The Latest News on Immigration Plan, H-2B Visa and Electronic Travel Authorization
Usa
Steyer Releases Immigration Plan
Steyer’s administration will protect all immigrant communities and
create a pathway to citizenship
Presidential candidate Tom Steyer has reported his immigration plan, which will reform the US immigration system in a humane and inclusive way, as well as abolish racist policies and uncoordinated acts committed by the Trump administration. Steyer plan will create a pathway to citizenship for the 10.5-12 million undocumented Americans who are an integral part of the society today and represent the core values as a country.
During his “People Over Profits” bus trip, Steyer answered questions about immigration. In communities such as Marshalltown, Storm Lake and others, immigrants have become the backbone of the local economy and a key component of community sustainability. In the interview with Iowa Public Television Steyer said:
“We need immigrants. This is overwhelmingly a country of immigrants or descendents of immigrants who came here for the same reason because they were fleeing persecution, they were poor, and they had no future where they were. And this is a great place to build a future. We need immigrants to build the vibrant communities we all want.”
On day one of his administration, Steyer vows to:
- Protect vulnerable immigrant communities and end immigration abuse.
- Reform the legal immigration system to reflect nation’s best values.
- Restore the system of asylum and refugees.
- Building partnerships to promote integration and civic engagement.
Nearly 100K H-2B foreign temporary work visas requested
Of the 100,000, only 33,000 positions will be selected with the help of “randomization” process
Thousands of U.S. employers require nearly 100,000 H-2B foreign temporary workers to fight talent shortages
The reason of that is to enter a random selection process with the hope of being randomly selected to hire foreign unskilled and skilled workers to travel to the United States for a temporary duration, to assist U.S. employers during a one-time need occurrence, seasonal, peak-load, or intermittent needs.
During the three-day application period, more than 5,500 employers filed applications requiring nearly 100,000 temporary workers. Of the 100,000, only 33,000 positions will be selected with the help of “randomization” process.
H-2B Nonimmigrant Visa
The Immigration and Nationality Act (the “INA”) establishes the H-2B nonimmigrant classification for a nonagricultural temporary worker that has a residence in a foreign country that he or she has no intention of abandoning and is coming temporarily to the United States to perform temporary non-agricultural service or labor. Prior to requesting H-2B nonimmigrant workers, the U.S. employer must establish to the U.S. Department of Labor that there is no qualified U.S. worker available to fill the employer’s job opportunity and the foreign worker’s employment in the job opportunity will not adversely affect the wages or working conditions of similarly-employed U.S. workers.
What is “Randomization”
The US Department of Labor will first randomly order to process all completed H-2B non-immigrant visa applications requesting the earliest valid work start date and submitted within the first three calendar days of the time period.
On the next business day following the three-day application window, the US Department of Labor will use a standard computer process to randomize the values in the data set, which will then generate and assign a unique random number to each completed H-2B nonimmigrant visa application form within the three-day application period with the earliest starting date. These applications will be sorted in ascending order based on the unique random number assigned to each application.
Read more on www.natlawreview.com
South Korea
Seoul to launch electronic travel authorization for foreign visitors
The ministry is increasing the number of visa-waiver countries in order to increase the number of travellers
South Korea plans to launch an electronic travel authorization (ETA) system for foreign guests next year after parliament passed a bill earlier this week, the Justice Department said Saturday.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the revised Immigration Law on the introduction of the ETA system, which would facilitate the entry of foreign tourists and prevent the illegal stay of foreigners, was adopted at a plenary meeting of the National Assembly.
In accordance with the legal review, citizens from visa-waiver countries will be allowed to get ETA online before traveling to South Korea. Those who have a valid ETA will be exempted from providing a disembarkation card and can easily enter the country through only ETA counters at airports.
The ministry said it is increasing the number of visa-waiver countries in order to increase the number of travellers and exchange people with foreign countries. Thanks to such efforts, the ratio of visa-free citizens among all foreign guests in South Korea increased to 53 percent in 2018, the report said.
Japan
Measures to ensure appropriate disclosure on taxpayers’ information located overseas
In regard to the foreign asset reporting requirements, in the event a taxpayer fails to present or submit the required documents by the designated deadline, further additional taxes will be imposed in relation to the failure to file.
In the event an official of the National Tax Agency requests a taxpayer to present or submit documents concerning foreign transactions or foreign assets and the taxpayer fails to present or submit said documents by the designated deadline and a request for the exchange of information is made to a foreign tax authority, corrections and determinations will be permitted for a period of 3 years following the date of said request, regardless of restrictions on said periods specified under the existing laws and regulations.
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