All-Hands Meeting with Jerusalem a Success

On Oct. 29, 2010, the Consular Section of U.S. Embassy Tel Aviv traveled to Jerusalem for an all-hands meeting with the Consular Section of the U.S. Consulate General. 

The meeting was the first all-staff gathering in more than six years. Staff from Embassy Tel Aviv toured the Consulate General’s new facility and learned about the Consular Section’s visa operations, as well as American citizen services. 

The event also included break-out sessions among various departments to discuss best practices, fraud trends and opportunities for partnership on joint projects.

“The meeting was a wonderful opportunity to renew our commitment to teamwork with our colleagues,” said Consul General Andrew Parker. “Several joint projects have already resulted from our visit and we welcome the opportunity for future collaborations.”

Spotlight on Haifa’s Rambam Hospital

On Oct. 6, 2010, Consul General Andrew Parker, ICE Attaché Rich Jolles, and Consular Agent Jonathan Friedland visited the Rambam Health Care Campus in Haifa as guests of Dr. Shlomo Israelit, M.D., the acting director of the emergency department. The campus is northern Israel’s largest hospital and one of the premier Level 1 trauma centers in the world. 

“I was impressed by the capacity of the hospital to act as an exemplar of emergency medicine in peacetime,” Parker said. “Especially the potential to transform into an Intensive Care  Unit capable of dealing with mass casualties during a variety of emergencies, such as the recent Carmel forest fire.”

Many American tourists arriving from cruise trips have been treated at the facility for heart issues and neurological problems. Additionally, American sailors and marines who have taken ill near Haifa have been treated at the hospital, sometimes airlifted from U.S. carriers.

Last October, workers began pouring the concrete foundation for an expansion that will transform the center into the world’s largest underground emergency hospital.

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.