Interest in the EB 5 visa returning with 75 investors from July through September 2020
Following the increase to the minimum investment in a targeted employment area, from US$500,000 to US$900,000 in November 2019 [see here, here and here], interest in the EB-5 immigrant investor visa significantly dropped in early 2020. Data from the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) on quarterly filings indicated that only 61 investors filed […]
Trump Extends Restrictions on Immigrant and Nonimmigrant Visa Applicants Through March
United States President Donald Trump has extended an earlier Presidential Proclamation restricting certain immigrant and nonimmigrant visa categories from consular processing in response to the growing COVID-19 pandemic. The Executive Order (“EO”), which was first issued in April 2020, restricted certain immigrant visa applicants from receiving their visas for at least sixty (60 days). The […]
What do I need to show to reenter the U.S. after being outside for a long time because of COVID-19?
We have covered several issues in our series on how to protect your lawful permanent resident status and green card if you have been outside the United States and have been unable to return because of COVID-19. COVID-19 Reference Guide If you are able to reenter within 1 year of your last date of departure […]
What is an I-131A visa and will it allow me to reenter the United States?
An I-131A visa is for lawful permanent residents (“LPR”) whose Form I-551 “green card” was lost, stolen or destroyed while traveling outside the United States, or whose green card has expired, and who have been outside the U.S. for less than one year. Such LPRs can apply at a U.S. Consulate for the I-131A visa. […]
Persons from Hong Kong Not Yet Subject to China Visa Allocation
At a recent IIUSA EB-5 Forum, Charles Oppenheim, the Chief of the Visa Control and Reporting Division at the U.S. Department of State (“DOS”) – the man who decides the DOS Visa Bulletin every month – responded to a question regarding visa allocation for persons from Hong Kong. The question was “are EB-5 applicants from […]
Department of State Announces Plans to Resume Routine Visa Services
The United States Department of State (“DOS”) has announced that routine visa processing at Embassies and Consulates will resume on a post-by-post basis consistent with DOS’s guidance for safely returning to the full services. As on the ground conditions improve, DOS will begin providing services leading to the eventual full resumption of immigrant and nonimmigrant […]
DHS to Introduce New Rule Holding Immigrant Sponsors Accountable for Failing to Meet Contractual Obligations
The United States Department of Homeland Security (“DHS”) has introduced a rule that would hold immigrant sponsors accountable for failing to meet contractual obligations that they enter when sponsoring a foreign national for an immigrant visa. The new rule comes after the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit issued a decision allowing […]
Will U.S. Immigration Services Offer Special Relief to Permanent Residents Who Return to the United States After Being Abroad for More Than One Year Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic?
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agency (“CBP”) has not announced any special relief to a lawful permanent resident (“LPR’) who has remained outside the United States for more than one year because of COVID-19 travel and movement restrictions. Currently, a LPR who was remained outside the United States irrespective of his or her reason […]
What Happens to a Lawful Permanent Resident if They Have Been Outside the United States for More than One Year Because of COVID-19 Travel Restrictions?
Due to significant travel and movement restrictions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Lawful Permanent Residents (“LPR”’) have found themselves stranded abroad and thus unable to travel to the United States despite not having the intention of abandoning their LPR status. All permanent residents receive an identification called a Form I-551 but colloquially known as a […]
DOS Provides Update on Public Charge Inadmissibility Following Temporary Injunction
DOS Provides Update on Public Charge Inadmissibility Following Temporary Injunction Following a nationwide injunction issued by a federal judge temporarily blocking Public Charge inadmissibility from being enforced due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the United States Department of State (“DOS”) will be updating its guidance to consular officers on how to proceed while the injunction remains […]
