbuse@uscis.dhs.gov and include information identifying the H-2B petitioning employer and relevant information that leads them to believe that the H-2B petitioning employer is abusing the H-2B program. For more information on USCIS and its programs, please visit uscis.gov or follow us on Twitter (@uscis), YouTube (/uscis), and Facebook (/uscis).

Latest Office of National Statistics (ONS) data shows Indians as the largest chunk of skilled work visas granted to nationals from outside the EU, indicating that they are likely to be the hardest hit by the UK visa cap

Indian engineers, IT professionals, doctors and teachers are among 6,080 skilled workers holding a UK job offer who were denied visas to the UK since December 2017, according to a data released on Wednesday, indicating that Indians are likely to be the hardest hit by the country’s annual visa cap.

The Campaign for Science and Engineering (CaSE) acquired the figures via a Freedom of Information (FOI) to the UK Home Office to highlight the “scale of the problem” being created due to the British government’s annual immigration cap for skilled professionals hired by UK-based companies from outside the European Union (EU).

Latest UK Office of National Statistics (ONS) figures record Indians as the largest chunk of skilled work visas granted (57 per cent) to nationals from outside the EU, indicating that Indians are likely to be the hardest hit by the visa cap.

“Science, engineering and technology has long benefited from mobility of talent and collaboration across borders – including between India and the UK. The figures we’ve obtained from the Home Office show that currently our immigration system is hampering this ambition,” said CaSE Deputy Director Naomi Weir.

“We’re calling on government to make immediate changes so that employers can access the talent they need, and in the long term to ensure that the UK immigration system is aligned with the ambition to be open and welcoming to science, engineering and tech talent,” she said.

While there is no nationality-wise breakdown of the 6,080 visa refusals under the Tier 2 category between December 2017 and March 2018, it has emerged that more than half (3,500) were for engineering, IT, technology, teaching and medical roles.

The cap under the Tier 2 visa category to allow companies to bring in professionals from outside the EU is set at 20,700 per year, with a monthly limit of around 1,600. Until December 2017, that limit had been exceeded only once in almost six years but since then that limit has been breached nearly every month.

Dr Chaand Nagpaul, chair of the British Medical Association Council (BMA), called for a more “flexible” immigration system which does not end up turning away doctors desperately needed to fill staff shortages in the state-funded National Health Service (NHS).

“The Tier 2 visa quota has been reached for the fifth month in a row, yet there are still more than 100,000 NHS posts unfilled, with vacancy rates rising. At a time when the NHS is under enormous strain and struggling to fill positions, the current visa restrictions and arbitrary caps for non-EU workers entering the UK are inexplicable and threatening patient care and safety,” he said.

Last month, it had emerged that at least 100 Indian doctors were denied visas after being recruited by the NHS due to the Tier 2 monthly quota being over-subscribed.

In other fields as well, experts warn that access to overseas professionals remains crucial for the growth and development of the UK economy.

“Employers know and accept that there is a need for highly skilled immigrants as do the majority of the general public. The people standing in the way are those who set random immigration limits that seem to be plucked out of the air for political purposes,” said Nobel Prize winning Indian-origin scientist Prof Venki Ramakrishnan, the president of the UK’s Royal Society.

CaSE has been lobbying the UK government to make job offers in areas where there were clear shortages, such as science and engineering, exempt from the Home Office cap.

“The cap is beginning to cause damage and it needs to be addressed quickly. In the immediate term, shortage and PhD level roles should be made exempt from the cap. In the long term, an immigration system for a Global Britain that supports research and innovation should not feature a cap on the international specialists we want to attract,” said CaSE Executive Director Dr Sarah Main, who had written to the British Prime Minister Theresa May earlier this year on the issue.

The UK Home Office said that while it recognises the “contribution” of international professionals, it is important that the country’s immigration system ensures that employers look first to the UK resident labour market before recruiting from overseas.

“When demand exceeds the monthly available allocation of Tier 2 (General) places, priority is given to applicants filling a shortage or PhD-level occupations. No occupation on the Shortage Occupation List has been refused a place,” a Home Office spokesperson said.

It also highlighted that any applications refused during over-subscribed months can re-apply for consideration in the next month. However, critics believe the the Shortage Occupation List does not go far enough and the entire quota-based system in unworkable.

 U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced today that the agency will begin phasing in use of the U.S. Postal Service’s (USPS) Signature Confirmation Restricted Delivery service to mail Green Cards and other secure documents beginning April 30, 2018.

The first phase will affect documents that need to be re-mailed because they have been returned as non-deliverable. These documents include Permanent Resident Cards (also called Green Cards), Employment Authorization Cards, and Travel Booklets. Applicants who have changed mailing addresses during the course of the application process are more likely to have their secure documents sent with the new delivery method, which USCIS will expand to all secure documents in the future.

As part of the new delivery method, applicants must present identification to sign for their documents upon delivery. They also have the option to designate an agent to sign on their behalf by completing the Postal Service’s PS Form 3801, Standing Delivery Order (PDF) or PS Form 3801-A, Agreement by a Hotel, Apartment House, or the Like (PDF). Applicants can sign up for USPS Informed Delivery to receive delivery status notifications. Applicants will also have the option to arrange for pickup at a post office at a convenient date and time by going to the USPS website and selecting “hold for pickup.”

Signature Confirmation Restricted Delivery increases the security, integrity, and efficiency of document delivery. The Signature Confirmation Restricted Delivery process provides better tracking and accuracy of delivery information, improving service to applicants.

Information on how to track delivery of secure documents is available on the USCIS website. For more information on USCIS and its programs, please visit uscis.gov or follow us on Tw

The United States (USCISUS) Citizenship and Immigration Services announced April 6 that it has reached the Congressionally-mandated 65,000 visa cap for H-1B high skilled work visa applications, as well as the 20,000 “Master’s exemption” for those with U.S. advanced degrees, five days after it began accepting applications.

The agency did not announce how many applications it had received overall for fiscal year 2019; it will now assign the highly-coveted visa – allotted to highly-skilled workers, primarily from India – via a randomized lottery.

In its announcement, USCIS stated that it will continue to accept and process petitions that are otherwise exempt from the cap. Petitions filed for current H-1B workers who have been counted previously against the cap, and who still retain their cap number, will also not be counted toward the FY 2019 H-1B cap.

USCIS said it will also continue to accept and process petitions filed to: Extend the amount of time a current H-1B worker may remain in the U.S.; Change the terms of employment for current H-1B workers; Allow current H-1B workers to change employers; Allow current H-1B workers to work concurrently in a second H-1B position.

Fewer India-based companies are filing for work-based visas. Data released by the Department of Labor shows a dramatic dip in the number of H-1B visa applications from Indian companies in 2017. Infosys, the largest user of the program, had filed 33,245 H-1B applications in 2015, but filed only 20,587 in 2017, a drop of more than 38 percent, as reported by the San Francisco Chronicle. Also significant was Wipro, which filed 12,201 H-1B applications in 2015, but only 5,812 in 2017, a 52 percent drop.

Conversely, Google, the largest U.S. user of the visa program, filed about 4,000 H-1B applications in 2015, and 5,288 in 2017, a jump of 30 percent. Facebook had a 71 percent increase in the number of applications, filing about 1,000 in 2015, and more than 1,700 in 2017. Tesla has tripled its H-1B workforce over the past three years, filing 971 applications in 2017. Uber doubled its H-1B workforce during that same time period, filing 732 applications in 2017.

