US Immigration News

According to reports, President-elect Joe Biden will have the immediate opportunity to end Trump’s controversial US immigration public charge rule. If viable, the end of the rule would ease the anxiety of millions of immigrants currently denied federal benefits and the opportunity to upgrade their US immigration status.

 

The US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit recently ruled that Trump can ban immigrants from US entry if they don’t have approved health insurance. Judge Daniel Collins, appointed by the outgoing US President, ruled that Trump had the authority to block immigrants from entering the US without health insurance under the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA).

 

Judge Jay Bybee, appointed under the George W. Bush administration, sided with Judge Collins’ ruling, while Judge A. Wallace Tashima, a Bill Clinton appointee, dissented.

Despite several attempts made by Trump to abolish the Obama-era DACA immigration program, more than 170 new applicants became the first people in several years to be accepted into the initiative, according to a US government court filing.   

A Department of Homeland Security (DHS) report, submitted to Brooklyn federal court, shows that 171 new DACA immigration applications were approved between November 14 and the end of 2020. However, a further 500 applications were denied or rejected, with 2,713 applications made in total.

Amid the coronavirus pandemic, United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has been experiencing severe delays in scheduling or rescheduling Immigration Application Support Center (ASC) appointments to collect biometrics. Several factors are currently contributing to delays in processing times including demand and staff availability.

 

Outgoing US President, Donald Trump, has extended his controversial US work visa and green card ban until March 31, 2021.  You can still submit petitions for example for L1 visas and certain other visas to USCIS Service Centers.  However, visa processing for many people applying abroad at an US Embassy or Consulate may be delayed.  The Trump administration has attributed the extension of the ban to ‘continued economic woes’ caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

Comments by Sanwar Ali:

The Trump work visa ban has been highly controversial, with a number of legal challenges against the ban. On 1st October a judge ruled that visa processing could start again in many cases for H1B, L1 and J1 visas and certain other US visas.