Due to a recent surge in COVID-19 cases in China, travelers from China, Hong Kong and Macau will need to show a negative COVID-19 test or documentation of recovery in order to board flights to the United States effective January 5, 2023.
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The State Department has extended the option for US Consulates to waive the in-person interview requirement for certain visa applicants through the end of 2023. Qualifying visa applicants can still apply for their visas by mail instead of appearing in-person for an interview at the US Consulate.
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The Department of State (DOS) has issued its January 2023 Visa Bulletin. Overall, there is very little movement in priority dates for employment and family-based categories in January. The one unfortunate development is that the first preference employment-based category (EB-1) for Indian and Chinese nationals will no longer be current. Priority dates for the second and third employment-based categories (EB-2 and EB-3) and family-based categories remain the same as last month.
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Routine visa services have been suspended at all US Consulates across China effective December 15, 2022, due to a surge in COVID-19 infections in China.
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California has passed the Pay Transparency for Pay Equity Act (SB 1162), which takes effect on January 1, 2023. California joins a growing list of states that are passing pay transparency laws, including Connecticut, Maryland, Nevada, New York, Rhode Island, and Washington.
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The Department of Homeland Security has extended Temporary Protected Status (“TPS”) designation for nationals of El Salvador, Haiti, Honduras, Nepal, Nicaragua, and Sudan to June 30, 2024. The designations were previously set to expire on December 31, 2022.
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The Department of State (DOS) has issued its December 2022 Visa Bulletin. Priority dates for the EB-2 category continue to retrogress for Indian nationals, and are no longer current for nationals of any country. Indian and Chinese nationals in the EB-3 categories experience modest forward movement, while priority dates for most family-based categories remain unchanged.
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In response to the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Venezuela and the waves of Venezuelans seeking entry at the southern border of the United States, USCIS has announced a new parole program for Venezuelans. The Biden Administration has introduced this program, which is modeled after Uniting for Ukraine, as a part of a larger effort to manage the significant migration flows resulting from humanitarian crises abroad.
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Due to ongoing armed conflict and grave political instability in Ethiopia, the Department of Homeland Security has announced that nationals of Ethiopia currently in the United States may apply for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) so that they can stay in the United States for the next 18 months.
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U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (“ICE”) has once again extended the ability of employers to remotely verify the identity and employment authorization documents of new hires who will work off-site due to COVID-19 related precautions. The option to remotely verify documents for Form I-9 purposes has been extended through July 31, 2023.
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