Shivendra Singh, vice president for global trade development at the National Association of Software and Services Companies – NASSCOM – released a statement April 6, noting: “America’s economy is crying out for more skilled talent, especially in the IT sector. The large number of applications and the speed with which the annual cap is reached demonstrate the high demand for these workers.”

In a major relief to crew of Indian carriers flying to Saudi Arabia, the authorities there have stopped retaining passports of crew members on arrival. Two Indian airlines, Air India and Jet, fly to Saudi and their crew used to get passports back while flying out of the country. India had taken up the issue with the authorities there and Saudi has now stopped this practice.

An AI Spokesperson said: “Crew passports are not being retained, instead a number is entered in crew passport which has a limited validity and crew has to do bio-metric finger printing on each entry.” Jet also confirmed the move.

A senior pilot of Jet Airways had raised the issue with the aviation and external affairs ministry last summer. “A passport is a citizen’s personal proof of identity and nationality when in foreign land, without which a person’s status instantaneously declines to that of a refugee. (Saudi) cannot be allowed to treat its visitors with such disdain. We enter their airspace and country only at their request and permission,” the letter titled “passport retention – Saudi Arabia” sent to aviation and foreign ministries said.

While Saudi had been retaining crew passports for a long time, last July the crew of an Air India flight to Jeddah were detained during random checks for documents while travelling in the city. They were released after the airline intervened and told the police the crew did not have original documents since the same had been retained on arrival at Jeddah airport.

It”s all because of great personality like Maam Shushma Swaraj who sleeps less but thinks more of Indians. Allah grant her very healthy life. Jai Hind.Shoeb Ahmed

Last August, AI asked its crew members operating flights to Saudi Arabia to carry their names on the hotel letter pad along with the telephone numbers of the hotel, immigration and airport. “All crew are hereby informed that along with the crew permit and Air India identity cards in Jeddah, you are now required to carry the details of crew names written in Arabic on the letterhead of the hotel. The letterhead will also have the phone numbers of the hotel, immigration department and airport. All crew laying over at Jeddah are required to comply with the above requirements for their own safety,” AI had told its crew members who operated flights to Saudi.

With Saudi stopping this practice, crew members of Indian airlines can breathe easy there. This is the second step taken by Saudi in recent days in the field of aviation cooperation. The other being Air India operating its flights between Delhi and Israel over Saudi airspace enroute, in a first for any commercial airline flying to or from Israel in last 70 years.

From Pew Research

Most of the United States’ 20 largest immigrant groups experienced increases in naturalization rates between 2005 and 2015, with India and Ecuador posting the biggest increases among origin countries, according to Pew Research Center estimates of immigrants eligible for U.S. citizenship.

This trend came during a period when the total number of naturalized immigrants in the U.S. increased from 14.4 million in 2005 to 19.8 million in 2015, a 37% increase.

By 2015, eligible immigrants from India had one of the higher naturalization rates (80%) due to a 12-percentage-point increase in its naturalization rate since 2005. Only eligible immigrants from Ecuador (68% in 2015) had as large an increase. This is a bigger increase than for U.S. immigrants overall, among whom naturalization rates jumped from 62% in 2005 to 67% in 2015. (Eligible immigrants from Vietnam, 86%, and Iran, 85%, had the highest naturalization rates of any group in 2015.)

Only a few nations did not have increases. The naturalization rates among eligible immigrants from Honduras, China and Cuba declined or remained largely unchanged from 2005 to 2015 (the most recent year for which Pew Research Center estimates are available).

The naturalization rates in this analysis are cumulative, showing, in any given year, the percentage of immigrants living in the U.S. and eligible for U.S. citizenship who have ever naturalized and gained citizenship.

To be eligible for U.S. citizenship, immigrants must be age 18 or older, have resided in the U.S. for at least five years as lawful permanent residents (or three years for those married to a U.S. citizen), and be in good standing with the law, among other requirements. The multi-step process to obtain U.S. citizenship begins with submitting an application and paying a $725 fee, including an $85 biometric fee. It culminates with an oath of allegiance to the United States. Current processing times range from seven months to a year.

The U.S. government denied nearly 1 million naturalization applications from 2005 to 2015, or 11% of the 8.5 million applications filed during this time.

The roughly 19.8 million naturalized citizens in 2015 made up about 44% of the U.S. foreign-born population. Another roughly 11.9 million immigrants were lawful permanent residents, among whom an estimated 9.3 million were eligible to apply for U.S. citizenship. Mexican immigrants are the largest group of lawful immigrants: About 2.5 million Mexican immigrants held U.S. citizenship and another 3.5 million were eligible to naturalize.

Mexican immigrants have long had among the lowest U.S. naturalization rates(42%) of any origin group. As of 2015, the naturalization rate among eligible immigrants from Mexico was similar to those from Honduras (43%) and Guatemala (44%).

In a Pew Research Center survey of Latino adults, lawful Mexican immigrants who had not applied for U.S. citizenship cited several reasons for not having done so: A lack of English proficiency, limited interest in applying for citizenship and the financial cost of the application (some pay for a lawyer in addition to the application fee, which can raise costs).

These barriers to citizenship also affect non-Mexican immigrants. Other factors may also affect whether an immigrant applies for U.S. citizenship. Close geographic proximity of origin countries to the U.S. may lower naturalization rates, in part because immigrants from countries near the U.S. are more likely to maintain strong ties to their countries of origin, increasing the likelihood that they move back to their home country without ever obtaining U.S. citizenship.

Benefits of U.S. citizenship include being able to vote in most elections, travel with a U.S. passport, apply for some federal government jobs, receive protection from deportation and participate in a jury, among other things. In addition, research shows immigrants who become U.S. citizens have higher incomes than those who do not.

Note: Pew Research Center estimates of the lawful permanent resident population and the number of immigrants who are eligible to naturalize differ from prior estimates released by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security due to differences in methodology and data sources. For details, see the Methodology section of the Center’s report “Mexican Lawful Immigrants Among the Least Likely to Become U.S. Citizens.”

The U.S. has more immigrants than any other country in the world. Today, more than 40 million people living in the U.S. were born in another country, accounting for about one-fifth of the world’s migrants in 2015. The population of immigrants is also very diverse, with just about every country in the world represented among U.S. immigrants.

Pew Research Center regularly publishes statistical portraits of the nation’s foreign-born population, which include historical trends since 1960. Based on these portraits, here are answers to some key questions about the U.S. immigrant population.

How many people in the U.S. are immigrants?

The U.S. foreign-born population reached a record 43.2 million in 2015. Since 1965, when U.S. immigration laws replaced a national quota system, the number of immigrants living in the U.S. has more than quadrupled. Immigrants today account for 13.4% of the U.S. population, nearly triple the share (4.7%) in 1970. However, today’s immigrant share remains below the record 14.8% share in 1890, when 9.2 million immigrants lived in the U.S.

What is the legal status of immigrants in the U.S.?

Most immigrants (76%) are in the country legally, while a quarter are unauthorized. In 2015, 44% were naturalized U.S. citizens.

