The issue In a continued response to COVID-19, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will extend its public closure of local field offices and Application Support Centers (ASCs), suspending in-person services now until at least April 7. The original suspension took effect on March 18 and was scheduled to remain in place until at least April 1. […]
The issue Following the Trump Administration’s ban on “non-essential” travel across the U.S. land borders (and ferry travel) with Mexico and Canada, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has provided guidance on the forms of “essential travel” permitted under the new restrictions, in a set of notices to be published tomorrow in the Federal Register. The ban on non-essential travel across […]
The Department of State’s Visa Bulletin for March 2020 announced several notable developments: – An immediate three-year backlog on EB-3 and EB “Other Workers” categories worldwide as of March, with implications for those with pending labor certifications and those whose status is expiring. The final action date listed is January 1, 2017, imposed immediately as […]
The COVID-19 pandemic is the defining global health crisis of our time. Since its emergence late last year, the virus has spread to every continent except Antarctica. Cases are rising daily in Africa and South America, and Europe has taken over as the epicentre of the disease and more cases are now being reported every day than […]
Coronavirus raises a host of difficult immigration issues for U.S. businesses, including the status of H-1B visa holders and international students, obtaining I-9 verification for new employees and travel restrictions that limit mobility for international personnel. Below is a look at important immigration issues facing businesses during the current health crisis. H-1B and L-1 Visa […]
As Governor-general David Vunagi delivered a speech to mark the opening of Parliament in the Solomon Islands this week, he revealed that the government is evaluating plans for a citizenship by investment program. In audio recordings from ABC Radio Australia, the governor-general is heard saying that “[…] the government is also undertaking due diligence on an […]
Many accidental Americans would like to give up their US citizenship to avoid having tax obligations to a country most have never even lived in. However, the waiver procedure alone costs $2,350 and the final sum could run to thousands of dollars since they also need to pay the Internal Revenue Service any tax obligations […]
On March 17, 2020, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services announced the temporary closure of its local field and asylum offices as well as its application support centers. The closure will remain in effect until at least April 1, 2020 and is part of the agency’s efforts to protect the public and its employees and limit […]
PRESS ANNOUNCEMENT On 11 March 2020, the World Health Organisation stated that the current Corona Virus (Covid-19) is now classified as a worldwide pandemic. The organising committee of the Investment Migration Forum, has therefore taken the decision that the event will be postponed to a later date in October or November 2020. Bruno L’ecuyer, […]
Investors filed 7,904 applications for the Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H) program in 2019, according to the Ministry of Tourism, Arts, and Culture, reports The Malaysian Reserve. While the number of approved applications is, as yet, unknown, the program has historically had a very low rejection rate and we may presume the final approval figure will […]
