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On October 30, 2023, President Joe Biden issued an Executive Order regarding the “Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy Development and Use of Artificial Intelligence.” The Executive Order (EO) directs departments and agencies throughout the government, including the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Department of State (DOS), to develop plans and policies to establish…

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 a pilot stateside processing program on a limited basis in the first quarter of 2024. Those able to utilize stateside…

A change in calculating the availability of immigrant numbers means some foreign national ministers who are in the United States on temporary R-1 religious worker visas and waiting in lines for green cards will have to wait even longer, it seems. Some may even have to leave their congregations.

Ministers entering the United States solely…

Diversity Visa (DV) Electronic Registration for Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 opens at noon ET on October 4, 2023, and closes at noon ET on November 7, 2023. There will be 55,000 Diversity Visas available for FY 2025.

There is no cost to register, but, if selected, applicants must pay the visa application or I-485…

On September 27, 2023, Secretary of State, Antony Blinken and Secretary of Homeland Security, Alejandro Mayorkas announced that Israel will join the Visa Waiver Program (VWP). Pursuant to the designation, beginning on November 30, 2023, Israeli citizens will be able to apply online through ESTA to travel to the United States on the VWP.

The…

By September 30, 2023, Congress will again have to fund the government. Despite ongoing efforts by the administration and Congress, indications are that a shutdown may occur at the beginning of the fiscal year, on October 1. Should a shutdown occur, it will affect a number of immigration- and visa-related agencies and processes.

USCIS

Because…

The Department of State is proposing a new rule that would specifically allow third parties (including private attorneys, interpreters, and others) to attend interviews at consulates, embassies, and passport agencies and centers for U.S. citizen services.

These services include but are not limited to appointments for passports, requests for Consular Reports of Birth Abroad (CRBA)…

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has issued additional Visa Waiver Program guidance involving Cuba, Hungary, and Israel.

The Visa Waiver Program allows individuals from selected countries to enter the United States for business or tourism for up to 90 days without obtaining a visa. To enter under the Visa Waiver Program, foreign nationals must…

The Immigration and Nationality Act delegates authority to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to decide whether to parole a foreign person into the United States. Parole is a discretionary remedy decided on a case-by-case basis, evaluating the totality of evidence to determine if the foreign person’s presence in the United States will provide a…

The Department of State has delayed the effective date of the increase in consular fees from May 30, 2023, to June 17, 2023 (to provide a 60-day delay after the final rule was received by Congress).

The most relevant fee increases remain:

Visa TypeCurrent FeeRevised Fee
Non-petition-based nonimmigrant visas: B/1-B/2, F, M
…