On February 24, 2021, President Biden issued a Presidential Proclamation which lifted the travel ban on immigrant visas that President Trump issued in Presidential Proclamation 10014. If you have an immigrant visa but have not been able to travel to the US because of the ban, you may now be able to do so! You can see a list of the visa holders that are now permitted to travel by clicking on the immigrant visa categories dropdown box here (do not confuse this with the nonimmigrant visa categories, which may still be subject to the ban). Here is a list of common visas which are no longer (or never were) subject to the ban and may now allow for travel to the US: Immediate Relative & Family Sponsored (IR1, CR1, IR3, IH3, IR4, IH4, IR2, CR2, IR5, F1, F3, F4, F2A, F2B); Employer Sponsored (E1, E2, E3, EW3, C5, T5, R5, I5, SD, SR, SI, SQ); other immigrants (diversity visa, SB visa). If you have not yet been able to obtain an immigrant visa you applied for, you will be interviewed according to the phased resumption of visa services, but may still experience delays because many US embassies are still only operating at limited capacity. If you were interviewed and refused a visa due to the travel ban, you should wait for instructions from the embassy or consulate where you were interviewed.
It is important to note that the ban on certain nonimmigrant visas (H, J, and L visas) is still in effect, but is set to expire on March 31, 2021. The COVID-19 travel ban is also still in effect if you live in or have visited a banned country within the last 14 days (Schengen Area, United Kingdom, Ireland, Brazil, South Africa, China, Iran). If you are subject to the COVID ban, contact us so we can help you circumvent this ban and travel to the US. In addition, you must obtain a negative COVID-19 test before traveling to the US regardless of what visa you are coming on.
If you would like to speak with an immigration attorney about your situation and your options for traveling to the US, contact us to set up a consultation today.
Disclaimer: This post is attorney advertising. It is meant as general information only, and is not legal advice, nor does it create an attorney-client relationship. We suggest you set up a consultation with us before acting on anything you read here. Past results do not guarantee future outcomes; every case is unique and must be analyzed individually.