In light of the Philippines government decision to impose a city-wide lockdown around Metro Manila to contain the Coronavirus, the U.S. Embassy has announced that all immigrant and non-immigrant visa interviews have been cancelled as of March 16, 2020. Visa interviews will resume as soon as possible. More information can
The new public charge rule requires immigrant and non-immigrant visa applicants to provide a detailed DS-5540 public charge questionnaire in order to determine whether they are likely to become a public charge at any time in the future. While a K-1 visa is officially a non-immigrant visa allowing for single
On February 24, 2020, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services will implement the agency’s new rules for inadmissibility on public charge grounds. The final rule outlines some of the criteria on how the Department of Homeland Security (“DHS”) will determine whether a foreign national is inadmissible to adjust status from
The U.S. Department of State (“DOS”) which oversees the visa adjudication process at U.S. Embassies and Consulates has not released any formal statement indicating that the 2019 Novel Coronavirus has resulted in the suspension of consular operations. A recent social media posting purported to be an official statement from the
The United States Department of State (“DOS”) is scheduled to release new guidelines giving consular officers further discretion to determine whether women who are applying for a B-1/ B-2 visitor visa primary purpose is to give birth in the United States. It is unclear how consular officers at U.S. Embassies
United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) is scheduled to increase its filing and processing fees for business visas in 2020. Below are examples of the proposed increased fees by visa category: L-1 and H-1B Visas: L-1 visa petitions (for temporary workers, non-immigrant) are scheduled to increase by 77 percent
A nonimmigrant visa is for persons wanting to enter the U.S. for a temporary visit for a specific purpose and who will leave the U.S. when the purpose of their visit is finished. In most nonimmigrant visa categories, this is called establishing “nonimmigrant intent”. The most common nonimmigrant visas are
U.S. B-1/ B-2 visa validity is dependent on what kind of passport a person is holding. Currently, there are 38 countries whose citizens may enter the United States visa free. All other nationalities are required to obtain a visa at a U.S. Embassy or Consulate abroad. Citizens of some countries
Citizens of 38 countries who are eligible to travel to the United States for up to 90 days under the Visa Waiver Program (VWP) are now required to obtain a visa at a US Embassy or Consulate abroad if they have visited the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK or
Enterline and Partners Consulting Partner Ryan Barshop recently presented at the American Immigration Lawyers Association (“AILA”) Annual Conference. The conference, which was held in Orlando, Florida from June 19th through June 22nd drew approximately 3500 attendees from all over the world. Mr. Barshop was joined by past AILA President, Dale
The United States Department of State (“DOS”) has extended the authority of consular officers to waive certain in-person non-immigrant visa interviews through the end of 2022. Along with B-1/ B-2 interview waivers, F, M, and J Academic visa applicant waivers have been extended to the end of 2022 under the
The United States Department of State (“DOS”) has published an interactive webpage allowing non-immigrant visa applicants to check the estimated waiting time for interviews at specific Embassies and Consulates. By clicking on Visa Appointment Wait Times, applicants will be able to identify approximate waiting time for B-1/ B-2 Visitor Visas,
Effective December 6, 2021, the United States Centers for Disease Control (“CDC”) has established new rules requiring international air travelers arriving in the United States to obtain a negative COVID-19 test within 24 hours of departure. Under the current rules, vaccinated international air travelers may present a negative test result
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to ease, the United States Department of State (“DOS”) has announced that the earlier tiered approach aimed at reducing backlogs has been rescinded. Instead of the tiered approach, DOS will focus on reducing wait times for all consular processing services while also protecting the health
Ryan Barshop, a partner of Enterline and Partners Consulting was recently featured in the October 2021 E-Bulletin of the American Immigration Lawyers Association Global Migration Section (“AILA GMS”). Mr. Barshop, who has been practicing U.S. immigration law overseas for nearly 10 years, was interviewed by AILA GMS about why he
Beginning November 8, 2021, nonimmigrants arriving in the United States by air will be required to present proof that they have been vaccinated against COVID-19. Presidential Proclamation 10294 (“Proclamation”), which was reported by media outlets to be a work in progress as early as August 2021 will remain in effect
The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) announced that in response to the ongoing COVID pandemic, it is once again extending flexibility that it announced on March 30, 2020 in responding to agency requests. The USCIS is granting an additional 60 calendar days to respond to following requests: Requests
As an additional measure aimed at reducing visa application backlogs and freeing up available resources at U.S. Embassies and Consulates, the United States Department of State (“DOS”) will allow consular officers to waive in-person interviews for F, M, and J academic visas. The new DOS policy, which will run until
Individuals who are required to obtain a visa to enter the United States must apply at a U.S. consulate abroad. A critical part of the application process involves an in-person interview at the consulate to verify information in the application and ask questions about eligibility for the visa. If the visa
Enterline and Partners is pleased to share it has obtained an approval for a complex I-130 Petition for Alien Relative (“I-130 Petition) for one of our Vietnamese clients. Our client, a U.S. citizen (Joe) and his Vietnamese wife (Jane), consulted with us following Jane’s multiple non-immigrant and immigrant visa refusals.
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