New software to help speed up visa process for international students

The University is looking to speed up the way it handles international student visas, purchasing new software to bring the process online for the first time.The software will allow the International Services Office to handle requests from a rising number of foreign students, which totaled 3,560 undergraduate and graduate students this year. It marks the latest big investment to help accommodate an international student population that's expected to reach 15 percent of all undergraduates over the next decade.Greg Leonard, who leads the ISO, said the software keeps track of paperwork for I-20 forms, which are required for all international students but can take several weeks for both GW and the federal government to process.The new software, which Leonard said last year would cost between $10,000 and $18,000, will improve many of the office's functions,apply for china visa in houston from digitizing the forms students submit to the offices to improving communication throughout the process.

Timely completion of those forms is important, Leonard said, because otherwise students could not receive visas on time to attend GW. On rare occasions, he said students' forms are so delayed that they cannot come to the U.S. for at least a semester, a problem that is growing nationally as more universities actively increase international recruitment."It is one of the most difficult steps in part because it's a go/no-go situation. You get the visa and an opportunity to pursue your dreams,China Work Visa application or you don't get the visa and you go back to your home to reevaluate your life's plans," Leonard said.GW has increased services for international students across aspects of the University in preparation for the strategic plan's implementation.

International students typically pay full tuition, a plus for the tuition-dependent University.Tianyu Ye, a senior from China, said waiting for the I-20 to be completely processed can take up to two or three months. He said having clearer instructions from GW's office would also help speed along the process.He added that international students sometimes struggle with filling out standard forms in a language which they typically do not use."It would also be helpful if we can also get an example of how to prepare the financial statements in English. I think that would also be helpful, because we can do it by our own, but our life can be made easier," Ye said.

Canada Fastracks Visa Applications from Regions Affected by Typhoon Haiyan

The Saudi crackdown comes as human rights groups warn of the widespread abuse of migrant workers in the construction sector in neighboring Qatar - which is building facilities to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) announced in a news release that it will speed up the visa applications submitted by Filipino applicants who have been significantly affected by Typhoon Haiyan, which swept across the Philippines on November 8, 2013.According to BBC News, approximately 11 million people have been affected by the storm and 673,000 displaced. It also states that the official death toll calculated by the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council is at 1,774 with 2,487 wounded and 82 missing as of November 12, 2013.

In response to the disaster, Citizenship and Immigration Canada promises to prioritize visa applications from the Philippines and assess requests from Filipino temporary workers in Canada to extend their stay with compassion and flexibility. CIC also reminds Canadian citizens in the region affected by the storm that the Canadian Embassy in Manila remains to be functional and in full capacity to provide visa, immigration, and passport services."Canadian are deeply saddened by the devastating impact Typhoon Haiyan has had on the Philippine people," stated Chris Alexander, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration. "Our government will continue to take action to suppose those impacted by the storm and we will work with our partners to ensure that urgent support is provided to those who are significantly affected by this tragic event."

CIC anticipates the Philippines to be one of the top countries of origin for new Canadian immigrants next year and plans to increase admission of Filipino live-in caregivers to 17,500 people to reduce its backlog in processing applications, as reported in CTV News."Those affected by Typhoon Haiyan are the ones who need help urgently because they've lost their homes, in some cases, they've lost everything, their livelihoods, and they can benefit from the help of family and community here in Canada if we bring those cases to the front," said Alexander.

At the US London embassy the ticket-based queueing system

"The Communist Party thinks that any kind of concession they make might upset their authority," says Mooney. "I don't think many people realize how precarious this situation is. The Communist party is incredibly ruthless; I don't expect it to collapse or fall but things are going to get much, much worse." High quality global journalism requires investment. Please share this article with others using the link below, do not cut & paste the article. See our Ts&Cs and Copyright Policy for more detail. Email ftsales.support@ft.com to buy additional rights. Am I coming to the US to engage in prostitution? Do I belong to a clan or tribe? Do I have tuberculosis or infectious leprosy?I have just renewed my five-year US visitor's visa China Crew Visa application after truthfully answering "no" to the above and many other questions.

At the US London embassy the ticket-based queueing system was well organised, there was free coffee, the consular staff who interviewed me were good-humoured and my passport was returned with a fresh visa just three days later.But as I filled in the application form before my embassy appointment, I wondered what the point was of asking "Do you seek to engage in terrorist activities while in the United States?" when those who plan to do so will surely click "no".Why are some of the questions so imprecise? For example, on the form I had to fill in as a journalist, I require a particular type of visa, I was asked if I had ever been responsible as a government official for "particularly severe violations of religious freedom". What does particularly severe mean? Are mild violations of religious freedom acceptable?

