On April 8, an Indian-origin woman took the Oath of Allegiance and became a US citizen at the age of 99, much to the surprise and delight of Indians stuck in the #GreenCardbacklog. The naturalization of Daibai, a great grandmother of US-born kids of Indian descent, not only made headlines but also elicited an overwhelming response from all quarters. The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) shared a lively picture of Daibai holding the certificate of her new status, with the adage, “They say age is just a number”, on X (formerly Twitter).

PC: USCIS

The nonagenarian, who would turn 100 in 2025, has divided Green Card applicants from India into two groups – the hopefuls and the cynics – over her naturalization that took place in Orlando, Florida. The hopefuls celebrated Daibai’s newly attained US citizenship and called it a ray of hope amid the challenges of America’s outdated immigration system. They found her journey to citizenship inspiring for those on the verge of losing hopes even for legal permanent residency in the land of American Dream.

The news of Daibai having become a US citizen before she hit a century has driven google searches, ‘What is the maximum age for naturalization?’, ‘What is the current Green Card wait time for H1B visa holders from India?’ The cynics opined that her stars aligned to make her a US citizen, while the 134-year Green Card backlog is like a life sentence to nearly 11,00,000 Indians. They are happy for her; on the other hand, they are afraid whether many H1B visa professionals would be able to live as long as 100 years or more for a Green Card.

“I hope to become an American citizen before turning 99,” wrote an individual in response to the news of Daibai on X, calling for pressing reforms in the US immigration policy that seems to perpetuate the unprecedented wait times for Indians. Another individual wrote that like the 99-year-old Indian woman, he would be headlined for taking the Oath of Allegiance with senile bones, withered cheeks, drooping shoulders, unstable feet, and a toothless smile after 75 years from now. “I don’t want to die within months of receiving the citizenship. Rather, I would like to taste the fruit of my efforts to become a US citizen,” wrote one of the individuals.

“Not many immigrants know that the civic test for US Citizenship comes a lot easier for senior citizens aged 65 years or more. If they have resided in the US as permanent residents for at least 20 years, they are eligible an easier and simpler version of the civic test for naturalization. What is more interesting is that they can take the test in their native language,” said Sourav Agarwal, the Editor of Travel Beats, a leading community portal for Indians in America.

The post 99-year-old Great Grandmother from India Gets American Citizenship This Week appeared first on Travel to India, Cheap Flights to India, Aviation News, India Travel Tips.

Reforming the ‘long-broken’ US immigration system has been one of the foremost agendas of the Biden-Harris administration. The President vowed to establish a ‘fair and orderly’ immigration law that not only welcomes legal immigrants, but also keeps their families together and allows them to contribute more to the country in the long run.

PC: Image by Freepik

On 4 February, the US Senate introduced the bipartisan National Security Agreement with reform measures aligned to President Joe Biden’s vision for a fair immigration law in America. The bill not only addresses border security concerns caused by illegal immigration, but also seeks to expedite work permits to eligible H4 visa holders, introduce ageing-out protection for children of H1B visa professionals, and increase the cap on the number of Green Cards issued annually. The bill finds strong support at the White House as the Biden-Harris administration urges the Congress to pass the bill immediately.

The National Security Agreement, if passed into law, will benefit one lakh skilled H4 dependents – spouses and children of certain long-term H1-B visa holders – looking for employment in the US. At present, H4 visa holders are required to obtain a work permit, Employment Authorization Document (EAD), to work in the US. This process takes 6-12 months or longer, because of which many miss out on the employment opportunity.

To address this, the bipartisan bill proposed automatic work permits to 100,000 H4 dependents of H1B visa holders who have completed their immigration visa petitions. This would eliminate the need to apply and wait for EAD approval to seek employment in the US, thus allowing skilled dependents ‘to contribute more fully to the country’. It, in turn, is a relief to over 250,000 H-4 dependent children as they will have a legal right to stay and work in the US temporarily even if they age out during the immigration process. However, the benefit applies to those who accompanied their parents as children and stayed in the US for at least 8 years before they turned 21 years old.

