Insight, News, and Strategy on Immigration Matters Around the World
President Joseph Biden signed the Proclamation on Ending Discriminatory Bans on Entry to The United States (“Proclamation Ending Discriminatory Bans”) during his first hours in office, terminating the controversial Muslim Ban and its sequel, the Africa Ban.
The Muslim Ban was based on an Executive Order (EO) that former President Donald Trump signed almost…
Due to the global coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, land border travel between the United States and Canada has been restricted since March 21, 2020, and will likely continue through at least January 21, 2021. Individuals may not be admitted for tourism or other non-essential reasons. For the most part, work has been considered an essential…
The B-1 in lieu of H-1B visa has been used by international companies to bring employees who remain on payrolls abroad to the United States for short periods of time (generally fewer than six months) to do professional level work that benefits the company abroad. Through the rulemaking process, the Department of State is proposing…
Due to the COVID-19 experience, some employers and employees are exploring the idea that work may be carried out remotely. Countries with economies that rely heavily on tourism (and hard-hit by the pandemic) are using this to their advantage.
In the United States, business advocacy groups and many companies have been urging the removal of…
The entry period for the 2022 Diversity Immigrant Visa (DV) Program will open on Wednesday, October 7, 2020 at noon, Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) and will close at noon EDT on Tuesday, November 10, 2022. There is no cost to register.
Individuals born in the following countries are not eligible to apply because more than…
While it typically uses the “Final Action Dates” chart for accepting adjustment of status application filings, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced that for October 2020, it will allow employment-based adjustment of status applicants to file based upon the U.S. Department of State’s (DOS) October “Dates for Filing” chart.
This means that individuals…
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) may resume implementation of the new Public Charge Rule, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit has ruled.
The factors that are considered under the new Public Charge Rule include the applicant’s use of public benefits, employment status and history of employment in the U.S., among others.…
On September 15, 2020, Judge Amit P. Mehta filed an amended order in Gomez v. Trump in response to the Department of State’s (DOS) guidance regarding the processing of Diversity Visa applications. DOS had announced that it would not issue visas to applicants who were subject to the “14-Day Quarantine” rule if they were not…
Judge Amit Mehta in Gomez v. Trump ordered the Department of State (DOS) to make good faith efforts to “expeditiously process and adjudicate DV-2020 diversity visa and derivative beneficiary applications” and issue visas to those eligible by September 30, 2020 – the deadline for the Diversity Visa program.
In response, DOS has issued guidance,…
Acting quickly, as he promised, Judge Ahmit P. Mehta in Gomez v. Trump, recognized the particular urgency of the Diversity Visa plaintiffs’ situation and granted them injunctive relief. Judge Mehta ordered the Department of State (DOS) to make good faith efforts to “expeditiously process and adjudicate DV-2020 diversity visa and derivative beneficiary applications” and…