Some 27% of immigrants were permanent residents and 5% were temporary residents. Another 24% of all immigrants were unauthorized immigrants in 2015. From 1990 to 2007, the unauthorized immigrant population tripled in size – from 3.5 million to a record high of 12.2 million. During the Great Recession, the number declined by 1 million and since then has leveled off. In 2015, there were 11 million unauthorized immigrants in the U.S., accounting for 3.4% of the nation’s population.

The decline in the unauthorized immigrant population is due largely to a fall in the number from Mexico – the single largest group of unauthorized immigrants in the U.S. Between 2007 and 2015, this group decreased by more than 1 million. Meanwhile, this decline was partly offset by a rise in the number from Central America, Asia and sub-Saharan Africa.

Not all lawful permanent residents choose to pursue U.S. citizenship. Those who wish to do so may apply after meeting certain requirements, including having lived in the U.S. for five years. In fiscal year 2016, 971,242 immigrants applied for naturalization. The number of naturalization applications has climbed in recent years, though the annual totals remain below those seen in previous years.

Generally, most immigrants eligible for naturalization apply to become citizens. However, Mexican lawful immigrants have the lowest naturalization rate overall. Language and personal barriers, lack of interest and financial barriers are among the top reasons for choosing not to naturalize cited by Mexican-born green card holders, according to a 2012 Pew Research Center survey.

Where do immigrants come from?

Mexico is the top origin country of the U.S. immigrant population. In 2015, 11.6 million immigrants living in the U.S. were from there, accounting for 27% of all U.S. immigrants. The next largest origin groups were those from China (6%), India (6%), the Philippines (5%) and El Salvador (3%).

By region of birth, immigrants from South and East Asia combined accounted for 27% of all immigrants, a share equal to that of Mexico. Other regions make up smaller shares: Europe/Canada (14%), the Caribbean (10%), Central America (8%), South America (7%), the Middle East (4%) and sub-Saharan Africa (4%).

Who is arriving today?

About 1 million immigrants arrive in the U.S. each year. In 2015, the top country of origin for new immigrants coming into the U.S. was India, with 110,000 people, followed by Mexico (109,000), China (90,000) and Canada (35,000).

By race and ethnicity, more Asian immigrants than Hispanic immigrants have arrived in the U.S. each year since 2010. Immigration from Latin America slowed following the Great Recession, particularly from Mexico, which has seen net losses in U.S. immigration over the past few years.

Asians are projected to become the largest immigrant group in the U.S. by 2055, surpassing Hispanics. In 2065, Pew Research Center estimates indicate that Asians will make up some 38% of all immigrants, Hispanics 31%, whites 20% and blacks 9%.

Is the immigrant population growing?

New immigrant arrivals have fallen, mainly due to a decrease in the number of unauthorized immigrants coming to the U.S. The fall in the growth of the unauthorized immigrant population can partly be attributed to more Mexican immigrants leaving the U.S. than coming in.

Looking forward, immigrants and their descendants are projected to account for 88% of U.S. population growth through 2065, assuming current immigration trends continue. In addition to new arrivals, U.S. births to immigrant parents will be important to future U.S. growth. In 2015, the percentage of women giving birth in the past year was higher among immigrants (7.4%) than among the U.S. born (5.8%). While U.S.-born women gave birth to over 3 million children that year, immigrant women gave birth to over 700,000.

How many immigrants have come to the U.S. as refugees?

Since the creation of the federal Refugee Resettlement Program in 1980, about million refugeeshave been resettled in the U.S – more than any other country.

In fiscal 2016, a total of 84,995 refugees were resettled in the U.S. The largest origin group of refugees was the Democratic Republic of the Congo, followed by Syria, Burma (Myanmar), Iraq and Somalia. Among all refugees admitted in that fiscal year, 38,901 are Muslims (46%) and 37,521 are Christians (44%). California, Texas and New York resettled nearly a quarter of all refugees admitted in fiscal 2016.

Where do most U.S. immigrants live?

Roughly half (46%) of the nation’s 43.2 million immigrants live in just three states: California (25%), Texas (11%) and New York (10%). California had the largest immigrant population of any state in 2015, at 10.7 million. Texas and New York had about 4.5 million immigrants each.

In terms of regions, about two-thirds of immigrants lived in the West (35%) and South (33%). Roughly one-fifth lived in the Northeast (21%) and 11% were in the Midwest.

In 2015, most immigrants lived in just 20 major metropolitan areas, with the largest populations in New York, Los Angeles and Miami. These top 20 metro areas were home to 27.9 million immigrants, or 65% of the nation’s total. Most of the nation’s unauthorized immigrant population lived in these top metro areas as well.

How do immigrants compare with the U.S. population overall in education?

Immigrants in the U.S. as a whole have lower levels of education than the U.S.-born population. In 2015, immigrants were three times as likely as the U.S. born to have not completed high school (29% vs 9%). However, immigrants were just as likely as the U.S. born to have a college degree or more, 31% and 30% respectively.

Educational attainment varies among the nation’s immigrant groups, particularly across immigrants from different regions of the world. Immigrants from Mexico (57%) and Central America (49%) are less likely to be high school graduates than the U.S. born (9%). On the other hand, immigrants from South and East Asia, Europe, Canada, the Middle East and sub-Saharan Africa were more likely than U.S.-born residents to have a bachelor’s or advanced degree.

Among all immigrants, those from South and East Asia (51%) and the Middle East (48%) were the most likely to have a bachelor’s degree or more. Immigrants from Mexico (6%) and Central America (9%) were the least likely to have a bachelor’s or higher.

How many immigrants are working in the U.S.?

In 2014, about 27 million immigrants were working in the U.S., making up some 17% of the total civilian labor force. Lawful immigrants made up the majority of the immigrant workforce at 19.5 million. An additional 8 million immigrant workers are unauthorized immigrants, a number little changed since 2009. They alone account for 5% of the civilian labor force.

Immigrants, regardless of legal status, work in a variety of different jobs, and do not make up the majority of workers in any U.S. industry. Lawful immigrants are most likely to be in professional, management, or business and finance jobs (37%) or service jobs (22%). Unauthorized immigrants, by contrast, are most likely to be in service (32%) or construction jobs (16%).

Immigrants are also projected to drive future growth in the U.S. working-age population through at least 2035. As the Baby Boom generation heads into retirement, immigrants and their children are expected to offset a decline in the working-age population by adding about 18 million people of working age between 2015 and 2035.

How well do immigrants speak English?

Among immigrants ages 5 and older, half (51%) are proficient English speakers – either speaking English very well (35%) or only speaking English at home (16%).

Immigrants from Mexico have the lowest rates of English proficiency (31%), followed by Central Americans (33%) and immigrants from South and East Asia (54%). Those from Europe or Canada (76%), sub-Saharan Africa (75%), and the Middle East (61%) have the highest rates of English proficiency.

The longer immigrants have lived in the U.S., the greater the likelihood they are English proficient. Some 45% of immigrants living in the U.S. five years or less are proficient. By contrast, more than half (55%) of immigrants who have lived in the U.S. for 20 years or more are proficient English speakers.

Among immigrants ages 5 and older, Spanish is the most commonly spoken language. Some 44% of immigrants in the U.S. speak Spanish at home. The top five languages spoken at home among immigrants outside of Spanish are English only (16%), followed by Chinese (6%), Hindi (5%), Filipino/Tagalog (4%) and French (3%).

How many immigrants have been deported recently?

