All visa and VAC appointments, both in-person and interview waiver, at U.S. Embassy New Delhi and the consulates in Chennai, Hyderabad, and Kolkata are cancelled until May 15. Emergency services for U.S. citizens will continue. U.S. Consulate will make every attempt to continue to honor approved emergency visa appointments; however, if you appear for...

Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas directed U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to place new limits on civil immigration enforcement actions in or near courthouses. Acting Director of ICE Tae Johnson and Acting CBP Commissioner Troy Miller have issued a memorandum to ICE and...

Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas announced the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is extending the REAL ID full enforcement date by 19 months, from October 1, 2021 to May 3, 2023, due to circumstances resulting from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic has significantly impacted states’ ability to issue REAL ID-compliant driver’s...

The Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) will extend the guidance originally issued in March 2020 for the 2021-22 academic year. This guidance enables schools and students to engage in distance learning in excess of regulatory limits due to the continuing public health concerns created by COVID-19. The March 2020 guidance applies to nonimmigrant...

That deadline for the 100-day review is approaching. However, ICE has yet to announce a formal process to review the cases of everyone in its custody for release, including those who are not enforcement priorities.

Link here: https://immigrationimpact.com/2021/04/20/biden-immigration-detention-100-days/?fbclid=IwAR3hXrxx5c_RJf0ItDFjELpqi6TIBUpsaNoGSTx3uOn2ORrGvsbD545h4zs#.YIbpQvlKiUk

With a mandatory 14-day quarantine period for travelers, Canada has some of the strictest travel and border measures in the world. Beginning April 22, 2021, Canada has suspended all commercial and private passenger flights from India and Pakistan for 30 days. The travelers will now take a negative Covid test from third country before...

The Washington Post reported that the Supreme Court "seemed unlikely Monday to find that thousands of immigrants who entered the country illegally and were granted a temporary stay for humanitarian reasons may seek permanent residency."

Link here: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/courts_law/supreme-court-green-card-temporary-protected-status/2021/04/19/d495fb6e-a110-11eb-85fc-06664ff4489d_story.html?utm_campaign=2021%20Immigration%20News%20Digest&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=123367661&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8DNwL95zMbE2FI8eRsuyQFVrgPvttUSJxQYWe39dZae7cddv47Us1hbal0HDHlIxhmLj7XbY42eEgroqUSo1RcvGBncLeEkejXUmdoPA1PsifyA0w&utm_content=123366310&utm_source=hs_email&fbclid=IwAR3d3vfv_Eu3_mO8NM-0PClf1OgXoV_VItqAFKrSWM1Qnid6ZX8Jb3yLq5w

Senators John Cornyn (R-TX) and Krysten Sinema (D-AZ) introduced an immigration bill to address rising levels of migrants at the southern border.

Link here: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/immigration-bill-senate-bipartisan-cornyn-sinema/?utm_campaign=2021%20Immigration%20News%20Digest&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=123367661&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_0H6Zh_pv60jklbq4e19GG95FsEFy9Q9mUjtHv4avAK3JMj5uMylb1gBXyzKPWiHLQAsg8samNKr4rLo3Au1l1kf5uHBbfGEqvlI4NfgwO2vsavwo&utm_content=123366310&utm_source=hs_email&fbclid=IwAR3BLdHouCxK1H58tYRoml6O9qY1EBWHDxV44deqaz-s4urRU1GoKsZ2Ryw

The president said he supports reconciliation if immigration-related bills can't reach the 60-vote threshold. Currently, there are "narrow bills providing citizenship pathways for Dreamers and legal status for farmworkers are currently stalled in the Senate after passing the House earlier this year," reports Politico.

Link here: https://www.politico.com/news/2021/04/20/biden-immigration-reconciliation-483822?fbclid=IwAR1UOXOt1XjV3oaZ45GvbkGIFMNJb9Zk-9VrOkPw5PH8lcE_8paM-jQkXWY

LGBTQ families have long faced hurdles with regard to the immigration laws of the United States. These hurdles apply to all LGBTQ couples across the U.S., as well as those in foreign countries applying for U.S. visas. Throughout the years, case law and United States Citizenship and Immigration Service policy has enacted provisions allowing...