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THE U.S. STATE Department has indefinitely extended a program allowing consular offices to waive in-person interviews for low-risk non-immigrant visa applicants who apply within 48 months of their most recent visa's expiration. Initially scheduled to conclude on Dec. 31, the program will now persist without a specified end date, undergoing regular reviews. This policy applies to consular offices globally. Under the updated program rules, the State Department anticipates the pool of applicants eligible for an interview waiver will at least double, the U.S. Department of State said in a statement. From October 2022 to September 2023, the State Department issued a near-record 10.4 million non-immigrant visas worldwide, partly attributed to interview waiver authority. "Interview waiver authorities have significantly reduced visa appointment wait times at embassies and consulates," the State Department said. "In Fiscal Year 2022, almost half of the nearly seven million non-immigrant visas issued by the Department were processed without an in-person interview. This success in reducing global visa wait times, particularly post-pandemic closures, is ongoing, with continued efforts to swiftly minimize wait times, including for first-time tourist visa applicants."

ANNUAL CHANGES IN U.S. hotel utility costs and in the Consumer Price Index, or inflation, have historically proven to be strongly correlated. As of August 2022, CBRE is forecasting CPI growth to be 7.7 percent in 2022, followed by another 3.6 percent in 2023. Since inflation has averaged just 2.2 percent since 2000, these inflation projections have hoteliers concerned about operating costs. Given that rising energy costs are a significant driver of the current rise in CPI, hotel managers are especially worried about utility department expenses. Over the past 50 years, utility department expenses have averaged between 3 and 4 percent of total revenue, indicating that hotel managers have been successfully controlling energy costs in the face of fluctuating business volumes. This is particularly commendable given the highly fixed nature of utility expenses. To provide some context to the current challenging environment, we studied recent trends in hotel utility department expenses. The data come from a sample of more than 2,800 U.S. hotels that reported utility department expenses each year from 2015 through 2021 for CBRE's annual "Trends in the Hotel Industry" survey. In 2021 the properties in the sample averaged 209 rooms in size, with an annual occupancy rate of 54.2 percent and an average daily rate of $152.70.

A newlywed bride made headlines this week. But not because of her stunning gown or the wedding event's. It was because she missed her honeymoon over a damaged passport costing her almost $20,000 to reschedule. This not just a sympathetic bride's news going viral, but, a lesson for anyone who is being careless towards his/her damaged passport. Having a passport is not enough to fly. Even though your passport may be completely valid under US State Department regulations, the State Department is not the only agency involved in getting you where you want to go. Your passport will still need to pass the scrutiny of airline employees and TSA security officials in order to get you on your flight. Read the complete post here to understand when your passport falls into the criteria of a damaged one. Why it is important to take good care of this most important ID proof.

A newlywed bride made headlines this week. But not because of her stunning gown or the wedding event's. It was because she missed her honeymoon over a damaged passport costing her almost $20,000 to reschedule. This not just a sympathetic bride's news going viral, but, a lesson for anyone who is being careless towards his/her damaged passport. Having a passport is not enough to fly. Even though your passport may be completely valid under US State Department regulations, the State Department is not the only agency involved in getting you where you want to go. Your passport will still need to pass the scrutiny of airline employees and TSA security officials in order to get you on your flight. Read the complete post here to understand when your passport falls into the criteria of a damaged one. Why it is important to take good care of this most important ID proof.

Passport Alert!! Your passport is in risk, if you are in IRS list of debtors. A new law will allow the US State Department to refuse to issue US passports to individuals with "seriously delinquent" tax bills in excess of $50,000. Even, the State Department is authorized to revoke previously issued passports if the bearer is on the IRS list of debtors! So, if you were not paying your taxes from a while, pay them as soon as possible, in order to be able to fly internationally. In case, you haven't applied for a passport yet, apply with a passport expeditor to get an expedited passport.