Around 344,000 immigrants were deported from the U.S. in fiscal 2016, slightly up since 2015. Overall, the Obama administration deported about 3 million immigrants between 2009 and 2016, a significantly higher number than the 2 million immigrants deported by the Bush administration between 2001 and 2008.

Immigrants convicted of a crime made up the minority of deportations in 2015, the most recent year for which statistics by criminal status are available. Of the 333,000 immigrants deported in 2015, some 42% had criminal convictions and 58% were not convicted of a crime. From 2001 to 2015, a majority (60%) of immigrants deported have not been convicted of a crime.

How many immigrants are apprehended at the U.S.-Mexico border?

The number of apprehensions at the U.S.-Mexico border has sharply decreased over the past decade, from more than 1 million in fiscal 2006 to 408,870 in fiscal 2016. In the first two quarters of fiscal 2017, which started Oct. 1, there have been about 199,000 border patrol apprehensions at the Southwest border, compared with 186,000 for the same period in 2016. Today, more non-Mexicans than Mexicans are apprehended at the border. In fiscal 2016, the apprehensions of Central Americans at the border exceeded that of Mexicans for the second time on record.

How do Americans view immigrants and immigration?

While immigration has been at the forefront of a national political debate, the U.S. public holds a range of views about immigrants living in the country. Overall, a majority of Americans have positive views about immigrants. Six-in-ten Americans (63%) say immigrants strengthen the country “because of their hard work and talents,” while just over a quarter (27%) say immigrants burden the country by taking jobs, housing and health care.

Yet these views vary starkly by political affiliation. Among Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents, 82% think immigrants strengthen the country with their hard work and talents, and just 13% say they are a burden. Among Republicans and Republican-leaning independents, roughly as many (44%) say immigrants are a burden as say immigrants strengthen the country because of their hard work and talents (39%).

Americans also hold more positive views of some immigrant groups than others, according to a 2015 Pew Research Center immigration report. More than four-in-ten Americans expressed mostly positive views of Asian (47%) and European immigrants (44%), yet only a quarter expressed such views of African and Latin American immigrants (26% each). Roughly half of the U.S. public said immigrants are making things better through food, music and the arts (49%), but almost equal shares said immigrants are making crime and the economy worse (50% each).

Americans were divided on future levels of immigration. Nearly half said immigration to the U.S. should be decreased (49%), while one-third (34%) said immigration should be kept at its present level and just 15% said immigration should be increased.

Corrections: An earlier version of this post gave an incorrect figure for total deportations in fiscal year 2016. The text and its corresponding chart, “U.S. deportations of immigrants slightly up in 2016,” have been updated. Also, the chart “Mexico, China and India are top birthplaces for immigrants in the U.S.” has been updated to reflect the correct scale for figures. They are in millions. In addition, the note in a previous version of this chart incorrectly listed Mongolia as part of China.

45 nations accord visa free entry to Indian Passport holders

Henley & Partners, a London-based consulting firm specializing in citizenship services, has reported that the German passport is the most powerful in the world. The annual index, created with the International Air Transport Association (which has the world’s largest database of travel information), judges the top passports in the world by how much visa-free travel they allow.

Germany, which has held the top spot for five years in a row, has visa-free access to 177 countries out of a total of 218. Singapore, in second, has a ranking of 176, and a larger group of countries sharing third place (Denmark, Finland, France, Italy, Japan, Norway, Sweden, the U.K.) allow visa-free access to 175 countries. The U.S., along with Ireland, Portugal, and South Korea, tied for fifth place on the list, with visa-free access to 173 countries. Generally, visa requirements are indicative of a country’s relationship with another—reciprocity, as illustrated by the contentious battle over U.S. travelers’ visa-free access to Europe, is often expected.

In a statement, Dr. Christian H. Kälin, Group Chairman of Henley & Partners, said the need for visa-free access is greater than ever. “Across the economic spectrum, individuals want to transcend the constraints imposed on them by their country of origin and access business, financial, career, and lifestyle opportunities on a global scale.”

Georgia, which climbed 15 places in 2018’s rankings. On the lower end of the spectrum were Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan, which each have visa-free access to fewer than 30 countries. India, on the other hand, is on the bottom, with only 45 nations according visa free travel to those with Indian passport, while about a dozen nations other offer visa upon arrival.

Here, a look at the top 26.

1. Germany, 177 countries can be visited without a visa
   2. Singapore, 176
   3. Denmark, Finland, France, Italy, Japan, Norway, Sweden, the U.K., 175
   4. Austria, Belgium, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland, 174
   5. Ireland, Portugal, South Korea, United States, 173
   6. Canada, 172
   7. Australia, Greece, New Zealand, 171
   8. Czech Republic, Iceland, 170

The most stressful thing for most Indians planning to travel abroad is not the price of the ticket, but securing a visa. Majority of countries around the world require Indians to obtain visa prior to travelling. But there are 45 nations that do not want Indians to worry about Visa. Just for info UAE has opened up Visa On Arrival to Indians having a Green Card or valid US Visa in their passports.

Country Wise List for those with Indian Passport

Passports may no longer serve as a valid proof of address as the External Affairs Ministry has decided not to print the last page of the travel document with the address of the holder.
The last page of the passport includes the father or legal guardian’s name, the names of the holder’s mother, spouse and their address.

“As the last page of the passport would not be printed now, the passport holders with ECR (Emigration Check Required) status would be issued a passport with orange passport jacket and those with non-ECR status would continue to get a blue passport,” an MEA statement read.

The recommendations of a three-member panel, comprising officials from the ministry of external affairs and the ministry of women and child development, were accepted and it was decided that the last page of the passport and other travel documents issued under the Passports Act, 1967 and Passport Rules, 1980 “would no longer be printed”, it said.

The panel examined various issues “pertaining to passport applications including examination of where mother/child had insisted that the name of the father should not be mentioned in the passport and also relating to passport issues to children with single parent and to adopted children”, it added.

The Indian Security Press (ISP), Nasik, would be designing the new passport booklets in due course. “Till such time the new passport booklets are designed, manufactured and made available to the ministry by ISP, Nashik, the passports and other travel documents would continue to be printed with the last page,” the MEA said. The existing passports would continue to remain valid till the date of expiry printed in the passport booklet, it added.

Immigration minister Brandon Lewis said there is “no limit on the number of international students who can come to the UK, and nor is there any plan to impose one”. A pilot scheme launched in January 2016 offering easier, longer and cheaper British visas to Chinese citizens is likely to be made permanent, but immigration minister Brandon Lewis has confirmed there is no plan to extend it to Indian citizens in the near future.

Questioned on the issue in the House of Commons by senior Labour MP Virendra Sharma on Monday, Lewis said the situation with India is different from that with China, reflecting Prime Minister Theresa May’s statement in New Delhi in November 2016 that linked improving the UK visa offer to the number and speed of return of illegal Indian citizens in the UK.

To Sharma’s demand that the same visa scheme be extended to India, “our best allies in trade post-Brexit”, Lewis said: “I was in India just a couple of weeks ago and I had some conversations about the pilots we are running in China.

“The honorable gentleman is a little premature, because the pilot with China is still running. It is based on a different situation from the situation with us and India, but we will look at that pilot, and I will feed back after it has ended and we have a chance to review it.”

