Effective November 8th, Travel Bans are Lifted and COVID-19 Vaccination Requirements Take Effect President Biden has issued a proclamation rescinding the country-by-country travel restrictions previously applied during the COVID-19 pandemic which banned foreign nationals from entering the U.S. if they had been present in any of the following countries within 14 days: China, Iran, the
The Department of State Releases Changes to Vaccine Requirements for Immigrant, Nonimmigrant, and K Fiancé(e) Visa Applicants Effective October 1, 2021, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (“CDC”) instructions for panel physicians requires all immigrant visa, K visa applicants, and nonimmigrant visa applicants who are referred to the panel physicians to receive a full
U.S. to Rescind Travel Bans for China, Iran, the Schengen Area, U.K., Ireland, Brazil, South Africa and India The U.S. plans to lift air travel restrictions for foreign nationals who are fully vaccinated, targeting early November 2021 for foreign travel to resume for the first time in over a year. Since early in the COVID-pandemic,
– United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has agreed to extend the validity period of receipt notices issued to conditional permanent residents with pending Removal of Condition applications. The receipt notices, used by the conditional residents to prove their legal status, employment, and travel eligibility in the U.S. currently are valid for 18 months.
– Applicants that file for lawful permanent resident status using USCIS’s Form I-485, Application to Adjust Status, will now be able to apply for a social security number (SSN) or replacement card as part of the adjustment of status application process. Previously, these individuals had to apply for an SSN at a Social Security office.
In March 2021, United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) conducted the initial lottery round for the electronic H-1B registrations for the fiscal year (FY) 2022 H-1B cap. The petition filing period for the selected registrations was from April 1, 2021 to June 30, 2021. USCIS uses historical data related to H-1B petition approvals, denials
While the pandemic wreaked havoc on many immigration processes and has resulted in some breaks in employers’ I-9 compliance, E-Verify program obligations for employment eligibility verification have not been relaxed. E-Verify requires all subscribed employers to take action on cases designated as “tentative nonconfirmation case” (TNC) for their employees within 10 federal government working days.
DOS Update The Department of State (DOS) has extended the validity of National Interest Exceptions (NIEs) for travelers subject to restrictions under Presidential Proclamations banning entry into the U.S. due to presence in China, Iran, Brazil, South Africa, the United Kingdom, Ireland, India and the Schengen area. Existing NIEs and newly-issued NIEs will be valid
Important Reminder: As we are reaching the end of the H-1B filing season under the annual government-imposed “cap,” be sure to submit your cap-subject H-1B petitions by the June 30, 2021 deadline. Petitions that are not received by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) by the deadline will be rejected. When submitting the petitions,
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced availability of biometric appointments reschedule via telephone. Biometric appointments are habitually required prior to adjudication of multiple immigration proceedings, including those for permanent immigration to the U.S. Since appointment dates are randomly picked by the government, applicants frequently need to reschedule them due to business and personal