Insight, News, and Strategy on Immigration Matters Around the World
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 Type | Current Fee | Revised Fee |
| Non-petition-based nonimmigrant visas: B/1-B/2, F, M |
With the end of the COVID-19 National Emergency in the United States, the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) has reinstated its preexisting policy regarding online classes.
Accordingly, for the 2023-24 academic year (starting fall 2023), students will have to comply with the SEVP’s pre-COVID-19 restrictions. Students will be able to complete the 2022-23 academic…
The last-standing COVID-19-related travel restrictions will soon expire. Bringing the United States in line with most countries around the world, after May 11, 2023, non-citizen, nonimmigrant air passengers need not show proof of being fully vaccinated to board a flight to the United States.
Until May 12, nonimmigrants must still document having a bivalent or…
Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has been implementing “Simplified Arrival” at all airports, seaports, and most ports of entry since early 2022. The purpose is to secure and streamline the entry process. But the elimination of paper documentation is raising issues for foreign nationals.
One outcome of Simplified Arrival implementation is that CBP no longer…
As a part of various USCIS immigration applications, the U.S. government requires the applicants’ biometrics to be collected in order to conduct relevant background checks and services prior to granting the requested immigration benefits. In the past, mobile biometrics services (e.g., photographs and fingerprinting) may be provided by USCIS at pre-determined locations for those…
A new federal law restricts foreign investors’ access to E visas by adding a three-year domicile requirement for investors who obtained their citizenship through Citizenship by Investment (CBI) Programs.
Buried in the nearly 2,000-page National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), P.L. 117-263, signed into law by President Joe Biden on December 23, 2022, is a provision…
New travel authorization systems are being postponed again in the United States and in Europe: REAL ID until May 7, 2025, and ETIAS (European Travel Information and Authorisation System) until 2024.
During the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) extended the deadline for REAL ID until May 3, 2023. As…
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has announced a one-year extension of parole for certain Ukrainian nationals who, after the Russian invasion, were paroled into the United States for a period of one year before the two-year parole became available under the Uniting for Ukraine (UFU) program.
On a case-by-case basis, DHS will consider the extension…
Lawful permanent residents may receive temporary evidence of their lawful permanent resident (LPR) status by mail, rather than physically visiting a field office, USCIS has announced.
LPRs eligible for delivery of temporary evidence of status will be mailed a Form I-94 with ADIT stamp, DHS seal, and a printed photo of the LPR obtained…
U.S. passport renewals are taking longer. Applying for renewals well in advance of travel abroad may be particularly important if you also need a visa in the new passport.
Moreover, many countries require that your passport be valid for at least 3 months, or even 6 months, beyond the period of your intended stay abroad.
