Updates and News

Updates and News for International Students in the U.S.


Visa Waiver Program

Seven new countries have been added to the United States Visa Waiver Program (VWP), allowing citizens of those countries to travel to the United States for business or tourism for up to 90 days without a visa.

These seven countries are the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Malta,  Lithuania, Slovakia, and South Korea. They will join the list of 27 countries already approved under this program. Nationals participating in the VWP must travel only for business, pleasure, or transit, stay in the United States for 90 days or less, and, if arriving by sea or by air, hold a valid ticket for return or onward travel.

This information is especially important for international students because once implemented, it will allow their family members from these countries to come to visit them in the United States for up to a 90 day period, without having to apply for a visitor visa.

Also note that effective July 1, 2009, all VWP emergency or temporary passports must be electronic passports (e-passports) to be eligible for travel to the United States under VWP.  Read the CBP Web site notice.

 

Diversity Visa Lottery 2011 Starts October 2008

The U.S. State Department has published its announcement of the 2011 Diversity Visa Lottery. The Diversity Visa lottery (DV) is a program mandated under Section 203 (c) of the Immigration Act of 1990. The legislation makes available up to 50,000 permanent resident immigrant visas by random selection through an annual diversity visa lottery. The registration period will last for approximately sixty days, beginning at noon Eastern Daylight Time (GMT-4) on Thursday, Oct. 2, 2008 and ending at noon Eastern Standard Time (GMT-5) on Monday, Nov. 30, 2009. As has been the case for the last five years, the Diversity Visa Lottery Program will be conducted entirely on-line via the internet, through the officially designated website: http://www.dvlottery.state.gov. Paper entries are not accepted.  Please file as early as possible.

Individuals born in "High admission" countries, defined as those from which the United States has received more than 50,000 immigrants during the last five years in the immediate relative, family and employment preference categories, are not eligible to apply. The list of high admission countries that are NOT included in the diversity visa lottery are: Brazil, Canada, China (mainland born), Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, India, Jamaica, Mexico, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Poland, South Korea, the United Kingdom and dependent territories, and Vietnam.

Beginning on July 1, 2010, you may check your entry status on-line on the Web site using your number.  Winners will be notified by regular mail, not e-mail.  However, an e-mail address must be provided.

Winners will be selected at random.

To review the announcement, go to: http://travel.state.gov/visa/immigrants/types/types_1318.html 

Please note that applicants cannot file an electronic application for the Diversity Visa Lottery any earlier than Oct. 2.


F-1 Optional Practical Training (OPT) and the H1b Cap Gap Extension

On April 8, 2008, the Department of Homeland Security published an interim final rule that changed several key aspects of F-1 Optional Practical Training (OPT) and the H1b Cap Gap Extension and periods of unemployment. You can access updated news and information via U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Web site.