On December 21, the U.S. Department of State announced that for 2024 it would continue to waive the requirement of consular interviews for certain nonimmigrant visa applications. However, the 2024 waiver requirements are...more
On December 21, the U.S. Department of State issued regulations with details of its pilot program for issuance of renewed H-1B visa stamps in the United States. The pilot program eliminates the need for applicants to obtain...more
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has issued helpful guidance (available here and here) on how to apply for employment authorization documents based on compelling circumstances.
When a foreign national applies...more
One of the most dreaded things a foreign worker can hear while applying for a U.S. visa abroad is that the case has gone to “administrative processing.” That news typically meant that the applicant had to wait weeks, if not...more
With waits for green cards of up to 10 years, many foreign professionals have faced the nightmare scenario in which their children reach age 21 before the children receive their green cards, meaning that they age out of the...more
The U.S. Department of State has indicated that it will establish a pilot program that will allow some non-immigrant visa holders to get their visas renewed without having to leave the United States.
The information came...more
President Joe Biden has rescinded COVID-19-related travel restrictions that were imposed in late November on eight African nations. The rescission, which took effect at 12:01 a.m. Eastern Time on December 31, was recommended...more
We recently commented that the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has been making changes that were consistent with the Biden Administration’s plans to make the operation of the immigration system more efficient and...more
More than one-third of new global cases of COVID-19 have occurred in India, and the numbers are increasing.
As a result, President Biden has added the Republic of India to the list of countries whose nationals and...more
5/6/2021
/ American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) ,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
Foreign Nationals ,
India ,
Joe Biden ,
Lawful Permanent Residents ,
National Interest Waiver ,
Non-Citizens ,
Presidential Proclamations ,
Travel Ban ,
US Department of State ,
Virus Testing
The U.S. State Department recently issued new guidance on the National Interest Exceptions for international travelers to the United States. The guidance applies to inbound travelers from Ireland, the Schengen Area, and the...more
4/2/2021
/ Business Interruption ,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
Customs and Border Protection ,
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
Foreign Nationals ,
International Travel ,
Ireland ,
Joe Biden ,
National Interest Waiver ,
New Guidance ,
UK ,
US Department of State
The U.S. Department of State recently released its October 2020 Visa Bulletin reflecting an all-time high allocation of approximately 261,500 employment-based immigrant visas and signaling an unusually quick advancement of...more
The U.S. Department of State has issued some preliminary guidance on the application of the national interest waiver to foreign nationals from countries that are subject to a COVID-19-related travel ban.
Since late...more
7/28/2020
/ Child Care ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Educational Institutions ,
Foreign Policy ,
H-1B ,
Homeland Security Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) ,
Immigration ,
Internships ,
J-1 Visas ,
L-1 Visas ,
Secretary of Labor ,
Secretary of State ,
Travel Ban ,
Travel Restrictions ,
US Department of State ,
Waivers
As most people have heard by now, a federal judge in Seattle issued a nationwide temporary restraining order on Friday that prohibits the federal government from enforcing portions of President Trump’s "travel ban" Executive...more