Insight, News, and Strategy on Immigration Matters Around the World
Approximately nine million U.S. citizens live or work abroad, and some want to renounce their U.S. citizenship. Many do so with regret but renounce to avoid various financial issues. Others consider themselves “accidental Americans” who maintain no connection with the United States.
While the reasons for renouncing U.S. citizenship vary, issues include:
The Online 2026 Diversity Visa (DV) Lottery for green cards is open until noon ET on Nov. 5, 2024.
Eligibility requirements, application instructions, and frequently asked questions are on the DV Lottery website.
Individuals from countries where more than 50,000 nationals have migrated to the United States in the past five years are ineligible…
In good news, the State Department has announced the roll-out of its new online passport renewal system. Eligible individuals can renew their 10-year passports online without having to mail in any documentation.
Be sure to plan ahead if you are using the online service because only routine service is available – no expedited processing.
Although…
Qatar will join the Visa Waiver Program (VWP). It will be the 42nd member of the VWP and the first Gulf country to qualify. The VWP allows citizens or nationals of participating countries to travel to the United States for tourism or business purposes for up to 90 days without obtaining a visa.
No…
The U.S. Embassy in Havana has expanded visa services to include some temporary non-immigrant visas. Cuban nationals with the following approved petitions will be able to schedule visa interviews at the Embassy:
The Department of Labor (DOL) has decided to delay updating its Foreign Labor Application Gateway, or FLAG, case processing system to implement revised H-2A job order and application forms for the new 2024 Farmworkers Protection Final Rule until further notice. For now, H-2A job orders and applications will continue to be received and processed under…
Seventeen states joined in a suit in June to block the Department of Labor (DOL) from enforcing its new rule providing more protections to farmworkers employed as H-2A temporary visa holders. Now, Judge Lisa Godbey Wood of the U.S. District Court for the District of Southern Georgia has granted a preliminary injunction preventing the DOL…
In a 6-3 ruling in U.S. Department of State et al v. Munoz et al (Case Number 23-334), the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) reaffirmed the doctrine of consular nonreviewability ruling against a U.S. citizen’s spouse who argued that the federal government violated her due process rights by denying her Salvadoran spouse an…
The Department of State announced that the United States and Japan have established a new J-1 Exchange Program – the Japanese Specialist Program. The new program specifically facilitates the exchange of Japanese language and culture specialists to observe U.S. educational methods and to share their knowledge of Japanese educational methods with U.S. colleagues.
The program…
President Joe Biden’s Executive Order regarding the “Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy Development and Use of Artificial Intelligence” directs departments and agencies throughout the government, including the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Department of State, to develop plans and policies to establish new standards for artificial intelligence (AI) use. In response, DHS has…
