Category: ESTA News

Washington’s apple harvest this year is expected to be slightly lower than last year due to low spring temperatures.

The Washington State Fruit Tree Association (WSTFA) estimates that this year’s harvest will reach 108.7 million in a 40-pound box. This is an 11.1% drop from last year’s 122.3 million boxes.

WSTFA Chairman John Devani said that the yield of this level was fortunate given the low temperature that lasted for a long time this spring.

Among the apples to be harvested this year, ‘Gala’ was the largest with 20% of the total, followed by ‘Red Delicious’ and ‘Honey Crisp’ with 14% each.

It is estimated that ‘granny’ is 13.4% and Fuji is 12.7%, and ‘cosmic crisp’ grown only in Washington state is 4.6%, which is expected to increase slightly from last year’s 3.2%.

Devani said 30% of Washington’s apple harvest is exported to more than 40 countries around the world, adding that by 2020, apples accounted for 20% of the value of Washington’s total agricultural produce.

When it takes more than a year to review a simple work permit, there are many voices of dissatisfaction with the USCIS’s delayed review. USCIS is evolving, including significantly extending the automatic work permit period for renewal work permit applications. Changes surrounding work permits have been summarized.

-What has changed in relation to the application for renewal of work permit?

USCIS has made it possible to work up to 540 days after the EAD expires. To benefit from this measure, which went into effect on May 4, you must apply for an extension of EAD in the same category as the one in which you originally applied for EAD while your EAD is still valid. If you applied for an extension of your work permit on time, but 180 days have passed since the expiration of the EAD card and the review has not been completed, it is legal from May 4, 2022, until the day 540 days after the expiration of the validity of the EAD card. can do the job This applies to cases of family employment permanent residence applications, refugees, asylum, deportation exemption, and domestic violence victims. The extension of the validity period of the work permit is applied only to cases received by November 23, 2023, as a temporary measure due to the delay in EAD examination. Cases received thereafter will be dealt with in accordance with the previous work permit renewal regulations.

– What is the background of this action?

Prior to 2019, EAD cards were usually approved within three months of application. However, due to the lack of staff at USCIS and the impact of COVID-19, the review period has been extended, and the current review time is well over a year.

– What were the related regulations before this temporary measure came out?

According to the regulations related to work permits that have been in force since January 2017, if the EAD card is still valid and if you apply for an EAD extension in the same case as when you applied for the first time, your EAD card will be valid until 180 days after the expiration of the EAD while your EAD card application is pending. It was automatically extended. This rule was applied to cases of family employment permanent residence applications, refugees, asylum, deportation exemptions, and domestic violence victims’ cases.

– What is the validity period of the EAD card being issued?

The current EAD card is valid for 2 years. After June 2021, USCIS has issued EADs with a validity of two years for all EADs of permanent residency applicants in the United States. Before that, only the I-485 application case where the immigrant visa door did not open was issued an EAD card with a validity period of two years. However, since the middle of last year, EAD cards with a validity of two years have been issued to all I-485 applicants for work permit cases. Since February, refugee, asylum, deportation suspension applicants, and domestic violence victims’ petitioners have also been issuing EAD cards with a validity of two years.

-Does the spouse of investment or trade status holders (E-1 and E-2) or spouses of expatriate status holders (L-2) also must obtain work permits?

Investor status spouses or expatriate spouses do not need to obtain a separate work permit. From February of this year, the regulations have been changed so that there are no restrictions on employment even if they do not have a separate work permit.

– It is said that the ‘combo card’, which combines a work permit and a travel permit, is no longer issued. is it true

USCIS no longer issues combo cards. This is a measure to shorten the work permit examination period. If a work permit is not issued together with a travel permit, the speed of issuing a work permit will be shortened by three to four months, USCIS explains. Therefore, if you are not an H-1 or L status person and their accompanying family members, if you travel abroad without a travel permit, your application for permanent residence will be rejected.

The health authorities are responding to the shortage of vaccines by administering the monkey pox vaccine to the upper layer of the skin.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced at a press conference on the 9th that it has approved a new procedure for immunization against monkey pox.