 Answering questions by MPs on removing international students from overall migration statistics – a demand by several stakeholders in higher education and supported by some cabinet ministers – Lewis refused to commit, but said the situation has improved in recent years.

He said: “I can be very clear: there is absolutely no limit on the number of international students who can come to the UK, and nor is there any plan to impose one. What we have seen this summer is that students are now compliant, and that means their effect on the net migration figures is marginal.

“The key thing with students is that, thanks to the work that this government have done since 2010 in shutting down about 920 bogus colleges, students are now complying, so the effect on migration is marginal, at best.”

Indian student numbers coming to UK higher education institutions have dwindled by more than half since 2010, when immigration reforms were introduced by the David Cameron government. In 2012, the post-study work visa popular with Indians was abolished.

There are suggestions that the drop of Indian students is partly due to the closure of bogus colleges, which were recruiting Indian and other international students allegedly for purposes other than education.

The State Department has released changes to its foreign policy manual that tighten rules for people entering the U.S. on non-immigrant – specifically tourist – visas.

“This was a process of taking a closer look at visa ineligibilities and making sure that people follow the rules we have in place and that we apply our rules consistently and correctly,” a spokesman for the State Department told India-West.

“It is not a new ineligibility. It is tightening existing rules to make sure people don’t misuse their visas,” he said, adding: “This is about people entering the United States saying they’ll do one thing and then doing another, such as making misrepresentations to get visas, without proper authorization.”

Those found in violation of what is known as the “90-Day Rule” could be ineligible for a new visa, a renewal or a change of status. Those who continue to remain in the U.S. would be eligible for deportation.

Examples of such misrepresentations include people coming in on visitors’ visas – B1 and B2 – and then immediately beginning to work within the first 90 days. Others who enter on tourist visas and then enroll in a university would also be exhibiting “a clear intent to misrepresent,” according to the State Department.

People entering the country as visitors and getting married within three months would also be considered as intending to fraud the system, said the spokesman, noting that a K1 visa allows U.S. permanent residents or citizens to sponsor one’s fiancé.

“If someone comes to the U.S. as a tourist, falls in love and gets married within 90 days and then applies for a green card, this means the application would be denied,” Diane Rish, associate director of government relations at the American Immigration Lawyers Association, told The New York Times. “This is a significant policy change.”

Those who take up a U.S. residence within 90 days are also in violation of the proviso of their tourist visa, clarified the State Department.

“If an alien violates or engages in conduct inconsistent with his or her nonimmigrant status within 90 days of entry, you may presume that the applicant’s representations about engaging in only status-compliant activity were willful misrepresentations of his or her intention in seeking a visa or entry,” noted the State Department in a cable dispatched to all U.S. embassies abroad.

“If an alien violates or engages in conduct inconsistent with his or her nonimmigrant status more than 90 days after entry into the United States, no presumption of willful misrepresentation arises,” noted the State Department in its memo, clarifying, however, that consular officials who believe the applicant did lie on his application could call for a review.

In related news, India has a particularly high rate of people overstaying a B1/B2 tourist visa, according to data released by the Department of Homeland Security in May. For the fiscal year 2016, more than 1 million tourist visas were granted to people from India. An estimated 17,763 people initially overstayed their visas, with about 15,000 continuing to remain in the country.

In FY 2015, almost 900,000 visas were allotted to visitors from India; more than 14,000 initially overstayed their visas, with an estimated 13,000 continuing to remain in the country.

Germany had the highest number of overstays in FY 2016 – more than 20,000, with more than 14,000 continuing to remain in the country. Italy also ranked high on the number of overstays: almost 15,000 continued to remain in the country after their tourist visa had expired, according to DHS data.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that those who are on work visas and applying for permanent residence are now required to go through an in-person interview, a step that could slow down the application process and make it more difficult for the applicant. The new policy will go into effect on October 1 this year.

Thousands of immigrant aliens every year transited to US Green Card through their work visa in the US.. H1 B route was found to be quite convenient to obtain a green card. But it appears it is not going to be the same “easy and convenient” route anymore. In technical parlance, it refers to an I-485 adjustment of status interview. This announcement was made on August 28 and was reported immediately by The Indian Panorama

On another front, US immigration attorneys are seeing an uptick in number of ‘Requests For Evidence’ (RFEs) being issued by the USCIS. These RFEs relate to petitions (applications) filed on or about April 2017 for H-1B visas that will be valid from October 1, 2017.

A vast majority of those to whom green cards are allotted comprise those who are already working in the US on temporary visas. During the four-year period up to 2014, over 2 lakh green cards were allotted to H-1B visa holders, according to a report by the Bipartisan Policy Centre.

Latest available data released by the USCIS shows that during 2015, as many as 34,843 Indians adjusted their temporary visa status and obtained green cards. Of this, 25,179 were holding jobs in the US (primarily under the H1-B category).

Immigration.com managing attorney Rajiv S Khanna says, “A new wrinkle in the inquiries is that, as USCIS had warned, they will not accept level-1 wages to be given in H-1B cases easily. They are questioning level-1 wages almost uniformly.” He explains the various levels and illustrates the wages. Level-1 category relates to entry-level jobs and, at the other end, is the level-4 category which calls for a more technical and leadership role.

The prescribed wage at level 1 for a software developer in San Jose is $88,733 a year, which rises to $155,147 annually at level 4. Khanna adds, “It is the USCIS position that level-1 salary indicates a non-professional position that does not require a specific college degree and is a job that would be inappropriate for an H-1B visa.

Indians working in the US may find it more challenging to transition from a work visa (such as H-1B) to a green card. From October 1, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) has made an in-person interview mandatory in such cases. In technical parlance, it refers to an I-485 adjustment of status interview. This announcement was made on August 28.

On another front, US immigration attorneys are seeing an uptick in the number of ‘Requests For Evidence’ (RFEs) being issued by the USCIS. These RFEs relate to petitions (applications) filed on or about April 2017 for H-1B visas that will be valid from October 1, 2017.

As regards the amendment made for adjustment of status to that of a green card, NPZ Law Group managing attorney David H Nachman explains, “USCIS currently requires interviews for family-based green card and naturalisation (obtaining citizenship) processes. But most of the time, it waives the interview requirement for the above category of applicants. While interviews for those transitioning from employment-based visa status to green cards were standard a decade ago, waivers have been regularly granted since then.

Under the new policy, there will be no further waivers. Thus, the new process will lengthen the waiting time for green card applicants.”

A vast majority of those to whom green cards are allotted comprise those who are already working in the US on temporary visas. During the four-year period up to 2014, over 2 lakh green cards were allotted to H-1B visa holders, according to a report by the Bipartisan Policy Centre.

Latest available data released by the USCIS — which was analysed by TOI — shows that during 2015, as many as 34,843 Indians adjusted their temporary visa status and obtained green cards. Of this, 25,179 were holding jobs in the US (primarily under the H1-B category).

H-1B inquiries spike Immigration.com managing attorney Rajiv S Khanna says, “A new wrinkle in the inquiries is that, as USCIS had warned, they will not accept level-1 wages to be given in H-1B cases easily. They are questioning level-1 wages almost uniformly.”

He explains the various levels and illustrates the wages. Level-1 category relates to entry-level jobs and, at the other end, is the level-4 category which calls for a more technical and leadership role.

