In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, consulates around the world experienced substantial backlogs and extensive delays in visa processing times.
Khadija DerrickJanuary 6, 2022
In March 2020, former President Trump issued presidential proclamations that restrict entry to the U.S. to people who: Were physically present in the Schengen Area region during the 14-day period prior to their entry in the U.S. Were physically present…
Jenny ZhanFebruary 18, 2021
If you recently submitted a non-immigrant visa application to a U.S. Consulate abroad (e.g. an E-2 investor application), you may be wondering when your visa interview will be scheduled. Unfortunately, due to Covid-19 global pandemic and always changing situation at…
Jenny ZhanFebruary 1, 2021
Due to Covid-19 global pandemic, the USCIS Service Centers are taking longer than usual to make a decision on all types of visa petitions. If you filed an extension of status petition long time ago and USCIS still has not…
Jenny ZhanJanuary 27, 2021
Many of our clients and potential clients are curious to know whether the U.S. Consulates abroad are currently open and whether the Consulates are currently processing E-2 visa applications and scheduling E-2 visa interviews. The question we often get from…
Jenny ZhanJanuary 8, 2021
In July 2020, the Department of State announced that certain business and student travelers coming from Schengen countries or the U.K. (such as B-1 business visitors), treaty traders, or treaty investors may apply for a National Interest Exception (“NIE”). The NIE allows such…
Jenny ZhanJanuary 5, 2021
The first Corona virus stimulus bill provided much needed relief for E-2 visa holders. Many E-2 visa companies were struggling and both the PPP loans and the EIDL grant kept many E-2 businesses afloat. You can find out more about…
IanScottDecember 23, 2020
On Saturday November 7, 2020 Joe Biden and Kamala Harris became the president elect and vice-president elect of the U.S. In 2020, president Trump signed multiple presidential proclamations related to the Covid-19 global pandemic & entry of foreign nationals to…
Jenny ZhanNovember 9, 2020
We have received many questions from of our clients who are Canadians and who want to come to the U.S. for recreation/to visit their families. during the Covid-19 pandemic. Travelling via land border As of the time of writing this…
Jenny ZhanOctober 8, 2020
Our clients often ask us/they are confused whether the Presidential proclamations suspending entry to the U.S. to travelers coming to the U.S. from certain countries are still in effect. The short answer is yes. As of August 31, 2020, if…
Jenny ZhanSeptember 23, 2020
The Covid-19 crisis has disrupted all aspects of daily life. With both borders and Consulates closed, travel to and from the U.S. can be difficult. One category that is affected by the Covid-19 crisis are students. When the Covid-19 crisis began back in the…
Jenny ZhanSeptember 22, 2020
On June 4, 2020 certain USCIS field offices started resuming non-emergency in person appointments. USCIS indicated on its website that the particular USCIS field office that is processing your green card application will send you an interview notice or re-scheduling…
Jenny ZhanSeptember 21, 2020
Back in January, the Department of Homeland Security restricted airplane travel from countries that are on the restricted travel list to one of 15 airports in the United States. Starting on September 14, 2020, travelers that are exempt from the…
Jenny ZhanSeptember 17, 2020
The Covid-19 crisis has caused large disruptions in daily life and created significant difficulties for international travel. Many of our clients who are U.S. citizens or green card holders ask us if their family that is abroad can come to…
Jenny ZhanSeptember 17, 2020
Many of our clients often ask us whether the U.S. abroad are open, whether they are processing visa applications, and how long it takes to get an E-2 interview. In March 2020, the Department of State suspended routine visa services…
Jenny ZhanSeptember 10, 2020
According to the Toronto Consulate visa chief, the U.S. consulate in Toronto has resumed processing E-2 visa applications. An E-2 visa can be a great visa option for an investor who wants to buy or start a business. You can…
Jenny ZhanSeptember 8, 2020
An E-2 visa is a great option if you want to start a business in the U.S., you have invested or are in the process of investing a substantial amount of money in the U.S., and you plan to hire U.S. workers.…
Jenny ZhanSeptember 1, 2020
USCIS has announced that its has avoided the furlough of 70% of their employees, originally scheduled to occur on August 30. Since March, USCIS has seen a 50% drop in receipts and incoming fees and estimates that application and petition receipts…
Jenny ZhanAugust 26, 2020
The Covid-19 crisis has caused large disruptions in daily life and created significant difficulties for international travel. Many green card holders were outside the U.S. when the crisis hit and may be reluctant to travel back to the U.S. for…
Jenny ZhanAugust 19, 2020
In July 2020, the Department of State announced that certain business and student travelers may apply for a National Interest Exception (“NIE”). The NIE allows such travelers to travel to the United States even with the travel bans remaining in effect.…
Jenny ZhanAugust 17, 2020
On June 22, 2020, a Presidential Proclamation was issued that impacts the ability of certain visa holders to enter the United States. Under this proclamation anyone who was outside the United States as of June 24, 2020 and did not…
Jenny ZhanAugust 17, 2020
I am a Canadian national. Can I cross the U.S./Canada land border? No. The joint U.S.-Canada initiative that was first implemented on March 21, 2020 for 30 days and has since been extended (most recently to August 20) restricts all…
Jenny ZhanAugust 17, 2020
Are the Presidential proclamations banning entry from the Schengen countries and the UK and Ireland still in effect? Yes. The Presidential proclamations imposing travel restrictions on visitors who were present in Schengen area countries, the UK, or Ireland within 14…
Jenny ZhanAugust 11, 2020
In July 2020, the Department of State announced that certain business and student travelers coming from Schengen countries or the U.K. (such as B-1 business visitors), treaty traders, or treaty investors may apply for a National Interest Exception (“NIE”). The…
Jenny ZhanAugust 10, 2020
