WorldSmart: The Impact of Export Control and Economic Sanctions on International Business
Updated Rules for Entry Into the United States
What Happens to President Trump's Immigration Proclamations During President Biden's First 100 Days?
Opinion Release Papers-07-01-Travel for Foreign Officials
Due to the changing political situation in the United States and throughout the world there is a moderate level of risk with return to the U.S. following international travel at this time. We strongly advise all nonimmigrant...more
On July 25, 2025, the U.S. Department of State announced that, with few exceptions, all nonimmigrant visa applicants, including applicants under the age of 14 and over the age of 79, will require an in-person interview with a...more
On July 25, the U.S. Department of State announced that, effective September 2, most nonimmigrant visa applicants will no longer qualify for a visa interview waiver. Additionally, India’s popular dropbox “appointments,” which...more
There are several recent changes about visas to the United States, including a new visa integrity fee that will be imposed on all foreign nationals needing nonimmigrant visas, limitations on validity periods, and limitations...more
On July 25, the U.S. Department of State announced a sweeping rollback of the nonimmigrant visa interview waiver program — often called the “drop box” system. Under the drop box system, many applicants for nonimmigrant visas...more
Effective September 2, 2025, the U.S. State Department is eliminating visa waiver of appointments (otherwise called dropbox appointments) for many visa applicants. Many visa applicants and their dependents previously...more
On July 25, 2025, the U.S. Department of State announced a new policy that will significantly limit the eligibility of visa applicants to obtain visas without consular interviews. The new policy will go into effect on...more
The U.S. Department of State announced that effective September 2, 2025, the categories of applicants that may be eligible for the Dropbox Program (a/k/a Interview Waiver) will be updated, adding further restrictions to those...more
The U.S. Department of State (DOS) recently revised its visa reciprocity schedules for numerous countries, significantly reducing the duration of nonimmigrant visa validity to three months and a single entry in many cases....more
On June 4, 2025, President Trump signed a travel ban that will completely bar foreign nationals from 12 countries from traveling to the United States and places strict limited-travel restrictions on seven others....more
Given the heightened vetting and scrutiny of foreign nationals entering the U.S. by the Department of Homeland Security, all foreign nationals, including the U.S. permanent residents, should be vigilant, when facing CBP...more
Last week, an internal U.S. Department of State (DOS) correspondence pertaining to visa processing for international student and exchange visitors in the F, M, and J visa classifications was leaked and published by various...more
There has been a significant increase in media coverage of travelers subjected to increased scrutiny at ports of entry to the United States. In some cases, individuals have been refused entry and detained until sent back...more
In recent weeks, international travel has become more complicated for many U.S.-based travelers. A series of executive orders and policy shifts in 2025 seem to have altered the landscape of immigration enforcement and border...more
Effective February 18, 2025, the Department of State has changed the categories of applicants that are eligible to waive the in-person non-immigrant visa interview appointment when applying for a non-immigrant visa stamp for...more
On October 17, 2023, the Department of State (DOS) took the first steps to implement stateside processing of nonimmigrant visas. The DOS notified the federal Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs that it will introduce...more
Now is the time to start planning your visa applications for the summer. In addition to reduced appointment availability in many countries due to limited operations and staffing, many nonimmigrant visa (NIV) application fees...more
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has officially implemented its “Simplified Arrival” program that was piloted in various cities from 2021 to 2022 to streamline the arrival process for international travelers at all...more
As outlined in our earlier alert, there is now a vaccine requirement for foreign nationals seeking nonimmigrant entry to the United States after international air travel. On December 2, 2021, the Center for Disease...more
This article, originally published on November 11, 2021, has been revised. On Thursday, December 2, the Biden administration tightened entry requirements for air travelers to the United States following the global spread...more
On October 25, 2021, the Biden Administration issued a proclamation ending various travel bans that restricted the entry of nonimmigrants into the U.S. who within 14 days prior to seeking entry into the U.S. had been in...more
As of Monday, November 8, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updated its requirements for air travelers to the United States. CDC’s new travel policy follows President Biden’s proclamation intended to...more
President Biden issued a Presidential Proclamation that lifted the country-specific travel bans on international visitors to the United States from Brazil, China, India, Iran, Ireland, the Schengen Area, South Africa and the...more
President Biden has announced that the current COVID-19 travel bans impacting visitors to the United States will end on Monday, November 8, 2021. This current presidential proclamation will eliminate the travel restrictions...more
Beginning November 8, 2021, international travelers subject to CDC country-specific travel restrictions will be able to resume travel to the U.S. without applying for an exemption. The current travel restrictions apply to...more