The Senate bill also propounds significant measures to clear the massive Green Card backlog, which has become a challenge for both applicants and USCIS officials alike. It seeks to increase the number of Green Cards (Permanent Resident Card) issued every year, thus effectively getting to the root of the backlog.

An increase of the annual limit of 1,40,000 employment-based green cards to 1,58,000 for the next five years would benefit a total of 90,000 employment-based green card seekers. Of the proposed 250,000 additional green cards over the next five years; 1,60,000 family-based green cards would facilitate lawful pathways to citizenship and ‘keep families together’. To further support family reunions, the bill includes a provision for certain noncitizens’ travel to the US on a temporary visitor visa (B visa) to meet their family members.

Additionally, 25,000 K-1, K-2, and K-3 visa holders (foreign-citizen fiancé of a US citizen, children of foreign-citizen fiancé, and foreign-citizen spouse of a US citizen respectively) are among the eligible beneficiaries of the automatic work authorization.

The post What’s National Security Agreement that Seeks Automatic Work Authorization for Dependents of H1B Visa Holders appeared first on Travel to India, Cheap Flights to India, Aviation News, India Travel Tips.

Now NRIs and OCI cardholders are eligible to obtain an Aadhaar Card given they fulfil certain criteria. The government of India has brought new Aadhaar rules to make it easier and simpler for them. Hence, Non-Resident Indians and Overseas Citizens of India are required to use specified forms to enroll for an Aadhaar Card. The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) introduced separate forms for non-resident Indians under the Aadhaar (Enrolment and Update) Amendment Regulations, 2024 to eliminate confusion with resident Indians.

First things first, is it mandatory for NRIs to have an Aadhaar Card? Well, all overseas Indians holding an Indian passport are eligible for the Aadhar program, but applying for the 12-digit Aadhar ID is an individual choice as far as non-residents are concerned. It must be noted that they need a valid identity proof issued by the Indian Government such as Aadhaar to make any financial transactions in the country.

PC: Businessleague.in

As an NRI, if you seek Aadhaar for yourself or your minor children, you can apply any time you travel back to your homeland. You can visit an Aadhaar Seva Kendra (service center) to complete the registration and biometric verification process. Your valid Indian passport is a sufficient proof of identity (in fact the only accepted ID proof) for Aadhaar enrolment. However, a birth certificate is a must for applicants born on or after October 1, 2023, as per India’s new Aadhaar rules for NRIs.

Also, the latest amendment necessitates periodic update of individual information on their Aadhar document. Once every 10 years, Aadhar holders including NRIs must update their current address and other information in the centralized database. You can now do this online (through official website or mobile app) or offline (at an Aadhar enrolment center) as per your convenience.

New Aadhaar Enrolment/Update Forms for NRIs

UIDAI has introduced 9 forms for residents and overseas Indians. The form you need to fill for Aadhar enrolment/update depends on whether your address is in India or outside the country and the age group you fall in.

Form 1 and Form 3 are for applicants (both residents and non-residents) with a valid proof of address in India. Form 1 is the Aadhar enrolment/update form for those above 18 years of age while Form 3 is for enrolling children aged between 5 and 18 years.

Form 2 and Form 4 are specifically introduced for NRIs who apply for Aadhar enrolment/update with an address proof outside of India. Form 2 is applicable for NRI adults and Form 4 is for NRI children aged between 5 and 18 years.

You can also enroll children below 5 years and for this, you need to access separate forms – Form 5 (if the address is in India) and Form 6 (if the address is outside India).

Aadhaar Forms for OCI Cardholders

Earlier, Overseas Citizens of India were not eligible for an Aadhaar Card. After the government clarified that Aadhaar does not certify one’s citizenship, OCIs have been added to the categories of overseas Indians eligible for Aadhaar. However, there is a condition. Minimum 182 days of stay in India in a calendar year is compulsory for OCI cardholders to apply for an Aadhaar Card.

Applicants above 18 years, among OCI cardholders, should use Form 7 for Aadhaar enrolment. Form 8 is for OCI cardholders under 18 years. Their application without a valid email ID will be rejected.

And during the enrolment process, you must not fail to provide your email address. It must be noted that UIDAI doesn’t support international numbers and thus you wouldn’t receive any SMS/text notification regarding your Aadhar if you provide a non-Indian phone number.