The prescribed wage at level 1 for a software developer in San Jose is $88,733 a year, which rises to $155,147 annually at level 4. Khanna adds, “It is the USCIS position that level-1 salary indicates a non-professional position that does not require a specific college degree and is a job that would be inappropriate for an H-1B visa.

There are often situations where level 1 is indeed the appropriate level — even the largest consulting firms in the US do send out entry-level professionals for assignments.”

Nachman explains, “The question that continues to arise in the RFEs is to prove that the position that the H-IB applicant will be taking is in a speciality occupation. The new set of questions that we are seeing has to do with why the level-1 wage has been chosen if the position is a ‘speciality position’ calling for a complex set of duties. As you can see, the US government is requiring us to argue that the position is ‘complex’ and then, on the other side, asking that if it is so complex why is a lower salary being assigned?”

The increase in inquiries is an administrative cost for all, and is especially challenging for those employers (mid-tier companies) that had designated level 1 even for more experienced visa applicants.

An influential American lawmaker has called for removal of country-specific quotas for legal permanent residency, also known as green cards, in the U.S. Congressman Kevin Yoder, R-Kan., who July 11 became the lead sponsor of the previous Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants Act, argued that the existing country-specific quota for green cards is unjust for people from countries like India and China.

A Pew Research report released this week said that the average wait time for an Indian technology professional or those seeking green cards under the employment category is more than 12 years.

The Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants Act was previously introduced by former-Rep. Jason Chaffetz, with Yoder as an original cosponsor. Currently, 230 Members of Congress have signed on as cosponsors of the bill, with more than 100 members from each party in support.

The Act reforms the legal immigration system by eliminating the existing, arbitrary per-country percentage caps that have caused backlogs in the employment-based green card system, he said. “Under the existing per-country percentage caps, large nations like India and China, which account for more than 40 percent of the world’s population, receive the same amount of visas as Greenland, a country that accounts for one-one thousandth of a percent of the world’s population,” he said.

“With about 95 percent of the employment-based green card applicants already living and working in America on temporary visas, the vast majority of applicants are simply waiting in line to get approved for permanent residence. But high-skilled immigrants from large countries are forced to wait two to three times longer under existing law,” Yoder said.

The Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants Act would correct this problem and leave in place a system where all equally-qualified, highly-skilled employees will receive green cards in the order they apply and based solely on the skills they are bringing to America, he explained.

Asserting that the United States is a nation of immigrants, as well as a nation of laws, Yoder said this legislation strikes the perfect balance by achieving significant reforms of the employment-based green card system, helping American companies hire high-skilled immigrants to help grow the American economy. “Importantly, our bill helps them do it through the proper legal channels – the right way – which are all too often forgotten in debates over border security and illegal immigration,” he said.

“And it helps the many immigrants who are already living and working here on temporary visas obtain permanent residence they’ve earned through hard work and dedication to our country and its values, raising their families and children as Americans right here in our communities,” Yoder added.

The Pew Research report noted that India is among the top countries whose residents get green cards every year. In 2015, about 36,318 Indians adjusted their status to permanent residency while 27,798 Indians are new arrivals who received lawful permanent residency in the form of a green card, Pew Research said.

“In one employment-related category, people from India applying for permanent residence as skilled employees currently have a 12-year waiting list. In other words, the government currently is processing applications filed in May of 2005,” the report said.

Pew said from fiscal years 2010 to 2014, about 36 percent of employment-related green cards, more than 222,000, were granted to H-1B visa holders. A green card holder can apply for U.S. citizenship after five years of residency. This period is shortened to three years if married to a U.S. citizen

Green card holders who adjusted their status are more likely than new arrivals to be in their prime working years of 25 to 64. Among those who adjusted their status, 72 percent were of ages 25 to 64, compared with 55 percent of new arrivals, the research report said.

According to the study, in every fiscal year since 2004, the U.S. has issued more green cards to immigrants living in the country on another visa who adjust their legal status (7.4 million) than to new arrivals (5.5 million).

Ground Zero recovery workers would get green cards allowing them to live legally in the United States under new legislation announced Sunday by Rep. Joseph Crowley. The bill would give legal status to workers who worked on the cleanup after the Sept. 11 terror attacks but faced deportation over a three-decade-old drug conviction.

The bill introduced in the US Congress by Rep. Joseph Crowley would help provide green cards to immigrant workers who helped clean up Ground Zero in New York in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks. The bill would allow for those immigrants to live legally in the U.S., according to a New York Daily News report.

“They went to work at a long, hazardous and sad job of cleaning up the destruction of a terrorist attack on that day. There is no doubt in my mind that what they did was beyond patriotic; it was heroic,” Crowley (D-Queens) said at a press conference outside City Hall. “They served our country when we needed a hand, and now we’re only showing them, unfortunately, the back of ours. Instead of gratitude, they’re being shown the door,” the congressman added.

The new legislation would allow an estimated 1,000 to 2,000 undocumented immigrants who toiled at the wreckage of the World Trade Center to become permanent residents, and eventually qualify for citizenship, it said. It would apply to people who worked on recovery and cleanup in lower Manhattan between Sept. 11, 2001, and July 2002, using the same definition applied in the Zadroga Act for medical benefits, the report noted.

The bill is scheduled to be formally introduced this month and the Daily News reports that backers are looking for a sponsor to introduce it in the Senate. “These men and women acted selflessly and bravely, often risking their lives and their health,” said Rep. Jerrold Nadler in the report. “I can tell you one thing we never did when they came to work on The Pile: We never asked their immigration status. We were just grateful for their presence and their help.”

My Second Home tour (hosted by leading Jewish-India scholar Professor Nathan Katz) features all the “must see” sights, while offering insights into the fascinating, little-known Jewish experience in India. Discover the dazzling cultural, historic and spiritual mosaic in a land where Jews have lived happily and made their mark for millennia. The itinerary is superb, the hotels are world-class, and the people you’ll meet spectacular.

His tour to South India with Nathan [Katz] was spectacular – “truly one of my favorite trips ever. We saw sights we never would have imagined. But the amazing thing was to have Nathan’s insights and historic perspective to gain a better understanding of the people and places we encountered. It gave such meaning to everything we saw and experienced. He imparted a love of India that is still with me today,” he said. Nina Piken, Boston, MA, who toured with Prof. Nathan Katz twice, to North India and South India

Air India announced that it is increasing its services to India from the U.S. to 33 flights per week with the launch of the only nonstop service out of Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) to Delhi (DEL), starting July 7, 2017.

The Boeing 777-200LR flights will depart Washington three times a week, on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday, with a flying time of just 14 hours – more than two hours faster than its nearest competitor. Flight No. AI-104 will depart Washington at 11:00 AM and arrive in Delhi at 10:30 AM the next morning. The westbound flight AI-103 will depart Delhi at 1:15 AM on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday and arrive in Washington at 7:15 AM the same day.

Washington Dulles is Air India’s fifth U.S. destination, which also includes Chicago O’Hare, New York JFK, Newark Liberty, and San Francisco International Airports. For passengers traveling beyond Delhi, Air India also offers convenient connections to major cities across India, including Bengaluru, Mumbai, Amritsar, Hyderabad, Chennai, Kochi and more. Like Air India’s other nonstop flights, the Washington-Delhi flights will feature First, Business, and Economy Class service, all offering a choice of Continental or Indian cuisine.

