Presidential Press Briefing Indicates a Much Narrower Executive Order

After last night's devastating tweet in which President Trump proposed suspending all immigration to the US, President Trump clarified today (Tuesday, April 21) in a press briefing that he will soon sign an Executive Order (as early as tomorrow) temporarily putting on hold the processing of immigrant visa applications from abroad. Specifically, foreign nationals applying for visas for admission as permanent residents based on employment and possibly family will be delayed by an additional 60 days, at which point officials will re-examine economic conditions in the United States.  

This proposed Executive Order will not preclude foreign nationals from applying for and entering as visitors, students or foreigners on temporary work visas.  That said, US Consulates around the world are currently closed indefinitely and only processing emergency visa applications.

For now, we have clarity (and a sense of relief) that this proposed Executive Order will not affect foreign national workers currently in the United States and the processing of petitions on their behalf.  In contrast to President Trump’s sweeping announcement from last night, his comments today indicate that this Executive Order only applies temporarily to foreign nationals abroad who are seeking immigrant visas to the United States.  It will not apply to foreign nationals seeking temporary employment-based visas from abroad, although it’s safe to assume that more visa applications will be put through administrative processing once the Consulates reopen.  

It should be noted that Trump said his administration will consider potential additional immigration measures moving forward to protect U.S. workers.  We will continue to monitor the situation and provide updates as soon as we have more information.

This alert is for informational purposes only. Please contact me if you would like to discuss this development further. Stay safe and healthy!