Kevin Munoz, White House Assistant Press Secretary, tweeted on December 24, 2021, that temporary travel restrictions the Biden administration imposed in November on foreign travelers from South Africa and seven other countries in the region, due to the spread of the...
Topic: Immigration Updates
State Dept. Expands Waivers of In-Person Interviews for Certain Temporary Nonimmigrant Visa Applicants
The Secretary of State, in consultation with the Department of Homeland Security, has authorized consular officers to waive the in-person interview requirement for certain temporary employment nonimmigrant visa applicants who have a petition approved by U.S....
Miller Mayer’s Steve Yale-Loehr Quoted re Immigration Legislation, U.S.-Mexico Border Crisis
Miller Mayer immigration attorney Steve Yale-Loehr was quoted by Univision in "Rejection of 'Plan C' Complicates Immigration Reform in Congress: What Path Could Democrats Take Now?" Mr. Yale-Loehr noted that the budget bill passed by the House of Representatives...
Justice Dept. Adjusts Certain Immigration-Related Penalties on Employers
The Department of Justice has adjusted for inflation the civil monetary penalties assessed after December 13, 2021, for violations occurring after November 2, 2015. The adjustments made by the final rule are based on the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Consumer Price...
Smuggling, Forced Labor Ring Busted in Indictment
Two dozen defendants were indicted on federal conspiracy charges after a transnational, multi-year investigation into an alleged human smuggling and labor trafficking operation that illegally imported agricultural workers from Mexico, Guatemala, and Honduras,...
State Dept. Changes DV-2022 Document Submission Processing Requirements
The Department of State (DOS) announced that as of December 9, 2021, individuals who were randomly selected to participate in the diversity visa (DV) program for fiscal year (FY) 2022 only need to submit to the Kentucky Consular Center (KCC) the DS-260 immigrant visa...
USCIS Releases Fourth-Quarter Data Showing Persistent Backlogs, Some Progress
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) released fourth-quarter fiscal year (FY) 2021 reports offering a snapshot of statistics for the entire fiscal year. The agency noted: Employment-based adjustments: USCIS said it faced an unprecedented challenge of...
DHS Extends I-9 Flexibility to April 30, 2022
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced an extension of the flexibility policy in complying with certain physical inspection requirements related to Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification. The...
Immigration Provisions of Social Spending Bill in Limbo as Senate Democrats Struggle With Parliamentarian Rejections, Uncertainties
After the Senate parliamentarian rejected a plan that included work permits and protection from deportation favored by Democrats for inclusion in the "social spending" budget reconciliation bill, lawmakers struggled to consider their options, including revisions to...
Miller Mayer’s Steve Yale-Loehr Quoted re Proposed Immigration Spending
Miller Mayer immigration attorney Steve Yale-Loehr was quoted by Bloomberg Tax in "Immigration Agency in Line for Billions in Fees in Spending Bill." He noted that if the Senate passes the social spending bill, the question will become how quickly USCIS can make the...
