On May 27, 2025, the Trump administration ordered U.S. embassies and consulates to pause scheduling new visa appointments for student and exchange visitor applicants until an expanded social media screening and vetting...more
Effective April 11, 2025, an Interim Final Rule promulgated by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) amends existing regulations to require certain foreign nationals to complete a new online registration form, as well as...more
President Donald Trump announced on Feb. 25 that he is creating a new program to offer residency and a path to citizenship to foreign investors who pay $5 million directly to the U.S. government. While the full scope of this...more
On Feb. 10, 2025, the U.S. Department of State (DoS) began limiting those who can use the Dropbox Program to renew their visas to individuals with either valid visas or with visas that expired in the last 12 months (reduced...more
On Jan. 20, 2025, the Trump Administration issued scores of Executive Orders (EOs). Among them was one that requires U.S. agencies to ensure immigrants “are vetted and screened to the maximum degree possible.” The EO...more
On Dec. 18, 2024, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) finalized new H-1B regulations with changes that will impact both employers and employees. While the regulations will introduce significant benefits and...more
The U.S. Department of State will begin accepting online registrations for the 2026 Diversity Visa (DV) lottery starting Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024, at noon EDT. For Fiscal Year 2026 (FY2026), the DV lottery will allow a maximum...more
Today, USCIS announced that it will be making additional selections from the FY25 H-1B registrations it received in order to reach the FY25 numerical allocation. The agency’s announcement was silent on timing, numbers and the...more
Updates to Kramer Levin’s Immigration Tracker System Two-Factor Authentication for Tracker Beginning on Monday, May 20, 2024, Tracker will require “two-factor authentication” in order to access our immigration system. We are...more
Recently, USCIS published a final rule increasing certain government filing fees effective April 1, 2024. In addition, it announced a final rule that will increase the premium processing fees effective Feb. 26, 2024....more
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that it will hold the H-1B electronic registration process for the fiscal year 2025 H-1B cap (from which the annual H-1B lottery will be run). Registration begins at...more
In recognition of the hardships associated with visa processing abroad, the U.S. Department of State (DOS) recently announced a pilot program for the domestic visa renewal (“renewal in the U.S.”) for certain H-1B holders....more
The U.S. Department of State will begin accepting online registrations for the 2025 Diversity Visa (DV) lottery starting Wednesday, Oct. 4, 2023, at noon EDT. For Fiscal Year 2025 (FY2025), the DV lottery will allow a maximum...more
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced a new process for obtaining temporary proof of LPR (lawful permanent resident, or “green card”) status for those who do not have valid green cards in their...more
On Jan. 20, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) agreed to settle a class action lawsuit challenging H-4 and L-2 adjudication delays. According to this settlement, USCIS will now adjudicate I-539s and I-765s...more
Effective Sept. 26, 2022, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) automatically extended the validity of Permanent Resident Cards (also known as Green Cards) to 24 months for lawful permanent residents who file Form...more
In a continued effort to streamline the entry process for travelers, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has begun to eliminate the issuance of entry stamps in the passports of foreign nationals upon arrival in the...more
President Biden issued a Presidential Proclamation that lifted the country-specific travel bans on international visitors to the United States from Brazil, China, India, Iran, Ireland, the Schengen Area, South Africa and the...more
The White House has announced the precise date that it will lift COVID-19-related travel bans that apply to international travelers from more than 30 countries. Starting Nov. 8, 2021, travel bans will be lifted for fully...more
10/22/2021
/ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Diversity Lottery ,
Foreign Nationals ,
Green Cards ,
Immigration Procedures ,
International Travel ,
Travel Ban ,
US Department of State ,
Vaccinations ,
Visas ,
World Health Organization
In news welcome to both travelers and U.S. consular officers alike, the Department of State (DOS) announced yesterday that it would extend the validity of National Interest Exceptions (NIEs). By way of background, as detailed...more
Recently, New York became the 16th state in the United States to legalize recreational marijuana. We wanted to remind you and your employees that the use, purchase or possession of marijuana is still a crime throughout the...more