Immigration Blog

International Relationships – What’s the Best Way to be Together?

By |February 12, 2014|

International Relationships
Speaking from experience, there are some unique challenges that comes along with international relationships.

One of the biggest challenges is figuring out how to be together. Whether you are looking to see one another for vacation or to take the next step toward marriage, here are some options.

Option 1: Apply for a B-2 visitor visa.

If you are looking to visit one another you might need a B-2 visitor visa for the non-U.S. citizen.

B-2 visitor visas are sometimes tricky to get approved. They are meant for temporary visits to the U.S. as a tourist. Consular officers are trained to look for signs that the applicant might plan on staying in the U.S., so the applicant needs to prove that he or she has strong ties to the home country. Depending on the applicant’s situation, this visa may be relatively easy to get, or could be extremely difficult depending on the applicant’s specific circumstances.

Every situation is different, so please let us know if you are interested in this visa and we can discuss your options.

Option 2: K-1 Fiance Visa

If you are ready for the next step, the K-1 fiance visa is a great option.

The K-1 fiance visa is often much easier to get approved than B-2 visitor visas. As long as you have met in person (there are a few exceptions), you can apply for a K-1 fiance visa. If you haven’t yet met in person, the U.S. citizen can always go visit the other person in the foreign country first—this is generally easier and faster than having the other person visit the U.S. citizen, since it’s typically easier for one to travel with a U.S. passport.

Once the K-1 visa is approved, the foreign fiance may enter the U.S., and you then have 90 days to get married. Once married, the foreign spouse can apply for a green card from inside the U.S.

Option 3: Filing for a Green Card After Marriage

Whether you get married here in the U.S. with a K-1 fiance visa, or the U.S. citizen travels abroad to get married, you can file a petition for a Green Card.

Once married, the U.S. citizen can sponsor the non-U.S. citizen for a green card. After approval, the foreign spouse can stay in the U.S. as a permanent resident (Green Card holder).

If you’re in an international relationship and want to discuss your options, please contact us here at VISANOW—we would love to help! We have helped many people achieve their goals of being together and look forward to many more!

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VISANOW VIsa Tutorial: From a K-1 Fiance Visa to Green Card

By |February 11, 2014|

After getting married on a K-1 fiance visa you are eligible to petition for a Green Card.

In the following video we give you an overview of the process.

Feel free to check our previous post, “VISANOW Visa Tutorial: K-1 Fiance Visa” for more information on the fiance visa.

If you’ve already applied for the fiance visa and are waiting on the consulate interview check out our post, “A Real and Legitmate Relationship: Preparing for the K-1 Fiance Interview.”  

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March 2014 Visa Bulletin released

By |February 10, 2014|

The U.S. State Department has released the March 2014 Visa Bulletin.

For Family-Based visas there was a 13 month regression in the F2A category for Mexican foreign nationals. In February, the priority date was September 1, 2013, but has now been moved back to April 15, 2012.

Meanwhile, the F1 category saw advancement for China, India, and Mexico.

After a regression in February the F2B category saw no change in March, and the priority date is still May 1, 1993.

By in large there was little movement for work-based visas. That being said, the EB3 category saw an advancement of at least two weeks in every country.

Visa Bulletin March 2014

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In Communication: A Look at the VISANOW Communication Center

By |February 5, 2014|

Communication Center for VISANOW's Web Application

 

Our new-and-improved web application is loaded with technical enhancements, but how does that improve the client experience? One of the biggest upgrades is the all-new Communication Center, which makes it even easier for you to communicate with our expert attorneys.

The first thing you might notice is that we’ve combined the “alerts” feature with “questions and answers”: now, the Communication Center is a single hub where clients or attorneys can initiate new discussion threads. Clients might ask a question about their case; attorneys might post a request for additional information or clarification. Then, replies are grouped with the original message, making separate conversations easier to follow.

(We used the Stack Overflow comment model, which we really like. You can read about it on Jeff Atwood’s blog.)

Rich Messaging

In addition to the new organization, each individual message now allows rich formatting. You can apply basic styling to your question – bold and italic text, or lists – using a simple built-in editor. Also, information about each message is displayed prominently; you’ll clearly see the name and photo of the attorney who answered your question. These friendly display changes should help facilitate clear and concise conversations.

An Easier Way to Navigate

The improved layout makes it easier to navigate all the communications for your case, especially if you have more than one case. When you ask a question, you can now specify whether that message applies to a particular case, or for general inquiries related to the legal process. By categorizing communications, we enable our attorneys to quickly respond with the information you need. We’ve also enhanced the search feature, allowing you to quickly filter your messages in order to find just what you’re looking for.

Our hope for the new Communication Center is that it simplifies the legal services experience for our clients. At VISANOW, we love to build great software, and there are many more exciting technical features to discuss. But most importantly, a better web application makes your life easier, and that’s what we’re most excited to share.