Passport Alert!! Your passport is in risk, if you are in IRS list of debtors. A new law will allow the US State Department to refuse to issue US passports to individuals with "seriously delinquent" tax bills in excess of $50,000. Even, the State Department is authorized to revoke previously issued passports if the bearer is on the IRS list of debtors! So, if you were not paying your taxes from a while, pay them as soon as possible, in order to be able to fly internationally. In case, you haven't applied for a passport yet, apply with a passport expeditor to get an expedited passport.

THE U.S. DEPARTMENT of Labor's definition of who qualifies as independent contractors, due to take effect in March, is meant to ensure that workers are treated fairly, according to the department. However, the American Hotel & Lodging Association says the new rule limits independent contractors to work and impact hotels' ability to find workers. The new rule under the Fair Labor Standards Act aims to prevent misclassification of workers that can affect workers' rights to minimum wage and overtime pay, "facilitates wage theft, allows some employers to undercut their law-abiding competition and hurts the economy at-large," the Labor Department said in a statement. It uses a multifactor analysis of six factors defining a worker's relationship with an employer, such as the worker's opportunities for profit or loss; the financial stake and nature of any resources a worker has invested in the work; the degree of permanence of the work relationship; the degree of control an employer has over the individual's work; how essential the work is to the employer's business; and the worker's skill and initiative.

THE U.S. DEPARTMENT of Homeland Security will make available more than 64,000 additional H-2B temporary nonagricultural worker visas for fiscal year 2023. The extra visas will help the hotel and travel industries meet continuing labor shortages, according to the U.S. Travel Association. DHS also will issue its normal allotment of 66,000 H-2B visas as well as the 64,716 extra visas. The visas, which permit employers to temporarily hire noncitizens to perform certain labor in the U.S., became available at the beginning of October. Also, the agency created the new Worker Protection Taskforce to make sure the H-2B visa workers are not exploited. "The Department of Homeland Security is moving with unprecedented speed to meet the needs of American businesses," said Alejandro Mayorkas, secretary of Homeland Security. "At a time of record job growth, this full year allocation at the very outset of the fiscal year will ensure that businesses can plan for their peak season labor needs. We also will bolster worker protections to safeguard the integrity of the program from unscrupulous employers who would seek to exploit the workers by paying substandard wages and maintaining unsafe work conditions."

Department of Homeland Security has clarified that from 2016, residents of four US states may soon need to show a valid passport in order to board a domestic flight. Travelers who live in Louisiana, Minnesota, New Hampshire and New York are being urged to apply for a passport or secure another form of REAL ID-compliant identification now. For most travelers, applying for a passport book is the best idea, as it can be used for all international travel as well as domestic identification. Find out more about the REAL ID Act.

Department of Homeland Security has clarified that from 2016, residents of four US states may soon need to show a valid passport in order to board a domestic flight. Travelers who live in Louisiana, Minnesota, New Hampshire and New York are being urged to apply for a passport or secure another form of REAL ID-compliant identification now. For most travelers, applying for a passport book is the best idea, as it can be used for all international travel as well as domestic identification. Find out more about the REAL ID Act.

Department of Homeland Security has clarified that from 2016, residents of four US states may soon need to show a valid passport in order to board a domestic flight. Travelers who live in Louisiana, Minnesota, New Hampshire and New York are being urged to apply for a passport or secure another form of REAL ID-compliant identification now. For most travelers, applying for a passport book is the best idea, as it can be used for all international travel as well as domestic identification. Find out more about the REAL ID Act.

If you are looking for a way to expedite your immigration process for traveling to domestic or international destinations, one of the Department of Homeland Security's Trusted Traveler programs might be perfect for you. When you apply for one of the four programs among TSA Precheck, Global Entry, NEXUS and SENTRI, the Department of Homeland Security will run a background check to ensure that you are a low-risk traveler. You are then issued a Known Traveler Number that you must enter when booking air tickets or other travel arrangements. Members of these programs are able to use expedited immigration lanes at land borders and participating US airports.

