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:
Trump Administration
U.S. Southern Border Shut Down Temporarily to Asylum Applications
President Joe Biden has ordered a temporary suspension of asylum applications for migrants who cross the southern border illegally between ports of entry.
This suspension went into effect at midnight on June 5 because the number of illegal border crossings (or encounters) has reached the order’s threshold of 2,500 per day. If illegal encounters drop…
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…
Ninth Circuit to Revisit End of TPS for El Salvador, Haiti, Honduras, Nepal, Nicaragua, Sudan
By Michael H. Neifach on
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has agreed to an en banc rehearing in Ramos v. Mayorkas, potentially further extending Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for tens of thousands of individuals with current status from El Salvador, Haiti, Honduras, Nepal, Nicaragua, and Sudan who have been in limbo waiting on a final ruling in the this…
Temporary Protected Status Extended for Haiti
By Michael H. Neifach on
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has announced that Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haiti will be extended and redesignated for 18 months from February 4, 2023, until August 3, 2024.
TPS for Haiti had been extended five times, until January 22, 2018, due to economic, security, political, health care, and humanitarian crises. DHS announced…
COVID-19 Restrictions Return for Travelers from China, Hong Kong, Macau
Starting on Jan. 5, 2023, COVID-19 travel restrictions are back for those travelling to the United States from China, Hong Kong, or Macau. Individuals will have to show evidence of a negative COVID-19 test or of recovery from COVID-19.
Restrictions will apply to everyone over the age of 2 boarding a flight from China, Hong…
New DACA Rule Reflects Court’s Limitations
The new Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) final rule is in effect – to the extent permitted by court orders.
DACA allows temporary protection from deportation for undocumented immigrants who came to the United States under the age of 16. There are approximately 600,000 immigrants, known as “Dreamers,” who are protected by DACA.
The…
DHS Publishes Final Rule Restoring Asylum Regulations
By Michael H. Neifach on
Announcing a new final rule, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is officially reinstating the 2020 asylum rules in light of the court decision that said they were invalid.
In February 2022, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia vacated two 2020 Trump-era rules that for two years had made it more…
Officially Returning to Pre-2019 Public Charge Rule to Determine Admissibility
By Carla Stenzel on
After years of litigation followed by uncertainty, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has taken the official action of issuing a new final rule that “restores the historical understanding of a ‘public charge’ that had been in place for decades . . . .” The new rule, which goes into effect on December 23, 2022,…
Air Travelers No Longer Required to Present Negative COVID-19 Test
As of 12:01 a.m. on Sunday, June 12, 2022, passengers flying to the United States from abroad will no longer need to present a negative COVID-19 test to board (or prove that they have recovered from COVID-19 within the prior 90 days). Non-U.S. citizens, including those entering on temporary visas (with limited exceptions), must still…