Insight, News, and Strategy on Immigration Matters Around the World
International travel during the COVID-19 pandemic has been challenging, but conditions are finally improving. Many Americans are now vaccinated against COVID-19. The latest CDC reporting indicates 50.9% of the U.S. population has received at least one vaccine dose and more than 41% of the U.S. population has been fully vaccinated.
Many international destinations are planning…
After a three-year investigation by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), two hand-carved lintels from ancient temples in Thailand were returned to the Thai government during a joyous ceremony including dancers and prayers at the Royal Thai Consulate-General in Los Angeles.
HSI is the principal investigative arm of the Department of Homeland Security. With a workforce of…
The Department of Homeland Security will no longer be collecting civil financial penalties for noncitizens who fail to depart from the United States. Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas announced that “[t]here is no indication that these penalties promoted compliance” and that the penalties were “ineffective and unnecessary punitive measures.”
The fines for undocumented workers who failed to…
The Biden administration is breathing life into the International Entrepreneur Rule (IER). It has announced that the IER will be launched anew, because it will “strengthen and grow our nation’s economy through increased capital spending, innovation, and job creation.”
Although there were stops and starts, the IER was never actually eliminated by the Trump administration.…
Over 40 percent of counties in the United States are experiencing population declines, and the country is experiencing a decline in the working-age population. Together, these demographics, some say, may signal an eventual slowdown of the economy. How to reverse the trend? Immigrants moving to targeted areas could help stem the decline.
Countries such…
On March 1, 2021, USCIS will be returning to the 2008 version of the naturalization civics test. This change is a response to President Joe Biden’s Executive Order, “Restoring Faith in Our Legal Immigration System,” that directed a review of the naturalization process to eliminate barriers to the process. Individuals who file naturalization applications…
The United States-Canada border is not only the world’s longest international border, but it includes some of the busiest commercial crossings in North America. New travel restrictions have been implemented as the COVID-19 pandemic continues.
Non-Essential Travel Ban
The land border has been closed to “non-essential” travel since March 2020 due to COVID-19. Restrictions include:…
The Biden administration announced that restrictions on travel known as the “14-Day Rules” will remain in effect, despite former President Trump’s decision to terminate some of them. These rules restrict entry by most non-U.S. citizens and non-Green Card holders from China, Iran, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Brazil and the 26 Schengen Zone countries. While there…
Due to the global coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, land border travel between the United States and Canada has been restricted since March 21, 2020, and will likely continue through at least January 21, 2021. Individuals may not be admitted for tourism or other non-essential reasons. For the most part, work has been considered an essential…
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has issued an alert on delays in processing receipt notices due to the surges in petition filings at lockbox facilities because of the COVID-19 pandemic and the agency’s “flexibility” in response.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many foreign nationals continue to be stuck and unable to leave the United…