First, the FDA made it possible to administer the vaccine differently to people over the age of 18. It is an intradermal injection method that is injected into the upper layer of the skin rather than subcutaneously injected deep into the skin.

Through this, the health authorities expected that five doses of the vaccine could be obtained from one inoculation.

Based on data from a 2015 clinical trial, the FDA explained that the immune response was similar between those who received a fifth of the vaccine by intradermal injection and those who received the subcutaneous injection.

He added that the new vaccination method could “increase the number of available vaccines by up to five times.” However, he added that it is still necessary to receive two doses of the vaccine 4 weeks apart.

The FDA has also approved vaccination for people under the age of 18 who are at high risk of infection.

To this end, the FDA explained that it reviewed the vaccine’s safety data and data on other vaccines given to children against smallpox.

The FDA’s approval of the new vaccination procedure came after announcing emergency use of the vaccine under a public health emergency declaration last week.

Although the number of people infected with monkey pox in the United States is increasing, there is a shortage of vaccines.

A total of 620,000 doses of the vaccine have been distributed across the United States, which is said to require an additional 440,000 doses. With the new inoculation method, 2.2 million inoculations are possible as a booster dose.

Health authorities have ordered an additional 5 million vaccines, which could be equivalent to 2,500 doses.

“We don’t see any major concerns about the safety of the new approach,” said Peter Marks, FDA Vaccine Director. He added that the number of children potentially exposed to the infected has increased in recent years.

There are currently about 9,000 cases of monkeypox in the United States, of which about one-fifth occurred in New York State.

It is known that most of them are men who have had same-sex intercourse.

In Chicago, one of the most populated areas of Ukrainian descent in the United States, unusual protests were held to protest Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and appeal for support for Ukraine.

According to the Chicago media on the 8th, on the afternoon of the previous day, hundreds of women in pure white dresses gathered at Michigan Avenue, the busiest downtown area of ​​Chicago, and held a silent protest, attracting the attention of shoppers and tourists.

The protesters, made up of Ukrainian women and supporters, demanded that Russia be designated a state sponsor of terrorism, wearing inappropriate white dresses and chanting slogans with tapes over their mouths, hanging large cardboards with various protest slogans around their necks.

Protesters lined up in front of the tourist attraction ‘Water Tower’ on Michigan Avenue, Chicago’s busiest street, and joined hands to form a ‘human chain’ to express solidarity with their home country, and marched around the Chicago River to Millennium Park, an urban park.

They also performed a performance symbolizing the victims of Ukrainian civilians at Millennium Park.

The Chicago Tribune said the protesters did not speak, but the message was clear.

Lilia Popovich, one of the protesters, said: “I’m here to demand that American citizens and the US government designate Russia as a ‘state of terror’. It’s not war, it’s terrorism.”

He said, “It has been 11 years since I immigrated to the United States from Ukraine. I have family and friends there,” he said.

Protester Tetania Baidin drew attention by hanging a large cardboard around her neck with the words “I want to say more about Russian terrorism, but ‘sensitive content’ on social media (I can’t continue)”.

The Chicago Sun Times explained that it was a criticism of the Russian government’s tightening of control over content related to the invasion of Ukraine.

“Some of the events held in Ukraine are blocked from viewing by the public,” the organizers said. “I was inspired to plan the silent protest.”

“We live our lives believing that the world is safe, but in reality, it is not. If terrorism does not stop in Ukraine, we never know who the next victim will be,” they said.

The demonstrators removed the large tape covering their mouths when they dispersed, sang the American national anthem and then the Ukrainian national anthem in turn before dispersing.

The organizing committee predicted that “another demonstration will continue to condemn Russia and raise awareness.”

According to the U.S. federal census data, there are about 1,110,000 Ukrainians in the U.S., accounting for 0.3% of the total population. About 350,000 U.S. immigrants were born in Ukraine.

The United States has agreed to provide an additional $1 billion (1.3 trillion won) of military aid to Ukraine, which was invaded by Russia on the 8th.

U.S. Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Collins Carl said at a press briefing on the same day that additional support would be provided, including long-range artillery shells, anti-tank weapons, medical vehicles, and supplies.

