MUMBAI: The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) which oversees immigration to the US, has announced a new process to apply for H-1B cap visas. Companies sponsoring employees for the H-1B cap visa will have to register electronically, giving basic details of their company and the concerned employee. The registration period will be open from March 1 to March 20, in the next calendar year. This new process kicks in for the filing season 2020-21 (which means, the earliest a selected employee can commence work in the US is from October 2020). Sponsoring companies will have to pay a non-refundable registration fee of $10 per registration. TOI was the first to report in its edition of August 21 that the new process will start from the forthcoming filing season. As step 2, the random selection process (known as the lottery) will be run on these electronic registrations. Companies will have to file H-1B visa applications with the exhaustive documentation, only on in … [Read more...] about E-registration kicks in for H-1B visa applications
Ph china visa application
Debunking 10 myths about China and the South China Sea
An international tribunal in the Hague ruled in favor of the Philippines Tuesday, concluding that there was no legal basis for China to claim historic rights to resources within South China Sea areas falling within the "nine-dash line."Beijing asserts sweeping ownership over the ocean areas, and the Paracels and the Spratlys - two island chains claimed in whole or in part by a number of countries. Here’s a comprehensive guide about the issue. IMAGE: Chinese Navy conducts a drill in the South China Sea. Photograph: Reuters In anticipation of a verdict to be delivered by the International Tribunal of the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague on Tuesday, China has orchestrated a worldwide campaign to defuse its findings. The case revolves around the Philippines objections to Chinese maritime territorial claims in the South China Sea. The fact that China has resorted to everything from newspaper advertisements and op-eds to academic attacks to diplomatic offensives … [Read more...] about Debunking 10 myths about China and the South China Sea
Change in visa penalty irks Bangladesh
A visa regulation, introduced by India about a year ago, has deeply irked Bangladesh. Following the regulation, members of the majority community of Bangladesh, Muslims, are now paying a penalty which is at least 200 times higher compared to the minorities, mainly Hindus, if they overstay in India. Bangladesh Foreign Ministry officials described the penalty structure as “discrimination on religious lines”. The officials said that they will raise the issue in the upcoming bilateral talks.The issue surfaced during Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s Kolkata visit about two weeks ago. Bangladeshi cricketer Saif Hasan had overstayed his visa. He informed the Deputy High Commission office in Kolkata, which in turn spoke to the FRRO. FRRO rules The FRRO rules, posted on its website, noted that the “penalty of overstay” for “minority communities from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan” is ₹500 for more than two years, ₹200 for 91 days to two … [Read more...] about Change in visa penalty irks Bangladesh
Microsoft keen to tap industrial internet potential in China
Microsoft announced on Thursday that it will start to offer in China its smart manufacturing solutions, jointly provided by UK-based accounting and professional services firm Ernst& Young. This is part of the US tech giant's efforts to tap into opportunities brought by the country's industrial internet. The product is based on Microsoft Azure, the company's cloud service, and is able to gather and analyze a huge amount of IoT, or internet of things, data to further offer management solutions to companies. "As China moves fast toward digitalization, especially in manufacturing, we hope to leverage our global insight and localized capabilities to speed up the process," said Horace Chow, chief operating officer of Microsoft China. The new move also reflects a broader push from multinational enterprises to gear up efforts in the industrial internet as the sector gains momentum in China. The industrial internet refers to a network of linked advanced machines with internet-connected … [Read more...] about Microsoft keen to tap industrial internet potential in China
California builds bridges with China
Cleaner technologies seen as basis for cooperation despite Washington's hand Despite political obstacles coming from Washington, California is set to collaborate with China in developing clean energy and a green economy to achieve environmental goals. "China and California have both set ambitious goals on electric cars and green infrastructure, with the overarching goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the next 25 years," said Max Oltersdorf, deputy director for international affairs and trade at the California governor's office. "This means that California was destined to become a close partner with China." California has established a goal of relying entirely on clean energy sources for its electricity by 2045, but the ambitious objective is faced with challenges at the federal level, such as the Trump administration's recent plan to revoke the state's right to set stricter air pollution standards for automobiles and impose new tariffs on Chinese-made solar products. "Recent … [Read more...] about California builds bridges with China