US Immigration News

The Biden administration’s bid to reform US immigration laws has been blocked by the Senate. A proposal to grant millions of undocumented immigrants legal status in the US was quashed by the Senate parliamentarian – an unelected official who rules on key procedural issues.

 

A 16-strong group of L1 visa and H1B visa holders, most of whom are Indian, have filed a class action lawsuit against United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). The lawsuit has been filed challenging a requirement for work authorization for the spouses of L1 visa holders who are issued with L2 visas and H1B visa holders who are issued with H4 visas. 

 

Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, raised issues around the US H1B visa during his first-ever meeting with US President, Joe Biden. Access to the US H1B visa for Indian nationals has been made increasingly difficult in recent years, especially under the former Trump administration. 

 

The US has announced that it will open its borders to vaccinated UK travelers in November, sparking a flurry of flight bookings. A COVID travel ban, imposed by former President Donald Trump will be lifted on the UK, Ireland, 26 Schengen Area countries, China, India, South Africa, Iran and Brazil.

 

The US Department of State (DoS) has announced that certain international students arriving for studies in 2021 will not be subject to a US visa interview. It’s understood that applicants for F1 visas, M1 visas and J1 visas – including students, professors, research scholars, short-term scholars, or specialists may have US visa interview requirements waived.

 

US immigration applicants will need to show proof that they have received the COVID-19 vaccine as part of a mandatory medical exam, United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced. The new policy will come into force on October 1, 2021. However, the new policy exempts children too young to receive the vaccine.  

The new rules also exempt people with medical conditions that prevent them from receiving the jab.