UPDATE: Effective 8 November 2021, the United States Government rescinded Proclamation 10199, which restricted travel from India. The U.S. Government enacted Proclamation 10294, which implements COVID-19 vaccination requirements for travelers. For more detail regarding exemptions, please see the Federal Register Notice. Effective 4 May 2021, Proclamation 10199 temporarily restricts nonimmigrant […]
Deferred Enforced Departure for Liberian Nationals
The Biden Administration extended deferred enforced departure for Liberian nationals. The deferred enforced departure (“DED”) extension also applies to stateless persons who lived in Liberia. DED is extended until 30 June 2022. Employment authorization for DED beneficiaries (A-11 category), expiring on 30 March 2020 or 10 January 2021, is automatically […]
H-2B Visas for Temporary Workers
In April 2021, the Department of Homeland Security announced that it will offer 22,000 additional H-2B visas for temporary, non-agricultural workers. The Department of Homeland Security will reserve 6,000 visas for nationals from El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras. To provide further detail, the Department of Homeland Security will publish a […]
I-944 Form Not Needed for Adjustment
On 19 March 2021, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced that it will no longer apply the August 2019 public charge final rule. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services applied the August 2019 public charge rule when reviewing status adjustment applications (I-485 Form). Foreign nationals file status adjustment applications (I-485 Form) […]
Visa Interview Waivers for Nonimmigrants
On 11 March 2021, the U.S. State Department announced that consular officers may grant visa interview waivers to nonimmigrants renewing their visas in the same visa category. This temporary authorization applies to foreign nationals renewing nonimmigrant visas, which expired within the past 48 months. U.S. law offers many different nonimmigrant […]
8th Circuit Decision Impacting TPS Beneficiaries
On 27 October 2020, the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit ruled that a temporary protected status (“TPS”) beneficiary, who entered the U.S. without inspection but later obtained temporary protected status, “shall be considered as being in, and maintaining, lawful status as a nonimmigrant.” For adjustment of […]
DHS Withdrawing I-864 Proposed Rule
On March 19 2021, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced that it is withdrawing the proposed rule regarding the I-864 Affidavit criteria. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) uses the I-864 or I-864EZ Affidavits when a foreign national applies for permanent residency through status adjustment (I-485 Form). The U.S. […]