In light of the rapidly changing circumstances around COVID-19, better known as Coronavirus, President Trump has issued a new proclamation this week, which restricts travel to the U.S. from 26 European countries (Schengen states) and which takes effect tonight, Friday, March 13 at midnight.
Read MoreThe Department of Homeland Security has decided to extend Temporary Protected Status (“TPS”) for nationals of Yemen for a period of eighteen months. TPS designation for Yemen was scheduled to end on March 3, 2020. The DHS decision will extend it through September 3, 2021.
Read MoreThe Department of State (DOS) has issued its March 2020 Visa Bulletin. Overall, most employment categories will have modest forward movement, although the employment-based category 3, will have a significant 37-month retrogression for most nationals.
Read MoreFollowing the recent U.S. Supreme Court order (5-4), USCIS has updated certain forms to incorporate the new rules for determining whether an individual is at risk of becoming a “public charge.” These new forms take effect on February 24, 2020. Prior versions of the relevant forms will be rejected on or after February 24, 2020.
Read MoreFurther to our previous updates regarding the new process for the annual H-1B lottery this year, USCIS has (finally!) released information about the web portal through which employers and their lawyers can register prospective H-1B workers for the annual visa lottery.
Read MoreOn February 6, a federal judge in North Carolina issued a permanent nationwide injunction on a rule that sought to change the way the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) calculated “unlawful presence” for international students (F-1, M-1) or exchange visitors (J-1). The new rule would have triggered the accrual of unlawful presence from the moment a violation of status occurs, even if the visa-holder is not aware of said violation.
Read MoreOn January 31, the United States Customs and Immigration Services (USCIS) released a new version of the Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification, (I-9), which should be used immediately. This form is used by all employers to verify employment authorization of its employees, and must be completed within three (3) days of any new hire.
Read MoreEarlier this week, the Supreme Court ruled 5-4 to lift the nationwide injunction on a rule redefining when DHS may deny admission or permanent residence to any foreign national who is “likely to become a public charge”.
Read MoreAnother travel ban has been issued today for nationals of six countries effective February 22, 2020. The new travel restrictions will prevent nationals from Eritrea, Kyrgyzstan, Myanmar (also known as Burma), and Nigeria from applying for immigrant visas with limited exceptions. The new policy also bars nationals of Sudan and Tanzania from applying for an immigrant visa based on the annual green card lottery (known formally as the Diversity Visa lottery). Immigrants who were issued visas prior to this policy taking effect remain eligible for entry into the country.
Read MoreU.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Agency (USCIS) announced yesterday that Iranian nationals will no longer be able to apply for an extension of their E-1 and E-2 status or change their status to E-1 and E-2.
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