Or take an example from the Electronic System for Travel Authorisation form that visitors with a US visa waiver complete this includes tourists from many European and some other countries: "Have you ever been arrested or convicted for an offence or crime involving moral turpitude?"What is a crime involving moral turpitude? Does agreeing to accept someone else's speeding points count as moral turpitude when an opinion poll by the AA motoring organisation suggested 300,000 people in the UK had done that?And, finally,China Business Visa application how did US visa application forms come to be such a curious agglomeration of questions?My first query – whether miscreants are likely to answer incriminating questions truthfully – is one nearly every visa applicant asks. "Clients constantly say: 'Are you kidding? Does anyone answer 'yes'?'" says Kehrela Hodkinson, a London-based US immigration lawyer.

People smugglers selling asylum seekers passports and visas for entry to Australia by plane

When the 36-year-old Iraqi, whose real name is Hakim Salga, was asked if many other people had already used the black-market documents, he replied: "Yes, to Australia, New Zealand, lots of people have arrived there," using passports issued by Bahrain and Oman.The people smuggler advises his customers to use the passports and visas to board the plane then to tear up the passport before arriving in Australia.Mr Tarek claimed to be selling two types of Australian visa: holiday visas, and transit visas for flights going on to New Zealand.The investigation further revealed that the syndicate of smugglers has targeted Lebanese asylum seekers from the troubled north of the country, which borders Syria.

According to figures from the Department of Immigration, the number of Lebanese applying for asylum at Australian airports has jumped from 182 to 327 in the past year.Locals confirmed that more than 200 people from the village of Qabeit had paid people smugglers to send them to Australia by plane and by boat.Responding to the Four Corners report, Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said: "If there are any allegations, of course, we would follow them up but I have great confidence in the integrity of the Australian passport system."The Four Corners investigation identified Iraqi man Abu Saleh, jailed for the stabbing death of a man in a Jakarta nightclub, as being a part of the same syndicate.Saleh, also known as Hussain Hamid Aboudi, is running a people smuggling operation from inside prison in Jakarta - with the help of prison authorities.

Saleh organised the boat which sank in late September off the coast of Java, killing 44, including 18 children.The organisation and deals for the doomed trip were carried out from inside the prison.Lebanese asylum seeker Abdullah al Qisi says he was escorted by police into the prison where he met Saleh."I found Abu Saleh. He was like a king. He always have six seven phones and like $100,000 on the table."A senior Indonesian police source has confirmed they are investigating Saleh but says efforts have been hampered by corrupt prison officials.

Many SD projects used EB-5 visa program

"In a democracy, we have learnt that every opinion must be respected even if it is not accepted," he said.Referring to Modi, Sinha said it often scares him that there is "too much expectation from one person" and from his "magic wand" but stated that if BJP comes to power in next year's general election, it will begin working on providing solutions to the issues plaguing the country."The kind of mega scams that have hit the country, right from Coalgate to Railgate, people are wondering what is happening. No concrete action is being taken and even if some action is taken it is China Work Visa application form too little too late," he said.Sinha, who had earlier pitched for senior BJP leader L K Advani, saying he was the best choice for party's prime ministerial candidate, denied that he has taken a U-turn by backing Modi.

Countering claims that his support for Modi now tantamounts to a "U-turn", Sinha said, "I have not taken a U-turn regarding my opinion about the Gujarat Chief Minister but have taken the right turn at the right time". More than a dozen other large South Dakota projects were funded by the same controversial visa program used by the Northern Beef Packers Plant that is now bankrupt and under an apparent federal investigation.Projects including a power plant, several dairies and a Black Hills hotel and casino were funded entirely or in part by wealthy foreigners who invested $500,000 each in exchange for green cards through the federal EB-5 program, the Argus Leader reported. Many of those projects are successful enterprises, but at least one other is a failure.

Former officials of the Northern Beef Packers plant have said federal investigators have been asking questions about the financial dealings and EB-5. The 120 Chinese investors who loaned $500,000 each to the plant are now seeking in bankruptcy court to get as much of their investment back as they can.But Ken Rutledge, CEO of Huron's Dakota Provisions turkey processing plant, says the financing program worked well for that plant."It's a terrific program," he said.Dakota Provisions borrowed $55 million from 110 foreign investors under the EB-5 program. It now employs about 800 people,China Student Visa application even though it's not yet running at full capacity.

This act could drain this country of our very best civilian

"For the past few months, we have been seeing an alarming number of Afghan SIV applicants denied by Embassy Kabul for allegedly 'not facing a threat,' " said Becca Heller, director of the Iraqi Refugee Assistance Project, which represents Iraqi and Afghan clients."These are people being hunted down by Taliban forces because of their work with the United States," she said. "Many of them have been shot at or kidnapped, and others have hard evidence in the form of death letters and death lists from the Taliban."Some worry that the United States is denying the visas to prevent talented, English-speaking interpreters from leaving Afghanistan. Those men and women would be assets to any long-term American presence in the country, some U.S. officials have said.

