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
Executive Orders
Number of Chinese Students at U.S. Universities Drops
Chinese students make up the majority of international students in the United States. However, the number of Chinese students in U.S. universities has dropped from a high of 370,000 in 2019 to about 290,000 today.
Part of the drop has been attributed to the Trump Administration’s 2020 executive order suspending entry of certain students and…
Presidential Pardon for Simple Marijuana Possession Leaves Out Many
Severe immigration consequences for certain non-U.S. citizens remain despite President Joe Biden’s pardon of all prior federal offenses for simple marijuana possession.
On October 6, 2022, President Biden took a major step toward the decriminalization of marijuana, pardoning all prior federal offenses for simple marijuana possession. Although this pardon will affect only approximately 6,500 individuals…
New, Immigration-Friendly Mission Statement for USCIS
USCIS has changed its mission statement again – this time to adopt a more immigration-friendly stance.
In 2018, USCIS, under the Trump Administration, changed its mission statement to align with President Donald Trump’s focus on enforcement, strict scrutiny, and extreme vetting. The statement did not emphasize customer satisfaction, i.e., the satisfaction of petitioners, applicants,…
Nov. 8 Marks Lifting of Some U.S. COVID-19 International Travel Restrictions
As of 12:01 a.m. ET on November 8, 2021, the United States’ country-specific 14-day COVID-19 travel restrictions that have been so troublesome and disruptive for individuals and businesses will be eliminated. Instead, protecting the country from COVID-19 will focus on vaccination status.
President Joe Biden’s “A Proclamation on Advancing the Safe Resumption of Global…
Proclamation on Suspending Visas for Immigrants Without Health Insurance Revoked
The Trump-era proclamation that would have kept immigrants who could not provide evidence of health insurance within 30 days of coming to the United States has been revoked by President Joe Biden. The move is in accordance with his prior executive order directed at “restoring faith” in the immigration system and to emphasize his…
Restrictions on Travelers from India due to COVID-19 Begin May 4
The entry of nonimmigrants who were physically present in India during the 14-day period preceding their attempted entry will be suspended beginning 12:01 a.m. EDT on May 4, 2021, according to President Joe Biden’s April 30 proclamation on risk of transmitting COVID-19. Anyone on a flight that departed for the United States prior to that…
Dropping Public Charge Rule, DHS Announces Return to Previous Policy to Determine Admissibility
Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Alejandro Mayorkas has announced that the public charge rule, put in place by the Trump administration in 2019, is no longer in effect. Instead, DHS will return to its previous policy, which had been in effect for 20 years, since 1999.
In his announcement, Secretary…
USCIS Rescinds Trump Era Guidance on H-1B Visas for Computer Programmers
With the H-1B cap season about to begin, there is good news for computer programmers and those who employ them. USCIS announced the immediate rescission of a 2017 guidance memo that had raised questions about whether computer programmers qualified for H-1B specialty occupation visas. The 2017 guidance, issued in the wake of the Buy American,…
Biden Directs Review of Immigration Policies, Seeks to Reduce Unnecessary Barriers
On the same day his nominee for Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Alejandro Mayorkas, was confirmed, President Joe Biden signed several Executive Orders regarding immigration, including one that directs complete review of policies.
The first, “Restoring Faith in Our Legal Immigration Systems and Strengthening Integration and Inclusion Efforts for New…