The post Aadhaar News for NRIs and OCIs! India Simplifies Rules and Introduces Specific Forms appeared first on Travel to India, Cheap Flights to India, Aviation News, India Travel Tips.

Good news! The deadline for foreign citizens of Indian origin to convert their PIO cards to OCI cards has again been extended. Earlier, the government of India had set December 31, 2023 as the deadline. 31 December 2024 is the new deadline for the Person of Indian Origin cardholders to acquire the Overseas Citizen of India card, according to the latest press release by Indian Missions worldwide. Precisely, all PIO cards including the handwritten ones will remain valid travel documents for one more year.

All PIO cards including the handwritten ones will be accepted by the Indian immigration authorities at all airports until December 31, 2024, in compliance with the extended deadline for PIO card to OCI card conversion. All PIO cards will continue to be a valid travel document for entry into and exit from India. But, Indian Immigration Check Posts will not accept any PIO card, machine readable or handwritten, without a valid foreign passport.

The latest extension of the PIO to OCI card conversion deadline is subject to a condition for the handwritten PIO cardholders. If the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) issues a new deadline any time before December 2024, the validity of handwritten PIO cards will expire, thereby making it compulsory for them to get converted into machine-readable cards. Or else, the handwritten PIO cardholders will have to get an appropriate visa from Indian Missions.

To be precise, the deadline extension for conversion of handwritten PIO cards to OCI cards is conditional. All Indian-origin foreign citizens holding PIO cards, machine readable and handwritten, make sure to convert their PIO card to an OCI card in the meantime. Since the process takes 3-4 months, the sooner the better.

Also Check: Everything about Travel to and from India in 2024

Is it mandatory to convert PIO card to OCI card?

Yes, it is. All Person of Indian Origin Cardholders are deemed to be OCI Cardholders in India’s Citizenship Amendment Bill 2015. Hence, you need to convert your PIO card to OCI card before or by December 31, 2024. Until then, your PIO card is valid for travel to and from India.

The post PIO to OCI Card Conversion Deadline is Extended through December 2024 as All PIO Cards are Valid This Year appeared first on Travel to India, Cheap Flights to India, Aviation News, India Travel Tips.

We are flying into 2024. Let’s thank the Almighty for blessing us with another year of new goals and milestones. A new year brings along new hopes and new opportunities for whatever remains unachieved in the year passing by. Nearly 5 million Americans and immigrants of Indian origin are glorifying their motherland, India, in the US through their achievements in different walks of life and contributing to their adopted home in myriad ways.

Naturally, they have some expectations from their motherland and the land of American Dream. 2023 saw fulfilment of some of their wishes, such as a new Indian consulate in the West Coast (Seattle) and the approval of H1B visa renewal within the US. There are some other wishes like dual citizenship, no ageing out of children on H4 visa, no per-country cap on Green Cards to Indians, a federal holiday on Diwali…that have made it to their list of ‘New Year’ resolutions.

Dual Citizenship

To get a foreign citizenship is to lose Indian citizenship since the Constitution of India denies dual citizenship to overseas Indians. In 2022 alone, a record 2,25,620 Indians renounced their Indian citizenship to become citizens of the US or other countries. The yearly statistics on citizenship renunciation fuel a debate about whether dual citizenship is the solution, sparking NRIs’ hopes for policy amendment allowing them to reap the benefits of holding both Indian and US (or other foreign) citizenship.

Both naturalized US citizens of Indian-origin and the inflated community of Indian immigrants pursuing American Dream in the United States have been demanding dual citizenship for years, but the government of India continues to maintain its stance against their demand. Most recently, the question of whether Indians abroad would be able to hold their Indian passports alongside foreign passports resurfaced in the Parliament, to which the External Affairs Minister of India responded clarifying that and security challenges are major deterrents to granting dual citizenship.

That’s why the continued demand for dual citizenship is among economic the New Year resolutions on the checklist of Indian Americans. Though they are eligible for OCI cards which enable them to visit, live and work in India indefinitely, they don’t hold any right to invest in agricultural properties and contest elections in India. They are not entitled even to voting rights in India. Dual citizenship will give them greater global mobility.