These include the High-Speed ​​Mobile Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS), 75,000 155mm shells, 20 120mm mortar shells, 20,000 120mm mortar shells, munitions for the Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System (NASAMS), 1,000 Javelin anti-tank missiles, etc. This is included.

Since the outbreak of the war, the U.S. has been steadily providing logistics support to Ukraine, and this support is the largest on a single scale.

The United States has provided $9 billion in military aid to Ukraine since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in late February.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the U.S. foreign aid agency, announced on the same day that it would provide an additional $4.5 billion to the Ukrainian government.

These funds will be used to maintain the basic functions of the Ukrainian government, such as supporting the poor, disabled and refugees in Ukraine.

A total of $8.5 billion in US aid for this purpose, including military aid, has so far been about $18 billion to Ukraine, Reuters said.

The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported that JetBlue has set a foothold to become one of the top five U.S. airlines when it agreed to acquire low-cost airline Spirit Airlines for $3.8 billion.

According to the report, JetBlue announced on the 28th of last month that it has agreed to acquire Spirit Airlines for $33.50 per share and will pay an additional $2.50 per share if Spirit shareholders approve the merger. JetBlue said it expects to complete the merger by the first quarter of 2024 and expects to receive regulatory approval by the fourth quarter of next year or the first quarter of 2024.

JetBlue expects that the acquisition of Spirit Airlines will be a steppingstone to challenge the top four companies dominating the US aviation market. JetBlue, which currently operates 280 aircraft, will increase its fleet to 458 when the merger is completed. By adding up to 300 aircraft ordered here, it will be able to become a nationwide low-cost airline.

Earlier, Spirit Airlines said the day before that it had decided not to merge with Frontier Airlines ahead of a shareholder vote on the merger with Frontier Airlines and said it would continue negotiations with JetBlue.

Frontier Airlines agreed to a $2.9 billion merger with Spirit Airlines in February but failed to acquire Spirit Airline after being defeated by JetBlue, who later proposed a $3.7 billion merger plan.

The WSJ noted that JetBlue pushed out a strong competitor and reached an agreement to acquire Spirit Airlines, but it is unlikely to be easy to obtain approval from the authorities. That’s because the Biden administration is pursuing a series of antitrust lawsuits against major corporate mergers because it could weaken competition and raise prices.

On the 1^st August 2022 The Joe Biden administration-imposed sanctions on six companies which have been found to be involved in export of Iran’s petroleum products.

The U.S. Department of the Treasury announced on Monday that it had targeted four companies that continued to engage in the overseas sales of petroleum products and petrochemical products by Iranian petrochemical giant Persian Gulf Petrochemical Industries Commercial.

Persian Gulf Petrochemical Industries Commercial is already subject to Treasury sanctions.

The U.S. State Department also said it had sanctioned two companies, Golden Warriors Shipping, which provided logistics support, such as shipping Iranian petroleum products.

The State Department also sanctioned Glory Harvest; a Panama shipping liquefied natural gas carrier owned by Golden Warriors Shipping.

Four companies, including Golden Warriors Shipping, are registered in China, while the other two are registered in Singapore and the United Arab Emirates, the Ministry of Finance said.

Secretary of State Tony Blincoln announced that the sanctions would include six companies that promote illegal trade in petroleum and petrochemical products, the main source of revenue for the Iranian government.

The sanctions are interpreted as measures to further increase the level of pressure on Iran as the West and Iran continue to struggle to return to the nuclear deal.

A heat wave advisory has been issued for the western part of Washington state, including Seattle, and recently, days exceeding 90 degrees have become more frequent, an analysis showed that Seattle is getting hotter.

According to the results of analysis of the Seattle Times’ Meteorological Agency data, from 1945, when the Seattle area’s temperature was officially measured, to June of this year, there were a total of 246 days when the temperature in SeaTac exceeded 90 degrees. Moreover, more than half of these, 100 days or more, have occurred within the last 20 years.

The number of occurrences of hurricanes is gradually increasing.

Since 1945, there have been 9 years in which 7 or more days have exceeded 90 degrees in a year.

Among them, 2015 was recorded as the hottest year, with 12 days when the temperature exceeded 90 to 100 degrees. 2018 had 11 days, 2021 and 2017 had 8 days, and 2016 had 7 days.