"This act could drain this country of our very best civilian and military partners: our Afghan employees," then-Ambassador Karl Eikenberry wrote in a February 2010 cable to Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton that was obtained a year later by the Associated Press. He warned that the program could "have a significant deleterious impact on staffing and morale, as well as undermining our overall mission in Afghanistan. Local staff are not easily replenished in a society at 28 percent literacy."Interpreters whose visa applications have been denied say they are puzzled by the standards being used."What's a serious ongoing threat for them? Do they need someone to bring in my decapitated head?" said another interpreter, who also spoke on the condition of anonymity for security reasons.

"The Taliban posted a letter on our house saying next time I come inside my house, they will kill my whole family. That's still not good enough?"A federal investigation into visa use by Infosys, the Indian technology outsourcing giant, has brought to light widespread abuses in the industry and prompted investigations into other foreign outsourcing firms, federal officials said Wednesday. In the largest settlement ever in an immigration case, Infosys admitted no visa violations but agreed Wednesday to pay $34 million to resolve claims made by federal prosecutors in Texas.

Visa Leads The Day Higher

MP David Hanson, Shadow Immigration Minister, said: "Britain needs overseas investors so it's welcome that the Home Secretary has finally recognised this fact."However given the waiting time for visas for entrepreneurs and investors has nearly tripled to 83 days under this government it's unlikely they can actually deliver on what they promise."We need investors and entrepreneurs in our country but it's vital for our economy that we develop skills here in the UK too."The Government should support our call for larger businesses to guarantee a new apprenticeship when they bring someone in from outside of the EU to work here - something they are refusing to do."
In India a mobile visa service allowing VIPs to have their biometric data and photo taken at their place of work will be introduced, along with a pilot scheme allowing applicants to retain their passport while their application is considered.Nike has a market cap of $54.34 billion and is part of the consumer goods sector and consumer non-durables industry. Shares are up 48% year to date as of Tuesday's close. The stock's dividend yield sits at 1.1%.NIKE, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, engages in the design, development, marketing, and sale of athletic footwear, apparel, equipment,China Work Visa application form and accessories, as well as in the provision of services to men, women, and kids worldwide.

TheStreet Ratings rates Nike as a buy. The company's strengths can be seen in multiple areas, such as its revenue growth, largely solid financial position with reasonable debt levels by most measures, notable return on equity, solid stock price performance and impressive record of earnings per share growth. Although the company may harbor some minor weaknesses, we feel they are unlikely to have a significant impact on results. The Dow component that led the way higher today was Visa,China Student Visa application form which sported a $1.65 gain bringing the stock to $199.02. This single gain lifted the Dow Jones Industrial Average by 12.49 points or roughly accounting for 9.8% of the Dow's overall gain. Volume for Visa ended the day at 2.2 million shares traded vs. an average daily trading volume of 3.3 million shares.

Jails ready to detain visa violators

During his long wait to see what the Texas prosecutors would come up with, Mr. Palmer, who lives near Montgomery, has wrestled with depression and has found himself in an unwelcome state of idleness and isolation. A technology program manager, he was drawing a paycheck from Infosys but could not work for it or anyone else. It was Mr. Palmer who first reported that Infosys was writing false invitation letters for B-1 visas for Indian employees, because he was asked to write one and he refused.A low moment for Mr. Palmer came when the Alabama court ruled against his whistle-blower case, finding that the harassment he claimed was not sufficiently severe. But he said that with the help of Mr. Mendelsohn, "I concentrated on what I can control in my life, which is my attitude."

"My physical and mental health is good," he said.Mr. Palmer said he turned down an early settlement offer from Infosys, because it would not have allowed him to continue cooperating with federal investigators. "They wanted to buy my silence, and I wouldn't do it," he said. "I never did it for the money. I did it because they were violating the law." The latest changes come following the reorganization of the Ministry of Interior. Certain realms of responsibility have been shifted from the Passport Department to the Prisons Department, security patrols and highway patrol forces.Deportation centers, utilities, personnel and the properties of departments concerned with expat affairs have been shifted to the Directorate General of Prisons. Deportation center personnel now wear the same uniform as security patrol employees.

"We have plans to deal with overcrowding at correctional facilities," said Maj. Gen. Ibrahim Al-Hamzi, director-general of the Prisons Department.The Passports Department will henceforth only issue passports to Saudi citizens and iqamas to expatriates.Prisons have more capacity and are located across the Kingdom, unlike deportation centers, which have a limited capacity.In the past, only Passport Department personnel had the right to arrest and detain violating expatriates in their facilities until deportation, but police patrolling forces will now be able to arrest visa violators and have the power to directly transfer offenders to prison.