Removal of Per-Country Cap on Employment-Based Green Cards

The removal of the 7% cap on employment-based green cards remains to be one of the long-standing resolutions of Indians in USA, whose contribution to the US economy has been immense. The US immigration law limiting the annual issuance of employment-based green cards to 140,000 and further implementing a 7% country-wise cap on this allotment is at the root of the mounting backlog cases, increasing wait times, and more importantly, jeopardizing the immigration status of children on the verge of aging out.

There has been a history of immigration reform bills and acts seeking to either phase out or raise the per-country cap on employment-based green cards. But none of these bills saw the light of the day, to the sheer dismay of 1.1 million Indians stuck in the mire of green card backlog with a wait period of 134 years – nearly double the average lifespan. Alternate proposals like green card recapture have been approved by the US Presidential Advisory Council, but yet to take effect.

Now, Indians have pinned their hopes on the Immigration Visa Efficiency and Security Act of 2023 (HR 6542). Introduced in the US House of Representatives by 3 influential US lawmakers including Indian American Raja Krishnamoorthi and Pramila Jayapal, the bill addresses unfair immigration policies and proposes to eliminate the per-country cap on employment-based green cards. 2024 will decide the fate of this bill, and hopefully, it turns the tide in favor of Indians.

Federal Holiday on Diwali

To get Diwali recognized as a federal holiday has been one of the resolutions of Indians in America since before the legislation – Deepavali Day Act – was introduced in 2021. The fast-growing populace of Indian immigrants throughout the US is still awaiting conversion of the bill into a law. Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi and Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney are among the key members who backed the act in the House of Representatives in a bid to make Diwali the 12th federal holiday in the United States.

Meanwhile, Diwali has begun to be observed as a public school holiday in New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. More and more US States are declaring October as ‘Hindu Heritage Month’. Since 2009, the ceremony of lighting a ceremonial lamp has been a sort of Deepavali tradition with US Presidents in the White House. Even as Indians’ cultural identity and their contribution to America’s ethnic diversity as well as socio-economic growth is being acknowledged more than ever, their demand for a federal holiday on Diwali is still unmet. May 2024 see this resolution be fulfilled for nearly 5 million Indian-origin people in America!

More Nonstop Routes to India from USA

At nearly 5 million, the rapidly growing Indian-origin community constitutes the second-largest immigrant group in the USA. A sizable portion of them call Seattle, Dallas, Atlanta, Houston, Boston, Los Angeles, and Detroit their home away from home. For years, they have been lobbying with Indian diplomats, Consul Generals, and airlines like Air India for nonstop flights to India. Few Indian American leaders have also started petitions urging to expand direct flights to India from Seattle, Dallas, Los Angeles and other US cities.

Nonstop flights to India from Charlotte or RDU Airport, North Carolina will facilitate frequent business trips of high-profile Indian professionals based in the Research Triangle Area. They have been vocal about the hassles involved in one-stop or two-stop itineraries such as long layovers, missed connections, transit visa issues, etc. Their appeals and demands are yet to yield results.

On the other hand, Air India’s plans to launch nonstop flights to Boston and Los Angeles came as welcome news for Indians in New England and Southern California. The airline is most likely to introduce nonstop service to Boston and Los Angeles in 2024 coinciding with the induction of its brand new A350-900 aircraft into international operations. With the fleet being upgraded and modernized as per the $400-million refurbishment plan, Air India is eying to expand its US-India nonstop service network beyond New York, Newark, Chicago, San Francisco, and DC.

The post 5 Million Indian-origin People in USA Pin Their Hopes on 2024 for These Long-standing Resolutions appeared first on Travel to India, Cheap Flights to India, Aviation News, India Travel Tips.

It will cost US visa seekers dearly to fulfil their American Dreams in the near future, as USCIS’ proposed visa fee hikes are likely to be effective in early 2024 for H1B, L, O, and EB5 categories. The visa fee hike proposal will also impact applicants seeking employment authorization, US citizenship, and green card status adjustment. Only the USCIS fees for premium processing of visas in all categories will remain unaffected; however, the premium processing timeline will increase from 15 calendar days to 15 business days as proposed by USCIS.

