Vice Consuls Meet with Weizmann Researchers

On Oct. 5, 2010, two Vice Consuls visited the Weizmann Institute of Science for a presentation on exchange visas for postdoctoral research in the United States.

The two officers received a warm welcome from Weizmann staff and organizers from the Alumni Organization of the Weizmann Institute.

The consular officers presented visa information to about 100 students and their spouses, answering questions about the visa application process. The students were interested to learn that the spouses of the exchange visitors, who qualify for a derivative J2 visa, are allowed to apply for employment authorization once in the United States.

Get Out the Vote!

The 2010 mid-term elections are fast-approaching! All 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives and 36 out of 100 seats in the U.S. Senate will be contested in this year’s elections on Tuesday, Nov. 2.

New regulations for overseas voting are in effect for 2010. Overseas voters are strongly encouraged to re-file the official registration/ballot request every election year.

For more information, visit the Federal Voting Assistance Program at www.fvap.gov, or the non-partisan Overseas Vote Foundation at www.overseasvotefoundation.org.

New Border Security Fee for Petition-Based Visas

As of Aug. 13, 2010, some applicants for Blanket L1 and H1B work visas may be subject to a new border security fee. In most cases, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will collect these fees as part of the petition process. Only in the case of Blanket L1 visas will the fee be collected at the Embassy.

How does this affect applicants? If the petitioning employer has more than 50 employees in the United States and more than 50 percent are on H1B or L status, the company will be subject to the following fees: USD 2,000 for H1B and USD 2,250 for L1 cases. After Jan. 7, 2011, the I-129S form will state whether the petitioning employer is subject to the new fee.

More information about the new fee is available on the USCIS website at: www.uscis.gov.

U.S. Citizen Services to Visit Eilat

Staff members from the American Citizen Services section of U.S. Embassy Tel Aviv will visit Eilat October 10-11 to provide consular services to American citizens.

U.S. citizens who reside in Eilat will have the opportunity to meet with the Consul General, apply for passports and re-ports of birth, and also receive information about federal benefits, among other consular services.

Look for more details on our website in the coming weeks at http://israel.usembassy.gov/service.html.

New Fees for Visa Waiver Travelers

The Department of Homeland Security has announced a new ESTA fee of $14 for visa waiver travelers. ESTA is an electronic travel authorization all nationals of Visa Waiver Program (VWP) countries must obtain prior to traveling to the United States.

Payments for electronic travel authorization by VWP travelers must be made by credit or debit card. Collection of fees begins Sept. 8, 2010.

More details are available at: https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov.

How Long Will it Take to Receive My Visa?

Travelers to the United States are strongly encouraged to schedule visa interviews well in advance of travel plans. The Consular Section is in the midst of peak demand during the summer months. Also, once your visa is approved, it will take a least seven business days to arrive from the post office.

The State Department website displays visa appointment wait times for all non-immigrant visa processing posts.

View current wait times at http://travel.state.gov/visa/temp/wait/wait_4638.html.

Vice Consul Speaks to Students at Israel’s Model UN Conference

On August 18, 2010, one of the Consular Section’s Vice Consuls spoke to more than 200 university students from around the world at Israel’s 2010 Model UN Student Conference, ISRAMUN.

Model United Nations is an academic simulation that teaches partici-pants about civics, effective communication, globalization and multilat-eral diplomacy.

The panel focused on careers in diplomacy and included speakers from the Irish, Egyptian, German and Mexican embassies. The Vice Consul spoke about how to join the U.S. Foreign Service and how to prepare for a career in international relations.

For more information about careers in the Foreign Service, visit http://careers.state.gov.