On February 18, 2025, the US Department of State announced a new policy requiring more foreign nationals to attend in-person interviews to apply for nonimmigrant visas.
The announcement rolls back a Biden Administration policy which had allowed visa applicants to qualify for the interview waiver program—and thus bypass the in-person interview requirement—if they (a) had
On February 5, 2025, Attorney General Pamela Bondi issued a series of internal memoranda directing the Department of Justice (DOJ) to implement policy priorities of the Trump Administration. The memos set immigration enforcement as a departmental priority, creating a high enforcement environment that impacts all employers. In this Legal Update, we examine these directives and
The Department of Homeland Security recently published a notice in the Federal Register, indicating that Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem is terminating Temporary Protected Status (TPS) under the 2023 designation for Venezuela as of April 7, 2025. We examine what this means for employers and employees alike in this Legal Update. End of the
On January 20, 2025, President Donald Trump signed an executive order titled “Protecting the United States from Foreign Terrorists and Other National Security and Public Safety Threats,” which directs federal agencies to recommend and implement enhanced vetting and screening for all foreign nationals intending to enter, or already present in, the United States.
Multiple US federal district court judges (including in the states of Maryland and Washington on February 5 and 6, respectively) have issued nationwide injunctions pausing the implementation of the recent executive order focused on the interpretation of “birthright” citizenship, which President Donald Trump signed at the beginning of his second term. The executive order, Protecting
Following our previous article on the rollout of eVisas in the UK, the UK Government has confirmed that all those who hold Biometric Residence Permits (“BRPs”), which are credit card sized identity documents which hold a migrant’s biographic data, biometric information and details of their UK immigration status, which expire on 31 December 2024, may now register for a UK Visas and Immigration (“UKVI”) account to access their eVisa. Previously, only those who had received an e-mail inviting them to register for a UKVI account were able to create one.Continue Reading UK Government continues rollout of eVisas to BRP holders
New Immigration Rules came into force in the UK on 4 April 2024 which affect employers who sponsor workers under the Skilled worker or Global Business Mobility: Senior or Specialist Worker routes. Continue Reading Raising The Bar: New UK Immigration Rules Increase Salary Thresholds For Sponsored Workers
Effective January 1, 2024, the Department of State has authorized consular officers to waive required in-person interviews for an expanded subset of visa applicants.
Interviews now may be waived for the following categories:
In this Law360 article, Mayer Brown Partner Carl Risch comments on the H-1B visa renewal pilot program introduced by the US Department of State. “According to Mayer Brown partner Carl Risch, who was assistant secretary of state for consular affairs from 2017-2020, renewals became an issue once the COVID-19 pandemic led to processing backlogs
The State Department has recently extended the validity of certain visas for citizens of France, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Cuba. This trend may signal an effort is underway to adjust visa validity periods for other nationalities and visa types. Travelers are advised to monitor the State Department’s website for announced changes.