EB5 – the Golden Visa that ensures the fastest route to earning a Green Card – will cost foreign investors and entrepreneurs 204 times more than its current fees. Once USCIS’ visa fee hike proposal is approved, an EB5 visa will cost $11,160 instead of $3,675. This will surely be another setback to EB5 visa seekers, since the investment cap has been raised from $500,000 to a minimum $800,000.

The proposed H1B visa fee hike is, undoubtedly, not a fair surprise to H1B visa sponsors. The US employers hiring high-skilled foreign workers will have to shell out $780, a 70% hike on $460 per application. Moreover, the H1B pre-registration fee is to get a steep hike by 2050% – from a meagre $10 to a whopping $215. The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) agency reasons that they sought a significant hike in the H1B pre-registration fee based on a review of the increasing cost of managing the H1B registration system.

In its US visa fee hike proposal, USCIS sought a 201% increase from $460 to $1385 for an L1 visa, a non-immigrant visa for intra-company transfer. The O1 visa fee is likely to go up by 129%. O1, a visa for non-immigrant individuals with extraordinary ability or achievements, is one of the few options that highly-accomplished STEM professionals on H1B can switch to during the 60-day grace period following a layoff. They may find this option a deterrent in the event of the O1 visa fee increase.

Justifying the H1B, EB5, L1 and other visa fee hikes, USCIS said that the revision of the current visa fee schedule is a pressing need of the hour to meet the agency’s operating overheads, especially in view of the pandemic-hit revenue. The agency’s revenue plummeted by 40% during the pandemic – which resulted in freezing the hiring process and reducing the workforce, thereby affecting the capacity to clear backlogs. USCIS’ annual revenue is expected to rise from $3.28 billion to $5.2 billion if the latest revision of the visa fees is approved. The estimated revenue increase will help USCIS prevent the mounting of visa backlogs, upgrade the technological infrastructure, and augment the legal immigration system.

USCIS also proposed eliminating separate biometric services fee. At the same time, USCIS assured that the visa hike proposal would not impact the existing fee waiver eligibility norms for low-income groups. The agency also sought to introduce fee exemptions for visa applicants in the ‘humanitarian programs’ category.

The US visa hike proposal includes plans to introduce a new ‘Asylum Program Fee’ which will be levied on the employers filing Form I-129 (a petition for non-immigrant workers) and Form I-140 (a petition for employment-based LPR) for their foreign employees. The Asylum Program Fee, $600, will help the agency afford the expenses of administering the asylum programs.

The post All You Need to Know about USCIS’ Visa Fee Hike Proposal for H1B, L1, EB5 and Other Visa Categories appeared first on Travel to India, Cheap Flights to India, Aviation News, India Travel Tips.

AMERICA continues to reap the fruits of what Sardar JJ Singh did by unblocking the path to US Citizenship for Indian immigrants in 1946. It started attracting intelligent brains and innovative minds from free India. The passage to America was widened by Air India’s first flight from Bombay to New York in 1960. Since then, America has nurtured and preserved Indian talents with a myriad number of opportunities on its soil.

In their second/adopted home, the Indian American community is equally shining in every walk of life, from spirituality to science. Like every year, 2023 has seen the best of them, from their winning the Scripps National Spelling Bee to the Regeneron Science Talent Search and the Miss Teen USA title.

PC: The White House | Dr Subra Suresh (left), Dr Ashok Gadgil (right)

Dr Subra Suresh is awarded the National Medal of Science

Indian-American Dr Subra Suresh is one of the nine recipients of the ‘National Medal of Science’ this year. An accomplished engineer, scientist and academic, he is a rare breed of exceptional talent. His pioneering research across engineering, physical and life sciences earned him the coveted medal. Dr Suresh, a Padma Shri awardee, has published over 300 research papers and co-authored three books.

Born into a middle class family in Mumbai, Dr Suresh graduated from the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras. Having secured a full scholarship from Iowa University soon after his graduation, he bought a flight ticket to USA with borrowed money and flew to the land of the American Dream with nothing but $100 in his pocket and an ambition greater than his meagre funds. He received a Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Iowa State University and a PhD from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

After his postdoctoral research, he joined the engineering faculty at Brown University as the youngest member of the faculty. A decade later, he moved to MIT as a professor and later served as a dean. He was then nominated by the then-president Barack Obama (unanimously confirmed by the US Senate) as the director of the National Science Foundation.

