Hi [FORMATTED_FIRST_NAME GOES HERE],
Happy Wednesday night. ✨
Soundarya here, founder of unshackled.club. :)
I'm writing this from Bangalore Airport, about to board a flight to San Francisco in an hour. My apologies for not sending this in the morning! It's been an overly chaotic last few days in India (as you can imagine), but I didn't want to miss sending this on a Wednesday.
Two quick updates:
- Are you a student at MIT? We're currently looking for volunteers from MIT to work with us on hosting the "Unshackled Campus Tour" at MIT. If you are from there, or know a friend, hit reply and let me know. Excited to work with you!
- Do you recommend any law firm from Boston, MA? We've found partners for all cities in our campus tour except for Boston, MA. If you have a lawyer/law firm you'd highly recommend, hit reply and let me know. Thanks in advance!
And if you haven't yet, find your university and sign up for the Unshackled Campus Tour over here, for free. Spots are limited to 250 per university.
Now, onto the newsletter.
You're receiving this email as part of the Unshackled weekly newsletter. Immigration is a complex world. So every Wednesday, I simplify that by sharing breaking news, free webinar invites, & latest trends. If you find value in reading it, forward this to a lucky friend. If this was forwarded to you, get your own here! Read all the past editions here. 💃 |
This week's TL;DR
📌 UNfold: Breaking news
US Aims to Further Reduce Visitor Visa Wait Times for Indians Following 75% Decrease
The United States is actively working to further reduce wait times for visitor visas for Indians, following a 75% reduction recorded last year. Rena Bitter, Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Bureau of Consular Affairs, mentioned that the embassy in India processed 1.4 million visas in 2023, with no wait times in most categories except for first-time tourists. While the wait time for tourism visas has already decreased by 75%, efforts are ongoing to address any remaining delays. Also, the H-1B domestic renewal pilot program will conclude in February. Be sure to apply for it by then!
USCIS has announced a pretty big increase in the fees for H-1B visa registration along with an increase across most visa categories, including the L-1, O-1, EB-1, EB-5, and more. Starting from April 1, 2024, the H-1B registration fee will rise from $10 to $215, marking a 2,050% increase. Further, the petition filing fee for Form I-129 H-1B will increase from $460 to $780, a 70% rise.
Good news! The denial rate for H-1B visas in fiscal year (FY) 2023 was 3.5%, according to a study by the National Foundation for American Policy (NFAP). While this rate is higher than the 2.2% in FY 2022, it remains significantly lower than the 24% rate (yep!) in FY 2018 under the Trump administration. Amazon had the most approved H-1B applications for initial employment in FY 2023, followed by Cognizant and Infosys. The study also talks about the importance of the H-1B program for U.S. competitiveness and innovation, cautioning against policies that may drive jobs and innovation outside the U.S.
🎁 UNlock: Webinar invites & resources
With the shortage of U.S. workers in many STEM fields, H-1B workers are an increasingly vital part of the U.S. workforce. This webinar will address the requirements, processing times, and validity periods for H-1B status as well as provide an overview of long-term considerations for retaining H-1B workers, including planning for permanent residency sponsorship. Ideal for recruiters and HR managers.
If you're planning to get a green card at some point, check out this article. It provides an overview of the I-140 immigrant petition process for individuals seeking permanent residency in the United States. It shares detailed information on each stage of the process, along with insights into required documents and associated fees.
We hosted a very insightful masterclass featuring Siddharth Krishnan, a UNC Charlotte faculty member renowned for his expertise in applied artificial intelligence and machine learning. Siddharth obtained his EB-1A extraordinary green card in 2020 and has been coaching dozens of aspirants since then on their petition. He shares his extensive knowledge to kickstart the peer-reviewing journey.
💫 UNcover: Latest trends
🪄 UNveil: This week’s partners
Are you a student founder or an aspiring entrepreneur? Book a FREE, 30-minute consult with Charles Gillman, an accomplished immigration lawyer with three decades of experience. Charles is a Partner at Gonzalez Olivieri LLC, a well-regarded law firm based in Houston, Texas. Charles will take you through the available options to build your company on an H-1B, O-1, IEP, and more. This is a limited-time offer, so be sure to make good use of it!
Ready to ditch the confusion and take charge of your immigration journey? Connect with Poonam Gupta, a strategic immigration lawyer! Have a compassionate legal counsel by your side – one who understands not just the legalities, but the human story behind them. Poonam will help you create a tailored roadmap for your American dream, no matter what path you want to take. Book a FREE strategy session with Poonam.
👉 Want to put yourself in front of 11,000+ high-skilled immigrants? Just hit reply to start a conversation.
Until next week, stay lovely.
Yours truly,
Soundarya 💚
💡 None of the information shared in this newsletter is meant to be legal advice. If you're looking for legal advice, speak to a lawyer, or hit reply and let me know so I can connect you with one.