Tag: coronavirus

The International Experience Canada (“IEC”) program is a youth mobility generally designed for individuals age 18-35 (from participating countries) to have the opportunity to travel, work, and/or live in Canada.  The requirements vary depending on the individual’s citizenship, and the youth mobility agreement in place between that country and Canada.   What happened to the IEC Program? […]

On March 12, 2021, the UK Government announced that it will be requiring all persons traveling outside the UK from England to complete a travel declaration form stating their reason for travel abroad. It is now considered a criminal offense for any traveler in the UK to enter a port of departure to travel internationally […]

On March 1, 2021, the U.S. Department of State (DOS) shared a briefing with Consular Affairs Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Visa Services, Julie M. Stufft, regarding the status of immigrant visa processing at embassies and consulates around the world. This briefing was conducted in light of the recent recission of Presidential Proclamation 10014, which lifted […]

On February 25, 2021, President Biden revoked Proclamation 10014, thereby lifting the ban on green cards imposed by Former President Trump last spring. In Proclamation 10014, issued April 22, 2020, Trump suspended the entry of foreign nationals as immigrants, claiming they posed a “risk to the United States labor market during the economic recovery” following the COVID-19 outbreak. […]

On February 1, 2021, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued a press release expressing its support for equal access to COVID-19 vaccines and vaccine distribution sites for all individuals, regardless of their immigration status. DHS provided: “It is a moral and public health imperative to ensure that all individuals residing in the United States […]

On January 28, 2021, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), once again, extended the flexibilities it announced on March 30, 2020, to assist applicants, petitioners, and requestors who are responding to certain agency requests. Specifically, USCIS is granting applicants, petitioners, and requestors an additional sixty days to submit their responses to the following: Requests for Evidence; Continuations to […]

On Friday, January 29, 2021, the Canadian government announced further border restrictions aimed to slow the spread of COVID-19 variants. These restrictions will include the following:  Flight Grounding The Canadian government has reached an agreement with major airlines to stop all flights from the Caribbean and Mexico to Canada as of Sunday, January 31, 2021.  All […]

The outbreak of the coronavirus has presented several challenges for applicants seeking to enter U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) field offices for interviews. For instance, it has become a norm for USCIS to reschedule interviews if any party physically present at an interview states they have traveled outside the U.S. in the last 14 days. […]

On January 6, 2020, Ontario Premier Doug Ford announced a new pilot program at Pearson airport in Toronto that will offer free, voluntary COVID-19 testing for inbound international travelers. The tests will be available for international travelers who are staying in Ontario for at least two weeks and are completely optional.  Eligible travelers who wish to […]

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has put a strain on U.S. employers and the foreign workers they hire. Program Electronic Review Management (PERM) processing times have increased, and employers are seeing a sudden uptick in audits by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL). The PERM process is the first step of the green card process for foreign […]