October 2023 not only provided amazing Halloween costumes but big updates to the United States and global immigration. The Cozen O’Connor catch-up this month highlights these changes and provides the details you need to...more
The U.S. Departments of Homeland Security (DHS) and State (DOS) announced in September that the agencies were expanding the list of Visa Waiver Program countries to include Israel, with a projected effective date of November...more
On September 27, 2023, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced the designation of Israel into the Visa Waiver Program (VWP). By November 30, 2023, the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) will be...more
On July 6, 2023, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) updated the existing Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) application to add questions focusing on an applicant’s travel and connection to Cuba,...more
The U.S. secretary of state, in consultation with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), has authorized consular officers to waive in-person interviews for certain nonimmigrant visa applicants through the end of...more
U.S. agencies are rapidly adapting immigration policy to respond to shifting developments in the COVID-19 pandemic. Our immigration lawyers provide information on the unprecedented range of revised policies. U.S. Entry...more
USCIS Suspends Premium Processing for all Form I-129 and I-140 filings - On March 20, 2020 U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that effective immediately, it is temporarily suspending Premium...more
Poland has been designated into the Visa Waiver Program (VWP). Starting November 11, 2019, eligible citizens and nationals of Poland will be able to travel to the United States without a visa for tourism and business trips of...more
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has designated Poland as the newest member of the Visa Waiver Program (VWP)....more
Poland will be the 39th country in the Visa Waiver Program, starting November 11, 2019, which allows for visa-free travel to the United States for up to 90 days for business or pleasure. On November 6, 2019, Acting...more
Poland will become the 39th member of the Visa Waiver Program (VWP) on November 11, 2019. Polish citizens and nationals will be able to apply to travel to the United States for tourism or business purposes for up to 90...more
1. What is the VWP? The VWP is administered by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in consultation with the State Department. ...more
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen has announced new security measures applicable to all countries in the Visa Waiver Program (VWP). The VWP allows citizens or nationals of 38 participating...more
Travel to the United States, with its new immigration enforcement-minded administration, will require foreign travelers to be even more aware of the rules governing border protection, and take advantage of the travel programs...more
On March 6, 2017, President Donald Trump released a revised executive order entitled Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States (the “Order”) following legal challenges to the preceding order...more
On February 21, 2017, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released two memoranda signed by DHS Secretary Kelly addressing immigration enforcement. While a sitting President cannot independently modify laws or regulations...more
President Trump’s Executive Order (“Order”) of January 27, 2017, “Protecting The Nation From Foreign Terrorist Entry Into The United States,” could have a significant impact on the American immigration system. Employers...more
At the end of 2016, the U.S. Customs Border Protection (CBP) implemented a rule to include questions concerning social media accounts of travelers to the United States during the Visa Waiver Program screening process (VWP)....more
Starting January 17, 2017, the long-awaited regulations for high-skilled workers incorporating provisions of the American Competitiveness in the Twenty-First Century Act of 2000 (AC21) and the American Competitiveness and...more
The Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) is a system used to determine the eligibility of visitors to travel to the United States under the Visa Waiver Program (VWP), and whether such travel poses any law...more
The federal government has proposed a new rule requiring that applicants for the Visa Waiver Program (VWP)—which allows citizens of certain countries to enter the United States without visas—be asked to voluntarily disclose...more
Last August, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced that travelers participating in the Visa Waiver Program to travel to the United States would be required to have an...more
Last month, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) began implementation of the Visa Waiver Program Improvement and Terrorist Travel Prevention Act of 2015. In addition to making several important changes to the Visa...more
UPDATE: CBP has announced that Libya, Somalia, and Yemen are now included with Iran, Iraq, Sudan and Syria as countries of concern, so that individuals who have traveled to these countries since March 1, 2011 are not eligible...more
H-1B Cap season is approaching, and, with a similar flurry to file petitions for eligible specialized knowledge workers expected for April 1 as we experienced in 2015, H-1B employers should carefully consider the obligations...more