On Nov. 2, former U.S. Ambassador to Portugal and Greenberg Traurig Senior Counsel Robert Sherman hosted Francisco Duarte Lopes, the current Portuguese Ambassador to the United States, at the firm’s
Continue Reading GT Hosts Business Leaders Breakfast With Portuguese Ambassador to the United States Francisco Duarte LopesVisas
Immigration and The Equine Athlete: Coming to America, Part II
In our last GT Alert, Immigration and the Equine Athlete: Coming to America, Part I, we discussed the most common visas available to foreign nationals who travel to America…
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Immigration and The Equine Athlete: Coming to America, Part I
Now that the Biden administration is settling in, several immigration policies enacted by the previous administration are being put on hold or rescinded altogether. Does this mean that the most…
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Senate Passes Per-Country Cap Elimination Bill that Affects Employment-Based Visa Programs Such as EB-5
The U.S. Senate passed by Unanimous Consent an amended version of H.R. 1044, the Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants Act of 2019 that was passed by the U.S. House of Representatives …
Continue Reading Senate Passes Per-Country Cap Elimination Bill that Affects Employment-Based Visa Programs Such as EB-5
U.S. Embassies and Consulates Expected to Resume Visa Services Beginning on July 15
The U.S. Department of State announced on July 13, 2020, via Twitter, that U.S. embassies and consulates are entering a “phased resumption of routine visa services” beginning July 15, 2020.
Continue Reading U.S. Embassies and Consulates Expected to Resume Visa Services Beginning on July 15
Significant Restrictions at U.S. Embassy and Consulates in Italy Due to COVID-19 (also in Italian)
As an update to our Feb. 26 post regarding the U.S. Consulate General in Milan temporarily suspending its routine visa services, on March 9, 2020, the Italian government issued…
Continue Reading Significant Restrictions at U.S. Embassy and Consulates in Italy Due to COVID-19 (also in Italian)
U.S. Consulate General in Milan Will Temporarily Suspend Its Routine Visa Services (also in Italian)
On Feb. 23, 2020, the U.S. Embassy in Rome, Italy announced that the U.S. Consulate General in Milan will temporarily suspend its routine visa services until March 2, 2020, due…
Continue Reading U.S. Consulate General in Milan Will Temporarily Suspend Its Routine Visa Services (also in Italian)
President Trump Issues New Proclamation on Travel Ban, Adding Six Additional Countries
On Jan. 31, 2020, President Trump issued a Proclamation, effective Feb. 21, 2020, imposing even more limitations on visa issuance and travel to the United States for additional countries entitled “Proclamation on Improving Enhanced Vetting Capabilities and Processes for Detecting Attempted Entry.” This Proclamation follows his first travel ban from March 2017 where the Secretary of Homeland Security was ordered to develop an assessment model to assess national security and public safety threats in identifying whether countries would be removed or added to the list. From the March 2017 travel ban, 200 countries were reviewed and assessed, and in September 2017, President Trump issued a revised version of the travel ban.
Since then, DHS has continued to review and assess security concerns from each country, utilizing updated methodologies, which includes a foreign government’s willingness and frequency in sharing information, and working with the intelligence community to assess risk of terrorist travel. A review of each country’s performance per the criteria established in 2017 was also conducted, and as a result, it has been recommended to President Trump that he exercise his authority to suspend entry into the United States for an additional six countries as follow: Burma (Myanmar), Eritrea, Kyrgyzstan, Nigeria, Sudan, and Tanzania.Continue Reading President Trump Issues New Proclamation on Travel Ban, Adding Six Additional Countries
Trump Administration Nominates Poland for U.S. Visa Waiver Program
Today, President Trump announced that his administration has nominated Poland as a Visa Waiver Program (VWP) participating country. Entry into the U.S. Visa Waiver Program allows citizens of participating countries to travel to the United States for tourism, business, or in transit for up to 90 days without having to obtain a visa.
President Trump stated: “…This is an important step in continuing to increase economic, security, cultural, and people-to-people connections between our two nations. Now that Poland has been nominated, the Department of Homeland Security will take necessary action, as soon as possible, to assess Poland’s entry into the program. If Poland is designated as a Visa Waiver Program country, its nationals would be authorized for visa-free travel to the United States for business and tourism. The bilateral relationship between the United States and Poland has never been stronger, and this would serve as a remarkable accomplishment for both countries.”
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Update: U.S. to Reduce E-Visa Validity for French Nationals Effective Sept. 26, 2019
On Aug. 23, 2019, our firm wrote about the U.S. Department of State’s (DOS) announcement that the validity period of E-1 and E-2 visas for French Nationals would be reduced from 60 months to 15 months effective Aug 29, 2019. The effective date has now been postponed to Sept. 26, 2019.
The general rule is that different types of U.S. visas have different visa validity periods depending on the nationality of the visa applicant because the Immigration and Nationality Act requires the DOS to set country-specific visa policies on a reciprocal basis. The validity periods are based on each country’s treatment of similar classes of U.S. visitors to its territory. In other words, if a country imposes restrictive visa requirements on U.S. citizens, the U.S. reciprocates with more restrictive requirements on that country’s citizens.
Continue Reading Update: U.S. to Reduce E-Visa Validity for French Nationals Effective Sept. 26, 2019