What is the Diversity Visa Lottery? The Diversity Immigrant Visa Program, which is administered by the U.S. Department of State, permits up to 55,000 diversity immigrant visas to be granted for fiscal year 2026 to persons...more
Gibney attorneys and American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) members have been monitoring nationwide issues with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) processing related to erroneous rejections and delays...more
Summer travel is expected to reach record high this year as pandemic-era restrictions are lifted. International travelers should expect busy consulates and U.S. Ports of Entry. Although U.S. consulates have reduced visa...more
The holiday season is here and travel is reaching pre-pandemic levels. International travelers should expect busy consulates and U.S. Ports of Entry. Although U.S. Consulates have committed additional resources to address...more
11/21/2022
/ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Foreign Nationals ,
Holidays ,
I-94 Cards ,
Immigration Procedures ,
International Travel ,
Passports ,
Travel ,
Travelers ,
Vaccinations ,
Visas
Effective December 6, 2021, all international travelers must take a COVID-19 viral test, regardless of vaccination status or citizenship, no more than 1 day before travel by air into the United States. Travelers must show a...more
International travelers should expect busy consulates and U.S. Ports of Entry with the lifting of travel bans coinciding with the holiday season. Additionally, some consulates are not fully operational and many are...more
11/18/2021
/ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Foreign Nationals ,
Immigration Procedures ,
International Travel ,
Passports ,
Required Documentation ,
Travel Restrictions ,
Travelers ,
Traveling Employee ,
Vaccinations ,
Vaccine Passports ,
Virus Testing ,
Visas ,
World Health Organization
OVERVIEW On February 24, 2021, President Biden issued a Proclamation revoking the Trump era immigrant visa ban, which suspended the entry of certain immigrants seeking to apply for U.S. permanent residence from abroad. ...more
Democrats in Congress have introduced the U.S. Citizenship Act of 2021, advancing the Biden Administration’s efforts for reform of the U.S. immigration system. Democrats will need 60 votes in the U.S. Senate to overcome a...more
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) today published a final rule modifying the annual H-1B cap selection process to favor high-wage earners. The rule is set to take effect March 9, 2021, in time for the Fiscal...more
The November Visa Bulletin has been published by the Department of State. The Bulletin dates for filing remain the same for most employment-based and other categories, with some advancement for final action dates. ...more
10/30/2020
/ China ,
EB-1 ,
EB-2 ,
EB-3 ,
Filing Deadlines ,
Foreign Nationals ,
Green Cards ,
I-485 Applications ,
India ,
US Department of State ,
USCIS ,
Visa Bulletins ,
Visas
On October 1, 2020, a federal district court blocked enforcement of Presidential Proclamation 10052 (PP 10052) issued in June 2020, which suspends the entry of temporary foreign workers in certain visa categories, including...more
10/5/2020
/ Appeals ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Foreign Workers ,
H-1B ,
H-2B ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Injunctions ,
International Travel ,
J-1 Visas ,
L-1 Visas ,
National Association of Manufacturers ,
Presidential Proclamations ,
Trump Administration ,
Visas
The U.S. Department of State (DOS) released additional guidance expanding the scope of national interest exceptions to the June 24, 2020 Presidential Proclamation (PP 10052) banning the admission of certain J, H and L visa...more
8/17/2020
/ Applications ,
Brazil ,
Canada ,
China ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
EU ,
Foreign Nationals ,
Foreign Workers ,
H-1B ,
H-2B ,
H-4 ,
Iran ,
Ireland ,
J-1 Visas ,
L-1A ,
L-1B ,
L-2 Visas ,
Mexico ,
Minor Children ,
New Guidance ,
Non-Immigrant Visas ,
Presidential Proclamations ,
Spouses ,
Travel Ban ,
Travel Restrictions ,
UK ,
US Department of State ,
Visas
On August 3, 2020, President Trump signed an Executive Order requiring federal agencies to review the use of foreign temporary workers and overseas offshoring practices by federal contractors and subcontractors.
The order...more
8/6/2020
/ Audits ,
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Executive Orders ,
Federal Contractors ,
Foreign Workers ,
H-1B ,
Information Sharing ,
Labor Condition Applications ,
National Security ,
Subcontractors ,
Trump Administration
Effective October 2, 2020, filing fees for certain non-immigrant, immigrant, and naturalization benefit requests will be adjusted to help meet U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) operational needs. As a...more
On July 16, 2020 the U.S. Department of State released guidance outlining national interest exceptions to the Presidential Proclamations (PPs) prohibiting the admission of travelers arriving from the Schengen Area (PP 9993)...more
On June 18, 2020, the U.S. Supreme Court blocked the Trump Administration’s attempt to terminate the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, ruling that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS)’s...more
6/19/2020
/ Administrative Procedure Act ,
Arbitrary and Capricious ,
Citizenship ,
DACA ,
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
Department of Homeland Security v Regents of the University of California ,
Educational Institutions ,
Path To Citizenship ,
Rescission ,
SCOTUS ,
Trump Administration ,
Trump v NAACP ,
USCIS ,
Wolf v Vidal ,
Work Permits
On May 29, 2020, President Trump issued a Proclamation suspending the entry of certain students and researchers from the People’s Republic of China (PRC). The stated purpose is to limit access to sensitive U.S. technologies...more
President Trump issued a Proclamation Suspending Entry of Immigrants Who Present Risk to the U.S. Labor Market During the Economic Recovery Following the COVID-19 Outbreak. The proclamation is effective 11:59 pm EDT on April...more
The Trump Administration issued a Proclamation extending travel restrictions to travelers from the U.K. and Ireland. The ban will take effect at 11:59 pm ET on Monday March 16, 2020. Impacted travelers include most foreign...more
President Trump signed a Presidential Proclamation further limiting travel to the United States for foreign nationals traveling from several European countries.
WHO IS IMPACTED?
The Proclamation suspends entry to the United...more
Today USCIS implements its new public charge rule nationwide. The rule was previously enjoined in Illinois, but the U.S. Supreme Court lifted the injunction last week, allowing USCIS to implement the rule in all 50 states....more
As the holiday season approaches, international travelers should expect busy airports, Consulates and U.S. Ports of Entry. We encourage ALL travelers to plan ahead to minimize delays when traveling abroad and entering the...more
11/18/2019
/ Consulate ,
Employment Authorization Documents (EAD) ,
ESTA ,
Foreign Nationals ,
Holidays ,
I-94 Cards ,
Immigration Enforcement ,
International Travel ,
Parole Employment Authorization ,
Passports ,
Ports of Entry ,
Residency Status ,
Travelers ,
U.S. Customs ,
Visa Waiver Program ,
Visas ,
Work Visas