Dr Subra Suresh holds the distinction of being one of the very few Americans elected to three branches of the US National Academies (engineering in 2002, sciences in 2012, and medicine in 2013). In his long years of academic service, he also held the positions of president at Carnegie Mellon University and Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. He returned to Brown’s School of Engineering in September 2023 as a professor at large.

Dr Ashok Gadgil is awarded the National Medal of Technology & Innovation

Mumbai-born Ashok Gadgil is among 12 tech revolutionaries presented with the ‘National Medal of Technology and Innovation’ at the White House. Hailed as a ‘humanitarian inventor’, Dr Gadgil dedicated himself to developing low-cost, sustainable solutions to tackle grave problems worldwide, ranging from water contamination to climate change. His ground-breaking innovations have touched the lives of over 100 million people across the world.

His inventions are driven by an urge to uplift the vulnerable and his belief in the power of innovation to transform lives. In his own words, his journey started with the resolve ‘to make lives a little better for those who are born in less fortunate societies, less fortunate countries, and less fortunate circumstances’ (quoted from his interview with Berkeley Labs). The 1993 cholera outbreak in south Asia led him to create UV Waterworks while the suffering of millions of refugees living in camps in Sudan’s Darfur spurred him to develop Berkeley-Darfur stove.

For his UV Waterworks, he bagged two awards in 1996 – Discover Award for the most significant environmental invention of the year and the Popular Science Award for “Best of What is New – 1996”.

A post-graduate alumnus of the Indian Institute of Technology, he earned M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees in Physics from the University of California, Berkeley. After his studies, he took a flight to India and joined a non-profit organization there. After 5 years, he flew back to California and began his career as a staff scientist at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL). A man of multiple interests, he expanded his knowledge and gained expertise in applied math, fluid dynamics, mechanical engineering, and technical, economic and policy research on energy efficiency in developing countries.

Indian American Ashok Gadgil is a distinguished Professor Emeritus of Civil and Environmental Engineering at UC Berkeley and the co-editor of the journal, Annual Review of Environment and Resources. He served as the former director for their Environmental Energy Technologies Division. According to Berkeley website, he has more than 105 refereed archival journal papers, 150 conference papers, and several patents. In recognition of his life-sustaining innovations, he was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2014.

The post Who are These Gems of Bharat? President Biden Awards America’s Highest Honor in Science & Technology to Them appeared first on Travel to India, Cheap Flights to India, Aviation News, India Travel Tips.

The United States’ H-1B program, a passage to the land of American Dream for foreign professionals, has been awaiting reforms since the Biden-Harris administration was formed. The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is now inching towards working on the reforms. Being the biggest beneficiary of this employment-based visa, Indians, more than anyone else, might greatly be impacted by an overhaul of the H-1B visa system if it takes effect.

The USCIS proposed a new rule to modernize the H-1B visa system, amending some of its regulations concerning H-1B specialty occupations and its current beneficiaries as well as international students on F1 visa awaiting change of status to H-1B for employment. USCIS’ proposal primarily seeks to revise ‘employer-employee relationship’ for H-1B program, provide greater flexibility for startup entrepreneurs, update site visit guidelines (site visits refer to immigration officers’ unannounced arrival at workplace to cross-verify the employment of foreign employees and prevent immigration fraud), address cap-gap issues for F1 students, and foolproof H-1B cap e-registration system.

Employer-employee Relationship for H1B Petition Approval

At present, the ‘employer-employee relationship’ is determined by the sponsor’s ability ‘to hire, pay, fire, supervise, or otherwise control the work of the employee’. Establishing a valid employee-employer relationship by submitting necessary proofs is crucial for approval of the H-1B petition. Redefining what constitutes an employer-employee relationship can possibly shift the ground for approval/denial of the H-1B petitions. Also, regulations related to establishing this relationship when a supervisor places his/her H-1B employee at a third party establishment were changed recently, and require both parties to file H-1B petitions in such cases.