“Air India is committed to making service faster and more convenient for our customers, whether traveling for business or leisure,” said Ms. Vandana Sharma, Air India’s Regional Manager-Americas. “Our expanding service also addresses the growing demand of customers living and working in Indo-American communities throughout the U.S. that are looking for fast, direct service with seamless connections to cities across India, and the added convenience of customs and immigration formalities at the final destination. We are proud and privileged to fill that need.”

Air India, India’s national airline, has been in operation since 1932. Today, the airline serves 35 international destinations on four continents, and 66 cities across India. The airline’s fleet of 118 aircraft, including B787 Dreamliners and B777LR’s and ER’s, is one of the world’s youngest. Air India is also a member of the Star Alliance. For more information about the airline, visit www.airindia.in or call1-800-223-7776.

A U.S. visa program that faces elimination under several bills being considered by Congress has attracted more than 156 million applicants from around the world over the past decade, even though only a small fraction of those applicants end up receiving visas through it.

During the application period for fiscal year 2017, about 19 million people applied for the U.S. diversity visa program, otherwise known as the visa lottery. That’s more than twice as many as the 9 million who applied a decade ago, according to a Pew Research Center analysis of U.S. State Department data. During the same period, the number of visas issued to the principal applicants, spouses and children via the lottery has remained stable at about 50,000 per year (due to an annual ceiling set by Congress), or a little more than 500,000 since 2007.

In operation since 1995, the visa lottery seeks to diversify the U.S. immigrant population by granting visas to underrepresented nations. Citizens of countries with the most legal immigrant arrivals in recent years – such as Mexico, Canada, China and India – are not eligible to apply. Legal immigrants entering the U.S. on a diversity visa account for about 5% of the roughly 1 million people who are awarded green cards each year.

Those eligible for the lottery face few barriers when applying. There is no fee to apply; applications are available in many languages and only limited biographical information must be submitted. If selected for a diversity visa, however, individuals must provide detailed background information and submit to visa interviews, security checks and health screenings and pay $330. Upon entry into the U.S., diversity visa recipients are given lawful permanent residence status, which gives them permission to work and live permanently in the U.S.

The U.S. visa lottery program is unique in the world. (New Zealand has a similar program, but it is smaller in scale and only open to neighboring countries in Oceania.) Immigration programs in many other countries prioritize skills, family relationships or humanitarian need.

Open to eligible people from around the globe, the U.S. visa lottery provides a window of opportunity to countries where the idea of “the American dream” holds the most appeal. In fiscal 2015 (the most recent year for detailed data on application countries), about 12% of the 14.4 million people who applied for the visa lottery were citizens of Ghana (1.7 million). An additional 10%, or nearly 1.4 million applicants, were from Uzbekistan. Other top application countries included Ukraine (nearly 1.3 million applicants), Iran (more than 900,000) and Nepal (nearly 900,000). Numbers include principal applicants, their spouses and their children.

In some countries, a marked share of the population has applied for the program. In the Republic of Congo, for example, 10% of the country’s citizens applied for the program in fiscal 2015. Other African countries with high shares of applicants included Liberia (8%), Sierra Leone (8%) and Ghana (7%). European countries such as Albania (7%), Moldova (5%) and Ukraine (3%) also saw substantial shares of their populations submitting applications. In Asia, Uzbekistan (5%) and Nepal (3%) also had vast shares of their populations apply.

Since the program’s start in 1995, the U.S. has awarded about 20,000 visas annually to African citizens and another 20,000 to European citizens. Roughly 8,000 citizens of Asian countries, including islands in Oceania, have received diversity visas each year. Nearly 2,000 are given annually to those from the Americas. (Since 1999, the U.S. has awarded up to an additional 5,000 visas each year to citizens of Nicaragua, Cuba, El Salvador and Guatemala under the Nicaraguan Adjustment and Central America Relief Act.)

The origins of those eligible to apply for the lottery have changed over time. When at least 50,000 citizens of a country have immigrated to the U.S. over the previous five years, the citizens of that country becomes ineligible for the visa lottery. For example, due to an increase in immigration to the U.S., citizens of Bangladesh became ineligible to apply to the program beginning in 2013 (which could explain the drop in total applicants in 2013), while Nigerians became ineligible in 2015. Russians became eligible to enter the lottery in 2010 and Poles could begin applying in 2014 because immigration to the U.S. from these countries had declined.

Correction: A previous version of the map graphic gave an incorrect number for Russia. About 265,000 Russians applied for diversity visas in the application period for fiscal 2015 (map rounds to nearest 10,000).

Taxis For All Campaign & the New York Taxi Workers Alliance held a press conference to highlight how deregulating taxi services will destroy NYC jobs and preempt wheelchair accessibility programs by flooding NYC streets with unregulated for-hire vehicles

The New York Taxi Workers Alliance, which has a significant number of Indian and South Asian-origin cabbies, has issued a statement supporting taxi drivers on strike against Uber’s poverty pay in Qatar and India. The NYTWA is led by Indian-American activist Bhairavi Desai.

In a message issued here, Desai said, “Rights groups are concerned that the proposed Uber legislation discriminates against people with disabilities by not mandating wheelchair-accessibility standards, hurts consumers, erodes labor rights, and will destroy full-time work for professional drivers. Although the bill does not include NYC, it includes all of its surrounding cities and counties, meaning that NYC streets will be flooded with unregulated for-hire vehicles with no wheelchair accessibility mandates, hurting both passengers and professional drivers.”

In New Delhi, thousands of Uber drivers are on strike over issues of rate cuts and what they consider Uber’s global monopoly tactic of flooding streets with vehicles making it harder for each driver to make a living.

“Our brothers in India mobilized after a fellow Uber driver committed suicide from the persistent poverty and pressure to make lease payment,” the statement from NYTWA said, adding that Uber’s only response has been to file an injunction against the drivers’ organizations for striking.

“While multi-nationals often explain away deplorable treatment by pointing out lack of labor law in countries like Qatar, the reality is, Uber does not respect labor law anywhere, whether in Doha, New Delhi or New York,” the statement said.

The NYTWA said its 19,000-members stand in solidarity with the 700 Uber drivers in Qatar who are on their fifth day of strike. “We salute your courage, your determination, your loyalty to each other, and your passion for a world that is just to workers. We understand your strike is over Uber’s low wages and that this poverty for you brings the dire risks of deportation, as you risk losing your work visas when you cannot keep up with your car leases due to low pay.”

According to the NYTWA, the Uber drivers on strike in Doha, Qatar reached out to to them for solidarity after they saw the strength of their strike against the Muslim Ban and the #DeleteUber campaign.

Founded in 1998, NYTWA is the 19,000-member strong union of NYC taxicab drivers, representing yellow cab drivers, green car, and black car drivers, including drivers for Uber and Lyft.  We fight for justice, rights, respect and dignity for the over 50,000 licensed men and women who often labor 12 hour shifts with little pay and few protections in the city’s mobile sweatshop.  Our members come from every community, garage, and neighborhood. To find out more visit NYTWA.org, follow us on Twitter.com/NYTWA, or like us on facebook.com/nytwa.

Indian American Nirmal Narvekar, the new head of Harvard University’s endowment, is elading efforts to make changes to the fund by outsourcing most of its assets and lay off about half the staff, media reports say. Narvekar, who started his new role of endowment head in December, intends to slash half of the Harvard Management Co.’s 230-person staff and shift most of its money to outside managers.