 

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Envoy H-4 Visa Tutorial

By |February 3, 2014|

UPDATED: The White House has proposed a significant change that would allow H-4 visa holders to work while in the United States. Read more about this proposal here.

How does an individual with an H-1B visa bring their immediate family members with them to the United States?

With an H-4 visa. To obtain an H-4 visa you must either be the spouse of the H-1B holder or a dependent under the age of 21.

The video below gives an overview of that you need to obtain an H-4 visa and what you can and can not do while living in the United States. You can also read our article What can you do in the United States with an H-4 visa? for more information on the H-4 visa.

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Keeping Score: How VISANOW Measures Customer Satisfaction

By |January 31, 2014|

Using NPS to measure customer satisfaction VISANOW uses NPS to measure customer satisfaction.

Because we are a company that provides online immigration services, people probably assume that we are a really impersonal company.

I assure you that is not the case with VISANOW.

We love our customers and we try very hard to make sure that they love us, too. We systematically survey all customers and calculate results monthly in order to measure customer satisfaction.

What is Net Promoter Score?

We use Net Promoter Score (NPS) as an indicator of customer happiness. Basically, NPS is a metric based off of the question “How likely are you to recommend VISANOW to a friend or colleague?” Many companies use this method, since it has been shown to be more indicative of customer loyalty than averages or other satisfaction ratings.

The scale can go from -100 to 100. Top companies, such as Apple, Trader Joe’s, and Costco, typically score in the low- to mid-70s.

As NPS explains, customers of every company can be divided into three categories: Promoters, Passives, and Detractors.

  • Promoters will rate your company in the 9 to 10 range, and are enthusiastic about you. They will keep using your service and encourage their friends and colleagues to do the same.
  • Passives will rate your company from 7 to 8 and are satisfied, but not really excited. They might listen to offers from competitors.
  • Detractors will rate your company anywhere between 0 and 6, and are not very happy with your brand. They are more likely to discourage somebody they know from using your service.

How Does VISANOW’s Customer Satisfaction Compare?

Since there are no other web-based immigration service providers, we can compare VISANOW to other online services.

In 2013, Amazon led the online services sector with an NPS of 69. Netflix had an NPS of 50 and Google Shopping scored 21. Poor Blockbuster on Demand scraped by with a score of 2.

For December 2013, the NPS calculated from all customer surveys for VISANOW was 93 – yes, 93! For you math lovers out there, this translates to an average score of 9.7 on a scale of 0 through 10.

Over the past couple of years, we have consistently scored above 70, and recent scores of over 90 are extremely exciting for us!

For any of our customers who are reading this, I want to say thank you for your time spent providing feedback. We are so grateful for all of the encouragement and suggestions you have given us. They are incredibly motivating and helpful! In fact, suggestions from clients have been the inspiration for many new features of our brand new web application.

Whether you are an HR manger looking to get visas or green cards for your employees, or an individual needing a visa for travel or your fiancé(e), we hope that you will get in touch with VISANOW to find out how we can help.

As you can see, we take the art of making our customers happy very personally at VISANOW.

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State of the Union: Let’s Get Immigration Reform Done This Year. It’s Time.

By |January 29, 2014|

Obama SOTU

Image credit: Pete Souza

“Let’s get immigration reform done this year. Let’s get it done. It’s time.” -President Obama

Coming off of 2013, a year which saw the U.S. government shut down due to political fighting, the President used his 2014 State of the Union to inspire optimism and encourage action.

A great deal of time was dedicated to ways that we can strength our economy and spur on economic growth.

And at this point in time in the history of our country, if you are going to talk about economic growth, you need to talk about immigration reform.

As the President said in his address, “if we’re serious about economic growth, it is time to heed the call of business leaders, labor leaders, faith leaders, law enforcement — and fix our broken immigration system. Republicans and Democrats in the Senate have acted. And I know that members of both parties in the House want to do the same. Independent economists say immigration reform will grow our economy and shrink our deficits by almost $1 trillion in the next two decades. And for good reason: When people come here to fulfill their dreams — to study, invent, contribute to our culture — they make our country a more attractive place for businesses to locate and create jobs for everybody.”

As anybody watching immigration reform knows, the momentum that was built by the passing of a comprehensive reform bill in the Senate came to an abrupt halt when it went over to the Republican-controlled House.

However, in the recent months there have been numerous signs that Speaker Boehner was getting ready to take on immigration reform. The latest sign was when it was announced that the Republican Response was to be delivered by Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), an immigration reform proponent.

In her address, Rep. Rodgers said “it’s time to honor our history of legal immigration. We’re working on a step-by-step solution to immigration reform by first securing our borders and making sure America will always attract the best, brightest, and hardest working from around the world.”

Going forward the House Leadership is planning to soon release their principles for immigration reform.

