The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in numerous presidential proclamations restricting travel and entry into the United States. Likewise, since the pandemic began, the criteria for “national interest exceptions” (NIEs)...more
4/8/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Executive Orders ,
Foreign Nationals ,
International Travel ,
Ireland ,
National Interest Waiver ,
Presidential Proclamations ,
Travel Restrictions ,
UK ,
US Department of State ,
Visas
On July 14, 2020, the U.S. Department of State announced that U.S. consulates and embassies around the world have begun a phased resumption of routine visa services. The Department of State did not provide a specific timeline...more
The U.S. Department of State announced on March 18, 2020, that it has suspended all routine visa services, including immigrant and nonimmigrant visa appointments, in most countries worldwide. It is not yet known how long the...more
The continuing spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) throughout the United States has caused employers to consider implementing contingency plans to help curb the spread of the disease and protect their workforces. Many...more
3/17/2020
/ Business Travel ,
Consulate ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Emergency Management Plans ,
H-1B ,
State of Emergency ,
Traveling Employee ,
U.S. Embassies ,
US Department of State ,
Visas
In a 5–4 decision on February 21, 2020, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled in Wolf v. Cook County, Illinois (No. 19A905) in favor of staying an Illinois district court’s injunction blocking the Trump...more
3/4/2020
/ Concurrent Litigation ,
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
Foreign Nationals ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Immigration Reform ,
Irreparable Harm ,
Order to Stay ,
Preliminary Injunctions ,
Public Charge ,
SCOTUS ,
Trump Administration ,
US Department of State ,
USCIS ,
Wolf v Cook County
The Trump administration’s public charge rule is on hold, at least temporarily. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Department of State each introduced a version of the rule. ...more
According to a proclamation issued by President Donald Trump on October 4, 2019, the U.S. Department of State will begin issuing immigrant visas only to those foreign nationals who will have health insurance once admitted to...more
The U.S. Department of State has released the October 2019 Visa Bulletin, the first for fiscal year 2020. As anticipated, many of the final action dates have rebounded after retrogressing in August and have returned to dates...more
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has had a change of heart. Instead of closing all 23 of its international field offices, as originally planned, the agency recently announced that it would keep seven offices...more
The August 2019 Visa Bulletin, released by the U.S. Department of State earlier this month, shows substantial retrogression affecting employment-based categories worldwide. The State Department expects the retrogression to be...more
Foreign nationals are now required to provide a five-year history of social media usernames, telephone numbers, and email addresses when applying for U.S. nonimmigrant or immigrant visas. The plan to require more information...more
6/18/2019
/ B-1 ,
Customs and Border Protection ,
Electronic Communications ,
Electronic Devices ,
Foreign Nationals ,
H-1B ,
Immigration Procedures ,
L-1 Visas ,
Social Networks ,
US Department of State ,
Visas
The Visa Bulletin for June 2019 has been released by the U.S. Department of State. While most of the dates for employment-based preference categories will only gradually shift from the dates published in May 2019, the EB-1...more
President Donald J. Trump has issued a memorandum aimed at reducing the number of visa overstays in the United States. The administration says those overstays undermine the integrity of the immigration system and harm the...more
The U.S. Department of State has released the Visa Bulletin for May 2019, which shows slight progress in most employment-based preference categories.
The Visa Bulletin provides monthly updates to foreign nationals waiting...more
4/24/2019
/ China ,
EB-1 ,
EB-2 ,
EB-3 ,
Filing Deadlines ,
India ,
Philippines ,
Retrogression ,
US Department of State ,
Visa Applications ,
Visa Bulletins ,
Visas
There may be a partial government shutdown if Congress cannot come to an agreement on a spending bill before midnight on December 21, 2018. Without an agreement, roughly 25 percent of funding for the federal government will...more
A new policy enacted by the U.S. Department of State (DOS) instructs United States consular officers to limit the issuance of visas to some Chinese citizens as part of the administration’s measures to address China’s alleged...more