The U.S. Department of State has announced that it will revise the eligibility criteria for nonimmigrant visa interview waivers, effective September 2, 2025. ...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
Beginning on September 2, 2025, U.S. consulates will implement a more restrictive version of the nonimmigrant visa (NIV) interview waiver (IW) program. The IW program is also commonly referred to as “drop box” visa...more
On July 25, 2025, the US State Department announced that US embassies will greatly reduce eligibility for the nonimmigrant visa interview waiver program beginning on September 2, 2025. In addition, the State Department will...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
The U.S. Department of State recently announced that effective January 1, 2024, consular officers have expanded discretionary authority to waive the in-person interview requirement for certain nonimmigrant visa applicants....more
On December 23, 2022, the U.S. Department of State announced that the secretary of state has extended consular officers’ authority to waive the in-person visa interview requirement through December 31, 2023. This extension of...more
During the past two years of the pandemic, federal agencies such as the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of State have taken measures to accommodate their services and facilitate the issuance of visas in the...more
Recognizing “the positive impact of temporary work visa holders on the U.S. economy,” the U.S. Department of State (DOS) has announced an expansion of its previous policy permitting waivers of the interview requirement for...more
As the new year begins, federal immigration officials are implementing rules to help the over 500,000 backlogged visa appointments – three of which will be quite welcome news to employers across the country. Most of these...more
The U.S. Department of State (DOS) has authorized consular officers to waive the in-person interview requirement for certain nonimmigrant visa applicants through the end of 2022. This authorization applies to temporary...more
On December 23, 2021, the U.S. Department of State announced that it will temporarily suspend in-person interviews for some nonimmigrant visa classifications in order to expedite visa issuance as the pandemic heads into its...more
The US State Department (DOS) has authorized a discretionary waiver of the in-person interview requirement for certain nonimmigrant visa applicants through December 31, 2022. Those eligible for a possible waiver of the...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: Federal judges from Hawaii and Maryland have issued nationwide Temporary Restraining Orders (TROs) effectively blocking the implementation of the Trump administration’s revised travel ban, which was...more
Two federal judges have blocked the latest immigration executive order from the Trump Administration that would have resulted in a new travel ban for certain travelers to the United States. Signed by the President on...more
On March 6, 2017, President Trump issued a new Executive Order (EO) entitled “Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States,” which was to take effect today, March 16, 2017. The new EO explicitly...more
On 6 March 2017, President Donald Trump signed a new Executive Order (EO), "Protecting the Nation From Foreign Terrorist Entry Into the United States." The new EO revokes Executive Order 13769 from 27 January 2017 and imposes...more
While the Executive Order (“the Order”) issued by President Trump on January 27, 2017, and temporarily halted by the District Court in the Western District of Washington and subsequently by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals,...more
President Trump's January 27, 2017, Executive Order on US immigration has immediate ramifications for millions of legal immigrants, nonimmigrants and US businesses. Businesses and individuals should stay apprised of the...more
Since this past weekend, worldwide media has been fixated on President Trump’s January 27, 2017 Executive Orders, including the temporary suspension of travel to the US by individuals from seven designated countries. Given no...more
President Donald Trump on Jan. 27, 2017, signed Executive Order 13769, titled "Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry Into the United States," which states that for the 90 days after such date, nearly all...more
On January 31st, DHS Secretary John Kelly held a press conference to clarify that legal permanent residents ("green card holders") from Iran, Iraq, Syria, Sudan, Libya, Yemen and Somalia would be allowed to board planes and...more
Late on Friday, January 27, 2017, President Trump signed an Executive Order immediately suspending the ability of citizens from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen to enter the United Sates for a period of 90...more