Insight, News, and Strategy on Immigration Matters Around the World
As President Joe Biden travelled to a meeting of the United National General Assembly, the Administration announced that, in early November, COVID-19 travel restrictions would be relaxed for fully vaccinated travelers from all the previously restricted countries: the UK and Ireland, the 26 Schengen Zone countries, Brazil, China, India, Iran, and South Africa.
The details…
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced that as of October 1, 2021, all applicants for Green Cards must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
There are some exemptions from the requirement, but anyone who does not qualify for an exemption and refuses vaccination will be inadmissible.
The COVID-19 vaccine joins the list of…
In June 2021, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce released the America Works Report, which is based on an analysis of more than 20 years of federal jobs and employment data. Among the findings is that there are approximately half as many available workers for every open job and the ratio continues to fall. While…
Once again, at the last moment, ICE has extended “flexibility” for I-9 employment verification. This time, for four more months, until the end of the year, December 31, 2021, due to continuing COVID-19 precautions.
Employees hired on or after April 1, 2021, who work exclusively in a remote setting are temporarily exempt from the physical…
The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic are far reaching. The labor shortage plaguing America has been one of the most publicized. Why is it so difficult for some employers to find employees? The 2020 United States Census offers possible reasons: an aging population, decreased fertility rates, and low rates of immigration.
The 7.4% population…
In a tweet on August 20, 2021, the Department of Homeland Security announced that:
“To minimize the spread of COVID19, including the Delta variant, the United States is extending restrictions on non-essential travel at our land and ferry crossing with Canada and Mexico through September 21, while continuing to ensure the flow of essential…
One of the themes of this year’s USCIS Ombudsman Annual Report is that the agency has been through “a year like no other.” USCIS faced “unprecedented challenges.” With the COVID-19 pandemic came temporary office closures, reduced capacity, and budget cuts. This led to previously unseen levels of backlogs and deepening financial problems, according to the…
E-Verify is moving toward tougher enforcement, which can result in a temporary termination from participation in the E-Verify program.
Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, E-Verify relaxed some of its standards regarding Tentative Nonconfirmation (TNCs). But, by November 2020, E-Verify stopped allowing extensions and began enforcing its usual timing requirements.
Employers receiving a TNC must notify…
Anyone thinking of travelling internationally next year needs to plan ahead. Due to backlogs, applications for new or renewed U.S. passports should be filed at least six months in advance. The Department of State (DOS) reports that regular processing takes up to 18 weeks and expedited processing takes at least 12 weeks. DOS is only…
The State Department, in coordination with the CDC, raised its Travel Advisory for the United Kingdom to “Do Not Travel” because of COVID-19 (Level IV).
Coincidentally, the Department’s move came on the same day Prime Minister Boris Johnson lifted most COVID-19-related restrictions in the United Kingdom (yet, excluding Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland). He made…
