Demystifying Immigration Law
The Latest on E-2 Visa with Citizenship-by-Investment
Law Brief: H-1B Visas – New Process and New (Upcoming) Deadlines
Employment Visa Restrictions: Past, Present, and Future by Sang Shin
Update from Washington: Employer's Preview of Immigration Restrictions from the Administration
On April 30, 2025, the U.S. Department of State launched two new tools to monitor immigrant and nonimmigrant visa interview availability: (1) the Immigrant Visa (IV) Scheduling Status Tool, and (2) the Global Visa Wait Times...more
On February 18, 2025, the US Department of State announced a new policy requiring more foreign nationals to attend in-person interviews to apply for nonimmigrant visas....more
The Department of State unexpectedly updated the requirements for nonimmigrant visa interview waiver eligibility, effective February 18, 2025. The interview waiver program (also referred to as Dropbox) allows qualified visa...more
International travelers seeking to renew their U.S. visas must meet stricter requirements and may see longer wait times. Effective February 18, 2025, DOS has officially reverted the special pandemic-era eligibility criteria...more
On February 18, 2025, the U.S. Department of State updated visa interview waiver (“drop box”) eligibility criteria for individuals renewing their visa stamps, resulting in sudden drop box appointment cancellations and...more
After quietly updating consular websites, signaling a significant change to Visa Interview Waiver (“dropbox”) eligibility requirements, on Feb. 18, 2025, the Department of State (DOS) officially announced the reversion to...more
The U.S. Department of State has announced updated guidance restricting eligibility for nonimmigrant visa interview waivers at U.S. Consulates. Under the revised guidance, nonimmigrant visa applicants may be eligible for an...more
The U.S. Embassy and Consulates in India recently announced updates to nonimmigrant visa processing that took effect last week, including changes to interview waiver (drop box) eligibility and the centralization of visa...more
The Department of State (DOS) revised the J-1 Skills List, which lists home countries to which foreign nationals are subject to a two-year foreign home residency requirement. •The 37 countries that have been removed from...more
On December 9, 2024, The Department of State issued two major revisions to its Exchange Visitor Skills list resulting in reducing the number of countries on the Exchange Visitor Skills List by almost half. Countries such as...more
On April 1, 2024, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that it had selected sufficient H-1B visa preregistrations to reach the congressionally mandated 65,000 regular H-1B cap (bachelor’s degree cap)...more
The U.S. Department of State (DOS) sent a Federal Register notice titled, “Pilot Program to Resume Renewal of H-1B Nonimmigrant Visas in the United States for Certain Qualified Noncitizens” to the Office of Information and...more
On October 17, 2023, the Department of State (DOS) took the first steps to implement stateside processing of nonimmigrant visas. The DOS notified the federal Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs that it will introduce...more
After an almost 20-year absence, federal officials appear closer than ever to bringing back the stateside issuance of nonimmigrant visas, which would allow H-1B and L-1 workers the option of renewing their visas without...more
Happy New Year! As we begin 2023, we would like to share the following recent U.S. immigration-related updates: Nonimmigrant Visa Interview Waivers Extended Until December 31, 2023 On December 23, 2022, the U.S....more
On December 23, 2022, the Department of State announced that the Secretary of State made a determination extending the authority of consular officers to waive in-person interviews for certain nonimmigrant visa categories...more
During the past two years of the pandemic, federal agencies such as the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of State have taken measures to accommodate their services and facilitate the issuance of visas in the...more
J-1 exchange visitors who received graduate medical education or training in the U.S. are subject to the two-year foreign residence requirement under Section 212(e) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). This...more
In early 2021, pursuant to INA § 212(f) the President of the United States issued a proclamation continuing the suspension of entry of certain travelers located abroad in an effort to control the spread of COVID (the “novel...more
As the COVID-19 pandemic and related restrictions continue, we continue to advise caution regarding international travel. Everyone considering international travel is urged to carefully consider the risks and be fully aware...more
On December 31, 2020, President Trump signed a Presidential Proclamation extending to March 31, 2021 the restrictions on entry of H, L and J nonimmigrants into the United States, and entry of new immigrant visa holders. ...more
The U.S. Department of State (DOS) released additional guidance expanding the scope of national interest exceptions to the June 24, 2020 Presidential Proclamation (PP 10052) banning the admission of certain J, H and L visa...more
COVID-19 has caused significant disruptions in every aspect of our daily lives. Several policies have been enacted, affecting millions of foreign national workers, both in the U.S. and abroad, along with the businesses that...more
In light of the impact of COVID-19 on the U.S. labor market, on Monday President Trump tweeted “I will be issuing a temporary suspension of immigration into the United States.” Yesterday, the President signed an Executive...more
Today USCIS implements its new public charge rule nationwide. The rule was previously enjoined in Illinois, but the U.S. Supreme Court lifted the injunction last week, allowing USCIS to implement the rule in all 50 states....more