We all love to travel. But sometimes world can be a scary place due to uncertain events like civil war, terrorist activity, strikes, natural disasters etc. The US State Department has an excellent tool "the Travel Warnings and Travel Alerts" (listed on www.travel.state.gov) to help us determine whether a destination is too risky to visit. If you are planning to travel outside the United States, checkout and understand the Travel Warnings and Travel Alerts issued by State Department.

THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT may have expanded an immigrant visa program that can bring more workers to the U.S. to ease the labor shortage but processing those visas may still be delayed due to a pandemic-related backlog. A group of lawmakers recently wrote a letter to the Department of State urging the agency to bring that processing back to pre-COVID levels. The letter, sent by Reps. Darren Soto, a Florida Democrat, and Peter Meijer, a Michigan Republican, along with 86 other Congress members says visa processing has been slowed by procedures put in place at the beginning of the pandemic but which are no longer needed because testing and vaccines are so readily available. "[Pandemic restrictions] disrupt the reopening of American businesses. According to the U.S. Travel Association, international visitor spending in the U.S. dropped by 76 percent in 2020, leading to the loss of $141 billion and 1.1 million American jobs," the letter said. the letter said. "As international and domestic travel begin to recover, many travel businesses rely on H-2B and J1 visas to meet short-term and seasonal workforce demands that cannot otherwise be filled. With such a significant portion of U.S. visa processing sites fully or partially closed, travel businesses will not have the international visitors or the temporary workers they need to generate a speedy and robust recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic."

ON MONDAY, THE Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Labor authorized an additional 20,000 H-2B temporary nonagricultural worker visas for fiscal year 2022. Travel and hospitality industry associations say the authorization will help ease the ongoing labor crisis. The new visas, which permit employers to temporarily hire noncitizens to perform certain labor in the U.S., are part of the first supplemental cap the DHS and DOL have allowed for the H-2B visa program in the first half of a fiscal year, according to a press release. The visas will be set aside for U.S. employers seeking to employ additional workers on or before March 31. The supplemental H-2B visa allocation includes 13,500 visas for returning workers who received an H-2B visa, or were otherwise granted H-2B status, during one of the last three fiscal years. The remaining 6,500 visas are exempt from the returning worker requirement and are reserved for nationals of Haiti and the Northern Triangle countries of Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador.

STAFF MEMBERS OF two hotel industry associations donned blue in January to recognize National Human Trafficking Prevention month. AAHOA and the American Hotel & Lodging Association also sought to encourage hotel owners to take advantage of their educational programs on detecting and preventing trafficking in their properties. Like his predecessors since 2010, President Joe Biden issued a proclamation officially designating January as the month to focus awareness on trafficking prevention, according to the U.S. Department of State. The month recognizes the work done by foreign governments, international organizations, anti-trafficking entities, law enforcement officials, survivor advocates, communities of faith, businesses and private citizens to raise awareness about human trafficking, the State Department said. "Since human trafficking disproportionately impacts racial and ethnic minorities, women and girls, LGBTQI+ individuals, vulnerable migrants, and other historically marginalized and underserved communities, our mission to combat human trafficking must always be connected to our broader efforts to advance equity and justice across our society," Biden said in his proclamation.

HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY ASSOCIATIONS are welcoming two laws, one proposed on a federal level and another passed by the state of Tennessee. The federal law is long-awaited clarification of the definition joint employers and the Tennessee law limits regulations by local governments in the state that would affect small businesses, including hotels. A clear definition Versions of the Save Local Business Act recently was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate. Sponsors of the bill say it will provide clarity on Department of Labor's proposed new joint employer rules that have undergone multiple changes lately, leading to legal confusion. "You can't focus on running a business if the federal government keeps changing the rules. The Save Local Business Act provides long-overdue clarity and consistency that will protect our nation's small businesses," said one of the bill's sponsors, U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall. "The Biden Administration's Labor Department has relied on complicated court rulings to handle joint employers instead of providing clear guidance to the business community. In a time of economic hardship, we should be doing all that we can to help our nation's small businesses, not let the heavy hand of government regulations run amok."

