Immigration Alert: Visa Bans Extended to March 31, 2021

As previously reported, on April 22, 2020, President Trump issued an Executive Order that limited certain Immigrant Visa admission to the United States. On June 22, 2020, the President issued another Executive Order, banning the new issuance of Nonimmigrant Visas in the H-1B, H-2B, J, and L categories. Both orders were issued in response to the COVID pandemic.

These bans were set to expire on December 31, 2020. Only hours before the expiration, however, the White House announced that both orders would be extended for an additional three months, due to ongoing COVID concerns. As a result, the travel and visa bans, and all existing exceptions, will remain in effect until March 31, 2021.

When the Biden Administration assumes office in coming weeks, we expect that some rapid changes to U.S. immigration policy will be announced. However, some existing measures—potentially including the recently renewed travel and visa bans—will remain in effect, as COVID remains an ongoing concern.

We will continue to monitor this situation closely, and provide updates as they become available. Please contact me or another member of our Immigration Practice Team if you have any questions, or would otherwise like to discuss.