Cap-Gap Extension for F1 Students in USA 

Other than the 65,000 H-1B visas issued by the US annually, an additional 20,000 visas are allotted for students graduating from American universities. Indian students on F1 visas who sign up for a standard 12-month optional practical training (OPT) post completion of their advanced degree are among the beneficiaries of this F1 status upgrade. This temporary employment usually opens the door for H-1B sponsorship, with the organizations who wish to employ their OPT candidates by sponsoring them for H-1B visas.

The period between the expiry of their F1 status/OPT employment authorization and the start of H-1B status is referred to as the ‘cap gap’. When the employers file H-1B petitions for these candidates during the H-1B filing season (which typically starts in April) for the following fiscal year, these F1 students or OPT candidates with pending/approved H-1B petition qualify for cap-gap extension, which is extension of F1 status/employment authorization until the start of fiscal year (Oct 1). However, if the petition isn’t processed, then such candidates are disentitled to work in the new fiscal year. This delay in processing H-1B requests continues to affect eligible students and the new rule is likely to resolve this issue, which would benefit over 2,00,000 Indian students looking forward to settling in USA after their education.

H-1B e-Registration System & Lottery Selection

Online registrations for H-1B visas are exponentially higher than what the US approves in accordance with the annual cap set on H-1B visas (65,000). To select applicants for further processing from this pool of registrations, the USCIS randomly picks them on a lottery basis. This aggressive competition for the most sought-after work visa seemed to have made way for visa fraud as employers resorted to submitting multiple online registrations for one beneficiary to maximize his/her chances of selection in the H-1B lottery. USCIS, having suspected gaming of the system, is planning to overhaul the procedure to remove these loopholes and prevent misuse of the H1B visa system.

USCIS’ proposed rule for H-1B reform is currently under review by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) within the Executive Office of the President. Its implementation is still a long way ahead, several months to be specific. Reportedly, it will be published in the Federal Register in December 2023 and public opinions will be collected in the following 30-60 day public comment period. If finalized, the new rule will come into force just in time for the upcoming H-1B cap filing season in April 2024. Interestingly, some aspects of the USCIS’ new rule to reform the H-1B program were a part of the Biden administration’s first bi-annual agenda announced in June 2021.

The post Part of Biden’s Agenda, Proposed Rules will Increase H1B Visa Safeguards and Address F1 Visa Cap-gap Issue appeared first on Travel to India, Cheap Flights to India, Aviation News, India Travel Tips.

Indian American Calyampudi Radhakrishna Rao, who was a living legend in Statistics, departed to heaven before India reached the Moon on August 23. At the age of 102, Dr C R Rao, a mathematician with several feathers in his cap, breathed his last at his residence in Buffalo, New York on August 22.

Unlike today’s Green Card and US citizenship aspirants, Dr C R Rao had served Mother India until his retirement at the age of 60 before he settled in the United States.  He was once again in the spotlight of global media as he was awarded the International Prize in Statistics 2023 in July for his monumental work done 75 years ago, which “not only revolutionized statistical thinking in its time but also continues to exert enormous influence on human understanding of science across a wide spectrum of disciplines”, according to the International Prize in Statistics Foundation’s chair.

PC: PTI (left) and Bhavana.org.in (right)

The International Prize in Statistics is the highest honor in the field of Statistics and equivalent to the Nobel Prize. The prize comes with $80,000. The award celebrates the fundamental results that Dr Rao demonstrated in his 1945 paper published in the Bulletin of the Calcutta Mathematical Society. “His three fundamental results – the Cramer-Rao lower bound, the Rao-Blackwell Theorem, and Information Geometry – paved the way for the modern arena of statistics and provided statistical tools heavily used in science today,” said the International Prize in Statistics Foundation.

The Cramer-Rao lower bound is of significant use in signal processing, quantum physics, spectroscopy, multiple image radiography, and likes. The Rao-Blackwell theorem has influenced research on stereology, particle filtering, computational econometrics, and others. Dr Calyampudi Radhakrishna Rao’s Information Geometry has been a great use for recent advancements in artificial intelligence, signal processing, data science, and image segregation. His work in the field of statistics has profound impact on other fields such as economics, biometry, medicine, national planning, genetics, and anthropology.