Last year was the 8th day when the temperature exceeded 90 degrees, but June 28 was the hottest summer when the temperature exceeded 108 degrees, the highest temperature recorded since the Seattle area meteorological observation.

Of course, there were years when there were no hot days.

Since 1945, there have been 16 days without very hot days. Half of the decade from 1945 to 1055 did not have a single day above 90 degrees. The last year in the past 10 years when there was not a single day above 90 degrees was 2011. From 1999 to 2001, the temperature in Seattle did not exceed 90 degrees Celsius for three consecutive years.

According to the analysis, the closest year since 2015 to “typical Seattle’s normal summer weather” was two years ago. There were 4 very hot days in 2020 and only 2 days in 2019.

Combining data from previous years, climate experts predict that there will be more than seven days of hot weather exceeding 90 degrees this year.

The sweltering heat is also changing the home landscape in the Seattle area.

The state has issued a warning after a surge in New Jersey restaurants and retailers charging customers with credit card payment fees without prior notice.

The New Jersey Prosecutor’s Office and the Consumer Protection Agency announced on the 25th that “a warning letter has been sent to 14 New Jersey restaurants and retailers, including restaurants and retailers, that charged customers with fees for credit card payments without prior notice.”

According to the state prosecutor’s office, it is legal for restaurants and retailers to charge customers a fee for credit card payments, but it is illegal unless the customer is notified in advance.

Acting Attorney General Matthew Plakin said, “Consumers have the right to know exactly how much they are paying for a product or service. “If you charge additional fees for card payments, you should make sure customers are informed before they buy a product or use a service,” he said.

If the seller does not notify in advance whether a credit card payment fee will be charged, the Visa Protection Agency has requested that the seller report it through its website (njconsumeraffairs.gov).

In this regard, a bill has been proposed in the state legislature to ban businesses from demanding additional fees from customers that are higher than the fees charged by credit card companies to merchants.

The bill prohibits restaurants and retailers from charging customers with surcharges for using their credit cards that require them to notify them before placing an order and charge customers a fee higher than they pay the with credit card company. The content is the focus.

According to the law, a fine of $10,000 for the first violation and $20,000 for the second or more violations.

If you have $10,000 in cash per family member when leaving the United States or entering the country from abroad, you must declare it to customs.

On the 10th, an immigrant family traveling to Ethiopia via Dulles International Airport in Virginia was confiscated with $27,330 in cash at the airport.

The Department of Homeland Security’s Department of Homeland Security’s Customs and Border Protection (hereinafter referred to as the Customs Administration) said in a press release that “a family of five did not report while departing for a flight to Ethiopia.” “Therefore, 27,330 The dollar was confiscated and $830 of that was returned.” The family missed their flight to Ethiopia because of this and had to book a flight to the next day.

His father, an Ethiopian-born American citizen, had $8,000 in cash at the time, and his eldest son also had $8,000. The remaining $11,000 was found in carry-on bags the family carried on the plane. Customs officials later searched for checked-in baggage, but no cash was found here.

U.S. law does not limit the amount of cash a traveler can bring when entering or leaving the United States, but if the amount of cash is more than $10,000, it must be reported. In this case, the declared amount is per family, not per person, if the family travels together.

“Travelers can bring any cash to or from the United States, but federal law requires them to fill out a simple form for carrying more than $10,000,” said Daniel Escobedo, Washington, DC airport director at Customs, in a press release. said.

Shin Seung-cheol, president of Top Travel Agency, said, “Even among Koreans, there are cases in which money is confiscated while carrying more than $10,000. I recommend that you do,” he said.

Joanne Hans, president of travel agency Joanne Hans, said, “Requiring that people carry more than $10,000 and declare when entering and leaving is a measure to prevent illegal money from leaking or flowing in. “If you carry more than $10,000, you are required to declare it to customs,” he said.

On the other hand, in Korea, the standard for reporting $10,000 is individual, not family.

Lee Yoon-gyu, head of the Washington branch of Korean Air, said, “In regard to foreign exchange export, in the United States, it is $10,000 per family, whereas in Korea, if it is more than $10,000 per person, it is required to report it.”