The global demand for non-immigrant U.S. visas skyrocketed during the COVID-19 health emergency, when travel was halted and U.S. embassies and consulates closed. Even after reopening, U.S. embassies and consulates are still reporting significant delays in many locations including Brazil, India, Mexico, and others. More recently, the U.S. State Department announced that new processing initiatives, including
The American Immigration Lawyer’s Association (AILA), through its Verification and Documentation Liaison Committee (“Verification Committee”) recently issued an FAQ compiling updated information related to employment verification (I-9) compliance requirements during the COVID-19 Pandemic.
The FAQ addresses the viable options for completing the Form I-9 in remote-work scenarios and the most current developments in each type
On Wednesday Dec. 28, 2022, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced a new COVID-19 testing requirement for air passengers traveling from China to the United States. Specifically, the CDC will require all air passengers aged two and older traveling on flights from the People’s Republic of China, Hong Kong, or Macau
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced it is considering changes to the Form I-9 documentation examination procedures. As human resources teams know, the remote workplace that became common during the COVID-19 pandemic made an already complicated I-9 process a logistical nightmare. With the U.S. government’s declaration of a national emergency due to the COVID-19
As of June 12, 2022, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) no longer requires air passengers traveling to the United States from a foreign country to show a negative COVID-19 test.
In response to the ongoing COVID-19-related circumstances that have significantly hampered visa processing, the State Department has announced that it will expand and extend the nonimmigrant visa interview waiver program through Dec. 31, 2022.
Accordingly, U.S. consular officers are now authorized to waive in-person interviews for certain individual petition-based nonimmigrant work visas and their qualifying
Starting Monday, Dec. 6, 2021, as per CDC Order, all air passengers traveling to the United States must have a negative viral COVID-19 test taken within one day of the flight’s departure to the U.S. This new rule applies to everyone over the age of two, regardless of citizenship or vaccination status. This does
In response to the new Omicron variant of the COVID-19 virus and in an effort to stop the spread, President Biden issued a new Proclamation Nov. 26, 2021, restricting travel to the United States from certain countries in the Africa region exposed to the Omicron variant.
As reported on this blog on Sept. 21 and
Starting Jan. 22, 2022, the Biden administration will require foreign national travelers engaged in essential travel to be fully vaccinated when crossing U.S. land borders or ferry terminals. Essential travel includes travel for work or study in the United States, emergency response, and public health. The new rules apply to foreign nationals; U.S. citizens and
Due to an immigration application backlog, which was worsened by the pandemic’s adverse effects on USCIS and the nearly four-month office closure of Application Support Centers (ASCs) and Field Offices, the wait time for Employment Authorization Document (EAD) processing has been ranging anywhere from six to 12 months. This delay in processing has interrupted the