Demystifying Immigration Law
The Latest on E-2 Visa with Citizenship-by-Investment
Law Brief: H-1B Visas – New Process and New (Upcoming) Deadlines
Employment Visa Restrictions: Past, Present, and Future by Sang Shin
Update from Washington: Employer's Preview of Immigration Restrictions from the Administration
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
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
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
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
On October 25, 2021, the White House issued a presidential proclamation revoking the following proclamations with country-specific COVID-19 travel restrictions: Proclamation 9984 (China); Proclamation 9992 (Iran);...more
President Proclamation 10052 Times Out: Now What for Nonimmigrant Visa Applicants? April 1, 2021 marked the beginning of consular processing at U.S. consulates and embassies throughout the world without the restrictions...more
As the COVID-19 pandemic and related restrictions continue, we continue to advise caution regarding international travel. Everyone considering international travel is urged to carefully consider the risks and be fully aware...more
On December 31, 2020, President Trump signed a Presidential Proclamation extending to March 31, 2021 the restrictions on entry of H, L and J nonimmigrants into the United States, and entry of new immigrant visa holders. ...more
As discussed in our prior Alert, on June 22, 2020 President Trump issued a proclamation extending until December 31, 2020 the ban on the entry of individuals applying for immigrant visas (“green cards”) outside of the United...more
This updates our Legal Alert of April 22, 2020, which discussed President Trump’s 60-day suspension on the entry of individuals applying for immigrant visas (“green cards”) outside of the United States....more
On Monday, President Trump issued a Proclamation restricting certain foreign workers from entering the U.S. through the end of 2020, claiming it is necessary to curb the “economic contraction resulting from the COVID-19...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: Within the last few days, the Trump Administration has expanded an existing travel ban and initiated a new one related to the Coronavirus; similarly other countries have added entry restrictions to try to...more