The following additional items may be of interest to our readers:
DOS to Open 2014 Diversity Visa Program Registration on 10/2/12:
Online registration for the Diversity Visa Program (DV-2014), or also known as the visa lottery, will begin on October 2, 2012, at 12:00 noon EDT, and conclude on Saturday, November 3, 2012 at 12:00 noon. Instructions for the program are not yet available.
Groups of Travelers Can Now Submit Multiple ESTA Applications:Â
As of August 15, 2012, the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) Web application will allow multiple applications to be submitted and paid for in one transaction. Applicants must enter biographic data and an email address to create a Group ID that will allow a family or group the ability to input up to 50 ESTA applications and complete the transactions in a single credit card payment. The change will benefit families and group travel by eliminating the redundancy of submitting each application as a separate transaction.
New EB-5 Program Office:Â
USCIS will create a new office to oversee its administration of the EB-5 Immigrant Investor program. The EB-5 program has grown rapidly in the last few years; in 2012 alone, USCIS has approved more than 3,100 conditional investor (I-526) petitions, triple the number approved in all of 2009. The EB-5 program now has eight expert economists on staff and a Review Board process, granting all applicants for which denial is recommended the opportunity to discuss their cases in-person before any final adverse decision is rendered. Presumably, the new EB-5 program will improve efficiency and uniformity of adjudication.