Short News

The most popular visa for foreign workers is still the H-1B Visa that allows a stay for up to 6 years. Even though the cap has been raised from 65,000 to 115,000 for this year, the number of available visas has long since been used up. The INS recently announced that it is currently processing applications that have been submitted before March 10, 2000. Since the cap has already been reached, it is not to be expected that any applications that are still submitted will be notified before the beginning of the next fiscal year on October 1, 2000.

A new visa category will probably be introduced in the US starting July 2000. It is the H-1C Visa for nurses. However, only hospitals in underdeveloped areas may employ foreign nurses. Furthermore, only 500 registered nurses may come to the US every year, and only stay for a maximum of 3 years. The H-1C visa is the successor program of the H-1A program that expired in 1995, which still allowed an unlimited number of nurses to come to the US.

A new video of the US coast guard has confirmed that there are ongoing violent conflicts between the coast guard and Cuban refugees on the open sea. The refugees throw rocks and machetes at the coast guard in order to make it to US soil before being discovered. A treaty with Cuba from 1994 states that all refugees from Cuba who are captured while still at sea will be sent back, while those who make it onto land have to be taken in and may apply for the green card after one year.

In the spring of 2000, 19 illegal immigrants died of thirst on their way to the US in the Arizona desert. The rising numbers are also caused by the improving techniques of US Border Control, which forces the illegal immigrants to make their way to the US through the more impassable regions. Still, more than 75,000 illegal immigrants were captured in Arizona alone in March of 2000. The most tragic death was that of a young mother from Mexico and her 18-months old daughter. The mother died after 4 days in the desert, probably also because she gave her daughter most of the 8 liters of water she was carrying with her. After they were discovered by Border Control, the child was immediately deported to Mexico. The father apparently lives in the US, but he seems afraid that by getting involved his own illegal status in the US may end.