If there was one point that the President wanted to drive home last night it was that 2014 is the year of action. When it comes to immigration reform, it seems like he will find more Republicans ready to work with him.

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VISANOW Visa Tutorial: H-1B Work Visa

By |January 27, 2014|

With the H-1B work visa cap season just a couple months away, we wanted to release this video tutorial giving an overview of everything you need to know for this visa.

The 2014 H-1B cap season will begin on April 1, 2014 and run until the cap is reached. In the past few years this has taken anywhere from a few weeks to a few days.

According to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, the H-1B cap for fiscal year 2014 ended on April 5, 2013.

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A Real and Legitimate Relationship: Preparing for the Fiance Visa Interview

By |January 24, 2014|

Preparing for the K1 Visa Interview

My husband Dale and I went through the K-1 fiance visa process about 3 years ago.

Once our K-1 petition was approved by USCIS, we were only a third of the way through the process. The next step was the most daunting and nerve-racking throughout the whole process…

The fiance visa interview.

Preparing for the Fiance Visa Interview

First we had to collect all the documents and evidence that Dale needed to prove that we were in a real and legitimate relationship. This included photos of us together and with each other’s families. He also gathered up birthday, anniversary or holiday cards we sent to each other, phone & text logs, emails, and some of our Facebook posts.

We figured it would be better to have too much than not enough when it comes to the documentation and evidence for the interview.

We also had to complete the online form DS-160. This is a form the every U.S. consulate requires for visa applicants to electronically complete when going for a visa interview.

Once we completed the form and received the confirmation, we scheduled our interview at the consulate. We had to wait a couple weeks for our appointment, which is pretty common. The wait times are determined by how busy the individual consulate is and how long it takes them to see you.

While we were waiting for the interview we used Skype to practice sample questions they might ask him to try and prepare for it. This was really helpful and kind of helped put him at ease over it.

The Fiance Visa Interview!

On the day of the fiance visa interview he felt prepared, but of course we were both really nervous!

He was in the UK and the interview was scheduled for the morning. So, that meant it was about 3AM where I was in the U.S.

I stayed up all night waiting for a call from him to let me know how it went and if it was approved.

Some questions he was asked during the interview were questions such as “How long have you known each other?”  “How did you meet?” “When did you decide to get married?” “Have you met each other’s families?” “Where are you getting married?” “Where does your fiancée work?”

After a 20 minute interview at the consulate, he called to let me know that the visa had been approved! All our hard work at preparing documents and forms had finally paid off.

Once he received the visa stamp, we started planning for him to come over to the US and preparing for our wedding.

The process was long and confusing, but was definitely worth it in the end!

 

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The Overhaul – Revolutionizing our Revolutionary Web Application

By |January 22, 2014|

“The seeds of an idea you planted long ago are about to blossom.”

That’s the fortune cookie I opened on Friday, the eve of the launch of our completely redesigned web platform. It was exactly right.

VISANOW Application Dashboard
Fifteen months ago, the VISANOW software development team began the process of completely overhauling our back-end technology. I can easily recall the excitement of those first design meetings: we knew we had the capability to build something significant, and we were eager to begin breaking ground.

Our existing platform has served us well for more than a decade. But the software industry moves quickly, and we felt it was the right time to take a fresh look at our engine, to convert our existing technology core into a cutting-edge platform, to modernize our tools and practices, and to position us for the next ten years of continued growth and improvement.

Today, the most visible change is a redesigned user interface for our consumer clients. This is a positive step forward in experience and usability, but the most significant improvements are under the hood. Of course, we’ll sustain the same critical security and reliability standards that we always have; however, our new architecture will allow us to implement new features and enhancements rapidly and effectively.

Technical extensibility is critical: we exist in an industry where change can come quickly, and we have to be ready to adapt.

We’ve already received positive feedback from clients that have transitioned to the new edition of our web application. We’re pleased with the response so far, and we’re excited about the coming months, anticipating a similar interface overhaul for our corporate clients. Most of all, we’re eager to begin building new features on this new platform, thanks to the core improvements set in place now.

As a software team, we’re proud of what we’ve accomplished so far, and we’re thrilled to launch this overhaul of our industry-leading web application. But we’re not done yet, and we’re even more excited for what the future holds. We intend to continue revolutionizing the legal services experience through our technology. Lucky for us, Jenny received a fortune cookie message on Friday, too:

“Your present plans are going to succeed.”

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VISANOW is now Envoy.

As part of our mission to create opportunities for organizations and global talent, we’ve updated our brand and how we communicate our message. In a time when thinking globally is how organizations grow and progress, we help businesses build world-ready workforces.

Envoy’s workforce management platform features premiere tools for navigating the immigration process for all your sponsored employees; knowledgeable Envoy-affiliated attorney and customer support; and resources to help you learn how to become an expert in the global immigration process.

You will be redirected shortly. Go to EnvoyGlobal.com to see the new changes.