Official website of the Department of Homeland Security
DHS, in coordination with the Department of State, announced the imposition of visa sanctions on Burundi due to lack of cooperation in accepting its citizens and nationals ordered removed from the United States.
To address the threat to the nation posed by the novel Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19), the President issued Proclamations 9984, 9992, 9993, and 9996, suspending the entry of all aliens who were physically present within the People’s Republic of China (excluding the Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and Macau), the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Schengen Area, the United Kingdom, and the Republic of Ireland, during the 14-day period preceding their entry or attempted entry into the United States. Each of the above proclamations includes an exception for “any alien whose entry would be in the national interest, as determined by the Secretary of State, the Secretary of Homeland Security, or their designees.”
The Department of Homeland Security, with the support of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), has announced a temporary final rule to change certain H-2A requirements to help U.S. agricultural employers avoid disruptions in lawful agricultural-related employment, protect the nation’s food supply chain, and lessen impacts from the coronavirus (COVID-19) public health emergency. These temporary flexibilities will not weaken or eliminate protections for U.S. workers.
The Department of Homeland Security announced that it will take necessary anti-fraud and abuse measures to protect the integrity of the H-2B visa program and also make available 35,000 supplemental H-2B temporary nonagricultural worker visas for the second half of fiscal year (FY) 2020. The allocation also comes with new conditions to protect American workers, provide relief to seasonal employers who truly need it, and reduce fraud and abuse in the program.
On May 25, Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen M. Nielsen announced that an additional 15,000 H-2B temporary nonagricultural worker visas will be available for Fiscal Year 2018. This allocation is in addition to the 66,000 visas already issued this year. Secretary Nielsen made this decision after consulting with Secretary of Labor Alexander Acosta, members of Congress, and business owners.
The President announced today that Chad has raised its security standards to meet important baseline U.S. national security requirements. Therefore, its nationals will again be able to receive visas for travel to the United States. The removal of the restrictions is the result of close cooperation conducted with Chad during a required 180-day review of the Administration’s enhanced global security measures, as outlined by Presidential Proclamation 9645.
Every year, the United States grants lawful permanent resident status to approximately 1.1 million individuals from all across the world.
On September 13, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced, in coordination with the State Department, the implementation of visa sanctions on Cambodia, Eritrea, Guinea, and Sierra Leone due to lack of cooperation in accepting their nationals ordered removed from the United States.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection will now remind travelers of their last possible departure date from the United States, according to the terms of their admission, via email and a new feature on the I-94 website. Beginning today, eligible Visa Waiver Program travelers will be able to check how much longer they can remain in the United States without overstaying the terms of their admission. Further updates to the I-94 website will incorporate additional nonimmigrant travelers.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services today announced multiple measures to further deter and detect H-1B visa fraud and abuse. The H-1B visa program should help U.S. companies recruit highly-skilled foreign nationals when there is a shortage of qualified workers in the country. Yet, too many American workers who are as qualified, willing and deserving to work in these fields have been ignored or unfairly disadvantaged. Protecting American workers by combating fraud in our employment-based immigration programs is a priority for USCIS.
