To apply for a U.S. visa, an applicant must first complete the nonimmigrant visa (NIV) application form DS-160. The next step in the visa application process is to schedule a U.S. visa appointment. An overview of the process of creating a profile, paying the requisite...
A foreign national who requires a nonimmigrant visa to travel to the United States normally must fill out form DS-160, an online nonimmigrant visa application. Consular officers use the information entered in the DS-160 to process the visa application and determine an applicant's eligibility for...
While a visa applicant can be issued a 221(g) refusal for several reasons, it often signals that the consular officer requires more information before making a final determination about a visa application. At certain U.S. consulates, including those located in India, an applicant who was...
This is the second in our two-part NewsBrief on extended travel by U.S. permanent residents ("green card" holders). Here we provide additional information regarding when such travel is acceptable and when it can be regarded as an abandonment of U.S. permanent resident status. Also addressed...
The Murthy Law Firm often receives questions from permanent residents ("green card" holders) regarding their options for traveling abroad for extended periods. There are certain common misunderstandings within the immigrant community regarding U.S. immigration laws for such travel by permanent residents. Here, we address some...
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), an agency of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has lifted the non-essential travel restrictions that were in place at the U.S.-Canada and U.S.-Mexico land borders since early in the pandemic. This broad travel restriction is replaced...
The U.S. Department of State (DOS) is temporarily making it much easier for many nonimmigrant visa applicants to qualify for a waiver of the in-person interview requirement. Commonly referred to as the "drop box" process, the rule expanding eligibility is scheduled to remain in effect...
There is an important exception to the general requirement that nonimmigrant foreign nationals need to have valid visas, issued at the consulate abroad, in order to enter the United States. This exception is the automatic visa revalidation process, better known as the contiguous territory rule....
As of November 8, 2021, in order to board a flight bound for the United States, foreign nationals are generally required to provide evidence of being fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Additionally, irrespective of citizenship and vaccination status, all air passengers ages 2 or older must...
Effective November 8, 2021, the Biden Administration is rescinding the COVID-19 related travel restrictions based on several presidential proclamations. In its place, President Biden has issued a proclamation that requires nearly all nonimmigrant international air travelers to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 before being admitted...
