The Trump administration has published a proposed rule in the Federal Register expanding the social media information that can be collected as part of the non-immigrant and immigrant visa process. This new proposed rule is part of the President’s plan to “Protect the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the…
Articles Posted in Consulates
DHS Proposes New Rule Requiring Registration Fee for H-1B Cap Petitioners
Fresh off the press! In this blog post we will discuss a new proposed rule that is set to be published in the Federal Register on September 4, 2019. We have reviewed an advance copy of this proposed rule and will tell you everything you need to know about the…
USCIS Issues New Policy Changing Citizenship Procedure for Certain Children of U.S. Service Members
On August 28, 2019, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued new policy guidance defining “residence” as it relates to U.S. Citizenship. The new policy guidance clarifies what it means to “reside in the United States” for the purpose of acquiring citizenship and sets out new policy guidelines…
Final Rule Makes it Possible to Deny Permanent Residence Based on Receipt of Certain Public Benefits
USCIS will be publishing a final rule on August 14, 2019, in the Federal Register, that expands the list of public benefits that make a foreign national ineligible to obtain permanent residence and/or an immigrant or nonimmigrant visa. The Immigration and Nationality Act makes inadmissible and therefore (1) ineligible for…
USCIS Closing International Immigration Offices by March 10, 2020
USCIS has announced that it will be closing all of its International Immigration Offices by March 10, 2020. As of June 30, 2019, USCIS has already permanently closed its field office in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, and on July 5th, the office in Manila, Philippines permanently closed. By the end of…
Visa Applicants Now Required to Disclose Social Media Presence on DS-160/260 Applications
Foreign nationals applying for a non-immigrant or immigrant visa at a U.S. Consulate or Embassy abroad are now required to disclose information relating to their social media presence on their online nonimmigrant and immigrant visa applications known as the DS-160 and DS-260 respectively. These changes were introduced early last week…
How Will the Government Shutdown Impact Immigration?
Photo credit: Scott Kirkwood/NPCA Today marks the fifth day of a partial government shutdown that began on Saturday. The government was forced into a shutdown after Democrats refused to concede $5 billion dollars to fund the President’s wall along the southwest border. Since then, Democratic leaders in the House and…
The E-2 Visa at a Glance: Advantages & Disadvantages
The E-2 treaty investor visa allows foreign nationals to make an investment in an existing or new business venture in the United States. Advantages There are no numerical limitations on the number of E-2 visas that can be issued, and there is no set minimum level of investment required, however…
Honduran and Mexican Governments Cede to Trump’s Threats to Stop Immigration Caravan
After President Trump threatened to cut American funding to the country of Honduras, if the government did not stop an immigrant caravan from making its way to the United States, both the Honduran and Mexican governments acted immediately in a concerted effort to stop the caravan from reaching the southwest…
DHS Proposes New Rule to Restrict Admission of Aliens Reliant on Public Benefits
On Saturday, September 22, 2018, the Department of Homeland Security announced a new proposed rule that may prevent non-citizens reliant, or likely to become reliant on public benefits, from gaining admission to the United States. The new proposal entitled, “Inadmissibility on Public Charge Grounds,” has been signed by the Secretary…