The new chief executive of Harvard Management Co, which manages the university’s endowment, announced the plans in a letter, said the investment arm will shut down its internal hedge funds and let traders go by the middle of 2017, essentially abandoning a so-called hybrid model that was unique among big endowments.

The internal team that oversees real-estate investments will spin out into an independent group that is expected to keep managing money for Harvard. HMC will lay off roughly half of its 230-person staff, by the end of the year.

“The investment landscape has evolved significantly, requiring us to adapt two aspects of HMC’s organizational and investment models in order to maximize performance over the long term,” Narvekar wrote in the letter.

For decades, Harvard’s investment performance was the envy of the financial world, but it has lagged rivals for some years now and posted its worst performance since the financial crisis in fiscal 2016 when the portfolio lost 2 percent.

Harvard has long operated differently from most other schools, including fellow Ivy Leaguer Yale, managing some of its money internally and farming out only a portion to external managers.

Harvard first hinted at upcoming changes in June as performance continued to lag. While Narvekar is preparing to lay off dozens of employees, he is also hiring a team of four investors who he said will be instrumental in moving Harvard away from its specialized asset class investing approach to a more generalist model.

The four are Rick Slocum, who will join in March as chief investment officer, and Vir Dholabhai, Adam Goldstein and Charlie Saravia, who will be managing directors. Goldstein and Saravia worked with Narvekar previously when he ran Columbia University’s $9.6 billion endowment.

Narvekar, tasked to turn around the $35.7 billion fund, has proven that outsourcing could work, as he did with a 20-person staff at Columbia recently, outperforming Harvard in the process, a Bloomberg report said. “We can no longer justify the organizational complexity and resources necessary to support the investing activities of these portfolios,” Narvekar, 54, wrote Jan. 25 in a letter to Harvard. “Therefore, we have made some important but very difficult decisions.”

Harvard’s recent returns have trailed rivals in recent years. The endowment’s annualized gains of 5.7 percent over the 10 years ended June 30, 2016, are second-lowest among Ivy League schools and below the 8.1 percent returns of Yale University and Narvekar’s former employer Columbia, the WSJ reported. The endowment’s budget provides more than a third of the university’s operating budget and contributes to the costs of student financial aid, research and professor salaries.

The Indian consulate’s website is the latest Indian diplomatic websites to be hacked by a person claiming to be a 17-year-old student in Tokyo who asserts that it was a well-intentioned attempt to show the vulnerabilities that “even kids could exploit,” media reports here say.

The person, using the identity Kapustkiy, who had earlier hacked the web sites of seven Indian diplomatic missions in Europe and Asia, posted on a public web site the partial personal information of 418 people registered with the consulate said to be taken by penetrating its website.

Last week web sites of Indian diplomatic missions in South Africa, Libya, Malawi, Mali, Italy, Switzerland and Romania were hacked and non-public information were posted publicly. In an interview over Twitter on Monday, Kapustkiy said: “It took me only three seconds to gain access to their database.”

“Even the kids could exploit it,” he said of the vulnerabilities in the way the programing language, SQL or Structured Query Language, was used on the web sites. SQL is used by web sites to manage databases. His method was different from the hacking of Indian defence, business and media sites exposed last year by a Silicon Valley cybersecurity firm, FireEye, which said it was likely by China.

Those penetrations required more elaborate efforts like planting spying software in emails sent to people using those sites. But Kapustkiy’s methods appeared to be simpler and more direct, exposing more dangerous vulnerabilities.
The list said to be from the New York consulate was posted on a website, pastebin.com, which is open for public posting of information. The list was still on the site Monday night, even though the earlier postings from other Indian missions have been removed.

The consulate did not respond as of Monday night, New York time, to a request emailed to the press section for comments. The web site says that it is powered by Ardhas Technology India Private Limited, which has its registered office in Erode, Tamil Nadu.

Kapustkiy said: “I don’t describe myself as a hacker or something, but as a security pentester.” Pentester is short for penetration testers who examine the weaknesses of internet sites to intrusions.

On his Twitter account he also describes himself as a “cyber detective”. The hack did not affect functioning of the consulate’s website while the non-public data was being extracted from it. “I didn’t want to do any damage, but [only] to let administrators to pay attention [to the vulnerabilities],” Kapustkiy said.

“I could’ve leaked around 7,500 entries of people,” he said. “But I decided to leak only 400 entries which belong to the employees and not to the people. I could also leak there real address and zip code. But I didn’t do that.” However, the partial list seen by IANS appeared to be information about people who had registered with the consulate rather than employees.

Kapustkiy said that he first reported the problems to the web site administrators but didn’t get a response. “After all the media attention I gain they started to fix it,” he added. He said that Indian officials have not contacted him.

Around 20 domains connected to the Indian missions were hacked in the past and although they have been patched, he said, “there were still some domains that were vulnerable to exploit. You could find the vulnerability in three secs”.

About his future plans, he said, “I think that I will continue look at vulnerables in important websites in Asia.” Asked about his nationality, he said, “I don’t want to tell where I’m from, but most media are claiming that I’m from the Netherlands,

IANS

The number of Indian students studying in the US has gone up to over 165,000 during academic year 2015-16, a growth of 25 per cent over the previous year, says a report released on Monday.

According to the 2016 Open Doors Report on International Educational Exchange, there are 165,918 students from India, making it the second leading country of origin among international students in the US.

“This was the highest absolute increase of students ever and followed the previous year’s record growth,” said a statement released by the US consulate here.

India accounts for one out of every six international students in the US.

Approximately three-fifths of Indian students are at the graduate level and three-fourths are in the STEM fields (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics).

“Higher education continues to be the bedrock of our people-to-people ties.

“More students from India studied in the US than ever before — at all levels — and I am especially pleased to see the record back-to-back, year-on-year growth in student numbers,” said US Ambassador Richard R. Verma.

“With efforts such as our Passport to India initiative, we are also seeing the number of American students in India beginning to grow,” he added.

The Open Doors report is published annually by the Institute of International Education in partnership with the US Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.

According to the report, the number of international students in US colleges and universities surpassed one million for the first time during the 2015-16 academic year.

The number of international students increased by seven per cent over the previous year to a new high of nearly 1,044,000, representing five per cent of the total student population at US institutions.

This strong growth confirms that the US remains the destination of choice in higher education.

In 2015-16, there were nearly 69,000 more international students in US higher education compared to the previous year.

Michele Bond, Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs, had said in Hyderabad recently that last year, the US mission in India issued 60,000 student visas.

The US consulate general in Hyderabad issued the largest number of student visas in India, more than any of the consulates and the embassy.

“This consulate general in Hyderabad issues fifth largest number of student visas in the world. It is at fifth position among more than 200 embassies and consulates around the world,” she had said.

Open Doors also reports that more than 313,000 US students received credit last year for study abroad during 2014-15, an increase of nearly three per cent over the previous year.

India is ranked 13th among the top 25 destinations of US study abroad.

The number of US students going to India to study for academic credit at their home university in the US decreased by 3.2 per cent to 4,438, although this number has remained relatively flat across the last five years at 4,500.

The release of the new Open Doors data marks the celebration of International Education Week, a joint initiative of the US Department of State and the US Department of Education to prepare Americans for a global environment and attract future leaders from other countries to study, learn, and exchange experiences in the US.