Looking to get your passport fast? Registered passport expeditors are private companies that specialize in United States passport and visa services, staffed by experts who will handle your application with care and ensure you receive the most expedited passport and visa services. They are registered by the US State Department to hand-carry passport applications into US Passport Agencies for urgent processing. Find out what all consideration you should keep in mind while looking for the passport expediting company and top recommendations.

Looking to get your passport fast? Registered passport expeditors are private companies that specialize in United States passport and visa services, staffed by experts who will handle your application with care and ensure you receive the most expedited passport and visa services. They are registered by the US State Department to hand-carry passport applications into US Passport Agencies for urgent processing. Find out what all consideration you should keep in mind while looking for the passport expediting company and top recommendations.

US State Department officially announced that as of December 31, 2015, they will no longer add pages to valid US passports. Starting on January 1, 2016, if you run out of blank passport pages, you will need to apply for renewal. Rather going through that passport renewal process, you can hurry up and apply for additional pages now, and expedite passport process with a registered passport expeditor companies like RushMyPassport or G3Passport etc.

US State Department officially announced that as of December 31, 2015, they will no longer add pages to valid US passports. Starting on January 1, 2016, if you run out of blank passport pages, you will need to apply for renewal. Rather going through that passport renewal process, you can hurry up and apply for additional pages now, and expedite passport process with a registered passport expeditor companies like RushMyPassport or G3Passport etc.

In case you do not have a US passport or an enhanced driver's license. This is the time to apply for one. As US Homeland Department has announced the final implementation date for Real ID Act (January 22, 2018), all US citizens would need to follow the Real ID requirements for domestic flights. What is Real ID Act and why every US citizen need to be aware of it? Read the post to get complete information.

In case you do not have a US passport or an enhanced driver's license. This is the time to apply for one. As US Homeland Department has announced the final implementation date for Real ID Act (January 22, 2018), all US citizens would need to follow the Real ID requirements for domestic flights. What is Real ID Act and why every US citizen need to be aware of it? Read the post to get complete information.

FORMER AAHOA CHAIRWOMAN Jagruti Panwala testified recently before Congress on the Department of Labor's proposal to raise the overtime salary exemption threshold for executive, administrative, and professional employees under the Fair Labor Standards Act. Panwala, now a board member for American Hotel & Lodging Association, argued that the proposed change would actually limit hotel employees' opportunities and does not take into account economic differences between regions of the country. In August, DOL proposed raising the threshold from $35,568 to an estimated $60,209 in 2024 according to AHLA based on the department's projections. That equals a nearly 70 percent increase, and AHLA said that means all employees making under that amount must be paid overtime for any hours worked over 40 in one week. The DOL proposal also would automatically increase the threshold every three years thereafter based on the 35th percentile of earnings for full-time salaried workers in the lowest-wage census region, currently the South.

On 4 December 2012, the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) announced the introduction of Australian Visa Application Centres (AVACs) across Pakistan to provide clients with a convenient service when applying for a visa to Australia.

The Surajkund Crafts Mela is organized annually by the Haryana Tourism Department in the month of February.This delightful handloom and handicrafts fair is planned every year to promote the traditional Indian Handicrafts in rural ambience at Surajkund in the vicinity of New Delhi.

The US State Department has confirmed, passport applicants are not allowed to wear glasses in their passport photos from November 1, 2016. The major reasons to not have glasses in passport photos are because of tinted lenses (which make it hard to see the applicant's eyes) and biometrics. Biometric passports store basic data about the passport holder (name, birth date, passport number and photo) on a small computer chip embedded in the passport. A computer program can analyze a scan of applicant photo and take measurements. If applicant wears glasses in passport photo, it makes it more difficult for the computer program to take accurate measurements of passport holder's features.