USCIS has announced that it will be closing all of its International Immigration Offices by March 10, 2020. As of June 30, 2019, USCIS has already permanently closed its field office in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, and on July 5th, the office in Manila, Philippines permanently closed. By the end of…
Articles Posted in Consulates
Visa Applicants Now Required to Disclose Social Media Presence on DS-160/260 Applications
Foreign nationals applying for a non-immigrant or immigrant visa at a U.S. Consulate or Embassy abroad are now required to disclose information relating to their social media presence on their online nonimmigrant and immigrant visa applications known as the DS-160 and DS-260 respectively. These changes were introduced early last week…
How Will the Government Shutdown Impact Immigration?
Photo credit: Scott Kirkwood/NPCA Today marks the fifth day of a partial government shutdown that began on Saturday. The government was forced into a shutdown after Democrats refused to concede $5 billion dollars to fund the President’s wall along the southwest border. Since then, Democratic leaders in the House and…
The E-2 Visa at a Glance: Advantages & Disadvantages
The E-2 treaty investor visa allows foreign nationals to make an investment in an existing or new business venture in the United States. Advantages There are no numerical limitations on the number of E-2 visas that can be issued, and there is no set minimum level of investment required, however…
Honduran and Mexican Governments Cede to Trump’s Threats to Stop Immigration Caravan
After President Trump threatened to cut American funding to the country of Honduras, if the government did not stop an immigrant caravan from making its way to the United States, both the Honduran and Mexican governments acted immediately in a concerted effort to stop the caravan from reaching the southwest…
DHS Proposes New Rule to Restrict Admission of Aliens Reliant on Public Benefits
On Saturday, September 22, 2018, the Department of Homeland Security announced a new proposed rule that may prevent non-citizens reliant, or likely to become reliant on public benefits, from gaining admission to the United States. The new proposal entitled, “Inadmissibility on Public Charge Grounds,” has been signed by the Secretary…
Is the TN Visa right for you?
If you are a citizen of Canada or Mexico and you are interested in working in the United States temporarily, the TN visa may be right for you. Under 8 CFR 214.16, Citizens of Canada or Mexico may seek temporary entry under the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) to…
Immigrant Visas: DOS Publishes Proposed Rule Regarding Social Media Screening
On Friday, March 30, 2018, the Department of State published a 60 day notice in the Federal Register entitled “Notice of Proposed Information Collection: Application for Immigrant Visa and Alien Registration,” proposing to require immigrant visa applicants to submit five years of social media history as part of the information requested…
U.S. Embassies Resume Non-Immigrant Visa Services in Turkey
As previously reported, on October 8, 2017, the United States announced the suspension of all non-immigrant visa services across U.S. Embassies and Consulates in Turkey “until further notice,” following news that a U.S. embassy official was placed under arrest without explanation and without access to counsel. This included the suspension…
Federal Judge Strikes Down Travel Ban 3.0, Leaving N. Korea and Venezuela In the Dark
Just one day before Presidential Proclamation No. 9645, “Enhancing Vetting Capabilities and Processes for Detecting Attempted Entry Into the United States by Terrorists or Other Public-Safety Threats,” was set to go into effect, a federal judge in Hawaii issued a ruling blocking portions of the Presidential Proclamation from being enforced…