Business Immigration Insights

Moving Top Talent and Managing Risk

Blog Authors

Courtland C. Witherup

Liya Green

Adam J. Rosser

Kevin J. White

Lieselot K. Whitbeck

Suzan Kern

Lukas Moffett

Shaena M. Rowland

Ian P. Band

Helena Wasey Abebe

Latest from Business Immigration Insights

Business Immigration Insights

Visa Stamp Delays: US Consulates Publish Increased Wait Times to Schedule Appointments

By Shaena M. Rowland

June 1, 2022

COVID travel restrictions may be improving, but the most recent update to the Department of State’s Visa Wait Times confirms that there are still very serious, ongoing visa appointment delays resulting from the pandemic. During peak pandemic times, many US Embassies and Consulates were forced to close entirely or to limit their services to emergency appointments only. Over the past year, many have reopened and resumed processing as expeditiously as possible, but it seems that…

Business Immigration Insights

Automatic Extension of Work Authorization Further Extended for Certain EAD Applicants

By Shaena M. Rowland

May 3, 2022

USCIS announced that effective May 4, 2022, certain categories of Employment Authorization Document (“EAD”) applicants will be eligible for an additional extension of automatic work authorization, beyond that to which they are already entitled. Background: Through a series of unfortunate events, USCIS processing timelines across the board have taken a hit over the past couple of years. Much in the same way that COVID-19 impacted the rest of the world’s workforce, during 2020 and 2021,…

Business Immigration Insights

USCIS Settles Major Federal Lawsuit: Good News for E, H and L Spouses

By Courtland C. Witherup & Suzan Kern

November 19, 2021

On November 12, 2021, in settling a federal lawsuit pending since March, US Citizenship & Immigration Services agreed to two significant changes that will have a major impact on the lives of nonimmigrant workers and their families in the US. What Was the Lawsuit About? Shergill v. Mayorkas, a class-action lawsuit filed in the Western District of Washington, challenged USCIS on two policies that have wreaked havoc on the earning power of these families…

Business Immigration Insights

US Opens Flights to Fully Vaccinated Travelers – What Does It Mean for You and Your Family?

By Suzan Kern

November 1, 2021

As we previously reported, President Biden is rescinding the international travel restrictions that have drastically hindered US business and tourist travel for almost 2 years. Beginning at 12:01 a.m. Eastern Time on Monday, November 8, 2021, travelers will no longer need a valid National Interest Exception if they have been in China, Iran, the Schengen Area, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Brazil, South Africa, or India within the past 14 days. Instead, they – and…

Business Immigration Insights

US To Admit Fully Vaccinated Travelers Without NIEs Starting November 8

By Suzan Kern

October 18, 2021

On October 15, the White House and State Department announced that, beginning November 8, foreign travelers may board US-bound flights or cross US land borders without first obtaining National Interest Exceptions, as long as they can prove they are fully vaccinated against Covid-19. The Centers for Disease Control will consider a traveler “fully vaccinated” 2 weeks after completing an FDA‑approved single dose such as J&J Janssen or 2‑dose series such as Pfizer-BioNTech or…

Business Immigration Insights

The end of NIEs is Nigh – Biden’s Covid Team Announces Travel Restrictions to be Lifted in November

By Shaena M. Rowland

September 23, 2021

News sources are reporting that, on September 20, Jeff Zients, White House Covid Response Coordinator, announced easing of restrictions on direct entry into the US by fully vaccinated international travelers. Few details are available as of this writing. The following FAQs address some of the initial questions that are likely to arise as a result of the changes. Please also see our earlier FAQs: International Travel After the US Travel Ban Is Lifted – …

Business Immigration Insights

International Travel After the US Travel Ban is Lifted – What Visa Holders Can Expect

By Ian P. Band

June 11, 2021

At some point this year, we expect that the United States will lift the travel ban that includes all of the Schengen countries, the United Kingdom, China, and others. While there have been many rumors about when this will happen, the US government remains silent. When the United States lifts the travel ban, US visa holders in the United States will have many questions about whether they can travel abroad, when they can return, and…

Business Immigration Insights

COVID-19 UPDATE: Countries take steps to allow more international travel, but barriers remain

By Lieselot K. Whitbeck

September 2, 2020

In the 10 weeks since we last wrote about international travel, some countries have moved to allow more fluid international travel. For example, the United Kingdom has introduced a set of quarantine exceptions and the United States clarified who is eligible for exemptions to the Presidential Proclamations limiting visa issuance and travel. Despite these moves though, barriers to international travel are still in place for many destinations, and travelers should make sure they have the…

Business Immigration Insights

COVID-19 UPDATE: USCIS Extends Relaxed Requirements for Form I-9

By Suzan Kern

July 21, 2020

As we explained on May 4 and March 12, the Department of Homeland Security has relaxed normal in-person verification requirements for Form I-9 during the pandemic. On July 18, Immigration & Customs Enforcement extended those relaxed rules to August 19, 2020. Employers may continue verifying identity and employment eligibility documents remotely, such as by video link, fax or email, until and unless normal business operations have resumed at that specific work site. Within 3…

Business Immigration Insights

ENTRY BAN UPDATE: Clarifications to June 22 Proclamation Bring Even Worse News, Except for Canadians

By Suzan Kern

July 1, 2020

In the ten days since we reported on presidential Proclamation 10052, certain questions we and other immigration attorneys had about the proclamation have been clarified. The proclamation established a ban on admission to the United States for people in the H, L, and J nonimmigrant visa categories for the rest of calendar year 2020. We now have the following additional answers to the questions we asked on June 23: If I am Canadian and…