In That Case: Department of State v. Muñoz
Episode 315 - Boeing Pays $51 Million for ITAR Violations
Matt Silverman on Export Compliance
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
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
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
As international travel regulations and immigration enforcement policies continue to evolve, it is critical that non-citizen employees entering the United States—including visa holders and lawful permanent residents—are...more
The Trump administration has not yet published an executive order banning visa issuance or inbound travel from specific countries, however, we anticipate travel bans as soon as late March....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
The White House has announced the precise date that it will lift COVID-19-related travel bans that apply to international travelers from more than 30 countries. Starting Nov. 8, 2021, travel bans will be lifted for fully...more
On July 6, 2021, the U.S. Department of State (DOS) posted guidance that confirms National Interest Exceptions (NIE) issued in the last 12 months are being automatically extended for 12 months from the date of approval, as...more
Over the past year, several Presidential Proclamations have restricted travel to the United States by foreign nationals physically present in China, Iran, the Schengen Region, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Brazil, South...more
On July 6, 2021, the U.S. Department of State announced that it was extending the validity of National Interest Exceptions (NIE) for 12 months from the date of approval, and for multiple entries, as long as they are used for...more
The U.S. Department of State has extended the validity of National Interest Exceptions (NIEs) for travelers from China, Iran, India, Brazil, South Africa, the Schengen Area, Ireland and the United Kingdom whose admission to...more
On May 25, 2021, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the Department of State (DOS) announced that U.S. citizens will be able to return to the United States on an expired U.S. passport from May 21, 2021 through December...more
The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in numerous presidential proclamations restricting travel and entry into the United States. Likewise, since the pandemic began, the criteria for “national interest exceptions” (NIEs)...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
On Friday, January 24, 2020, the US Department of State published a final rule that amends part of the regulations governing the issuance of “B” visitor visas. This regulatory amendment now establishes a rebuttable...more
In a continuation of the diplomatic tit-for-tat with Russia, the U.S. Embassy in Moscow announced on Monday, August 21, 2017, that it would suspend issuance of nonimmigrant visas for eight days starting August 23rd....more
On June 26, 2017 the Supreme Court ruled that a limited version of the 90-day Travel Ban contained in President Trump’s Executive Order 13780 could go into effect. The limited Travel Ban went into effect on June 29, 2017....more
On March 17, 2017, the Department of State (“DOS”), through the Secretary of State, issued a cable to all US consulates and embassies with guidance on enhanced screening and vetting of applications for US visas and other...more
Before booking your airfare, be mindful of these potential issues. In light of liberalized trade with Iran made possible by the Office of Foreign Assets Control’s (OFAC’s) General License H and the relaxation of US...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: Department of State reports extensive wait times for visa appointments at consular posts in India. Foreign nationals planning to apply for a visa stamp in India this summer should expect wait times...more
The U.S. Department of State (DOS) continues to experience worldwide technical problems with issuing visas, the result of an apparent hardware failure. On June 22, 2015, the DOS announced that the visa issuance problems have...more