This morning, the nonimmigrant visa restrictions imposed by Donald Trump in June 2020 expired. This executive order applied to certain H1B, H-4, H2B, L-1, L-2, and J-1 visa applicants.While the expiration of this executive order is a positive development, it is unlikely to provide much...
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is issuing a new policy, effective January 26, 2021, which will require airlines to obtain negative pre-departure COVID-19 test results for all international airline passengers arriving in the United States. The test must be from within...
The U.S. Department of State (DOS), which is responsible for all U.S. embassies and consulates, has provided an updated summary on its plan for the phased resumption of routine visa service across the globe. While this provides the general plan on how it will go...
Today, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a notice of agency order that requires airlines to obtain "negative pre-departure COVID-19 test results for all airline passengers arriving into the United States from the United Kingdom (UK)." The order is scheduled to...
For nonimmigrants temporarily in the United States, perhaps the most important date to track is the expiration date of one's I-94 arrival / departure record. The I-94 record used to be issued in paper form by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) upon arrival...
This morning, Joseph R. Biden, Jr. secured enough electoral votes to win the 2020 presidential election. While President Trump is disputing the results, his claims of election fraud appear to be without merit, and have little chance of overturning the election. President-Elect Biden is expected...
Today, the U.S. Department of State (DOS) updated the exceptions to the nonimmigrant workers who are prohibited from being admitted to the United States based on President Trump's June 22, 2020, executive order. For example, the DOS now provides an exception for H1B, L1A, and...
Today, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has announced that it will "adjust USCIS fees by a weighted average increase of 20 percent to help recover its operational costs." The final rule is expected to be published in the Federal Register on August 3,...
The dean of Harvard University has advised its students that the legal settlement Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) reached with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) regarding online courses does not apply to first-year students entering in F-1 status. This means that...
As previously reported, on July 14, 2020, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) reinstated the March 2020 policy, allowing F-1 and M-1 students to temporarily take all courses online during the COVID-19 pandemic. Following this announcement, however, numerous designated school officials (DSOs) have reported hearing...