Dr C. R. Rao, who received the United States’ National Medal of Science in 2002, was born in a Telugu family in Karnataka in 1920. He had stumbled into statistics over his failure to secure military service during the British rule in India. He was among the first five students to have earned a master’s degree in statistics from Calcutta University. When he was barely 5, he could memorize multiplication tables up to 16 by 16, which helped people with everyday monetary transactions in the pre-independence era. He gave credit to his mother for instilling discipline into his life. He wrote in one of his books:

“In my younger days, she woke me up every day at 4 in the morning and lit the oil lamp for me to study in the quiet hours of the morning when the mind is fresh.”

At the age of 102, he was a Professor Emeritus at Pennsylvania State University and a Research Professor at the University of Buffalo, New York. In 2010, he received the India Science Award, the most prestigious honor that the government of India confers in the domain of science. Prior to that, he received the Padma Bhushan in 1968 and the Padma Vibhushan in 2001. In 2013, he had earned nomination for the Noble Peace Prize for his contribution to the International Encyclopaedia of Statistical Science.

The third and the first Indian-origin recipient of the International Award in Statistics, Dr C. R. Rao earned 38 honorary doctoral degrees from universities in as many as 19 countries. He was a member of National Academies in India, the UK, the US, and Italy. He was also the President of the International Statistical Institute headquartered in the Netherlands, and the International Biometric Society headquartered in Washington DC. He was also a Senior Policy and Statistics Advisor for the Indian Heart Association (IHA), a non-profit organization committed to making the South Asian population aware of cardiovascular health.

The post At 102, Indian American CR Rao who Earned 38 Honorary Doctoral Degrees from 19 Countries Takes His Last Breath appeared first on Travel to India, Cheap Flights to India, Aviation News, India Travel Tips.

Unless you travel on nonstop flights between USA and India, checking the citizenship-based visa requirements for transit in a third country is a prerequisite for international travel. This simple step can avert unexpected events such as denial of boarding. If you are scheduled to travel between India and USA via Canada, you should know whether you need to have a transit visa for Canada.

Many Indian nationals are unaware of Canada’s transit visa requirement for their travel on Air Canada flights between USA and India. On top of that they are under the misconception that their US visa authorizes them to travel to USA or India via Canada without a transit visa. The fact is that only US citizens and Green Card holders are eligible for visa-free transit in Canada.

PC: Vashistimmigration.com

Do all Indian citizens require a Canadian transit visa?

India is listed among the visa-required countries by Canada. Hence, Indian passport holders are required to apply for a Canadian transit visa before they google Air Canada’s best deals for USA-India flights. According to Canada’s immigration rules, you need a transit visa if

• You are taking a connecting flight to/from USA at an airport in Canada
• Your international flight stops at a Canadian airport on its way to India/USA
• Your US-India itinerary has a layover (less than 48 hours) at any Canadian airport

Do Indians holding a US visa require a transit visa for a layover/connecting flight in Canada? 

Yes, they do. A transit visa is mandatory for all Indian citizens for transiting through Canada on the way to USA or India. This rule has nothing to do with whatever US visa you have, except Green Card. Be it an H1B, H4, B1/B2, F1/F2 or L1/L2 visa, you must have a Canadian transit visa for traveling on Air Canada between USA and India. The only exception is given for Indians with American citizenship who can transit through Canada visa-free.

Transit visa vs tourist visa for Indians traveling through Canada

A Canadian transit visa is valid for a maximum of 1 or 2 entries and it permits Indians to transit through the airports in Canada for less than 48 hours without leaving the transit zone. If you wish to leave the airport during the layover or if the connection time is longer than 48 hours, then you need a visitor visa. So, kindly note that a transit visa is considered invalid for itineraries with long layovers exceeding 48 hours.

Interestingly, Canada’s transit visa is issued free of charge, and you need to apply at least a few weeks before your planned travel from USA to India via Canada.

The post Do Indians Need Transit Visa for Canada? Check if You are Traveling to USA or India via Canada appeared first on Travel to India, Cheap Flights to India, Aviation News, India Travel Tips.