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The U.S. State Department released the July Visa Bulletin. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced filings for employment-based visa preference categories must use the Final Action Dates chart. China dates advanced slightly in every category and India showed slight advancement
The Trump administration’s Presidential Proclamation restricting entry to the U.S. from 19 countries has gone into effect as of June 9. The administration’s additional Proclamation restricting entry under student and exchange visitor programs at Harvard University has been put on
The Department of Homeland Security published notice in the Federal Register that the designation of Nepal for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) will terminate on Aug. 5, 2025. Key Points: The notice states that the DHS Secretary determined that Nepal no longer continues to meet the conditions
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada introduced new legislation extending citizenship by descent beyond the current first-generation limit. Key Points: Currently, the Citizenship Act has a first-generation limit to citizenship by descent for individuals born abroad. The bill’s new framework for citizenship by descent would allow
The Trump administration issued two Presidential Proclamations on June 4 with the first taking effect June 9 and imposing full and partial travel restrictions barring entry to the U.S. for 19 countries, subject to certain exceptions. The second imposes restrictions
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services will only accept the updated Jan. 20, 2025, edition of the N-600K starting July 3, 2025. Key Points: The N-600K form is the application for citizenship and issuance of certificate used to apply for naturalization of a child under the age
Homeland Security published notice in the Federal Register that the designation of Cameroon for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) will terminate on Aug. 4, 2025. Key Points: The notice states that the DHS Secretary determined that Cameroon no longer continues to meet the conditions for the designation
The Minister of Public Safety introduced the Strong Borders Act to secure Canadian borders against transnational organized crime, the flow of illegal fentanyl and money laundering. Key Points: The bill aims to secure the border by: Amending the Customs Act to ensure points of
Starting July 3, 2025, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services will only accept the 01/20/25 edition of Form I-693, Report of Immigration Medical Examination and Vaccination Record. If a civil surgeon signs the form on or before July 2, 2025, either the 03/09/23 or the 01/20/25 edition
The Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs issued a new rule granting Indian nationals visa-free entry for tourism visits that do not exceed 14 days. Key Points: Visa-free entry is available for Indian nationals in any Philippine port of entry, including airports and seaports. The purpose of the visit must be
The Office of Foreign Labor Certification (OFLC) recently announced solicitation of input for the annual determination of labor supply states (LSS) to enhance U.S. worker recruitment under the 2022 H-2A Final Rule. Key Points: The 2022 H-2A Final Rule (which became
The Office of Foreign Labor Certification (OFLC) recently announced it will permanently delete records for which a final determination was made more than five years ago from the decommissioned legacy Permanent Online System. Key Points: The system was officially decommissioned on
The Department of Home Affairs is enhancing security for ImmiAccount, Australia’s online portal for visa and immigration services, by requiring users to set up multifactor authentication. The requirement goes into effect June 18, 2025. Key Points: New and existing users of ImmiAccount will be required
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) continues to roll out airport modernization enhancements to support the expected increase in international travel, including Enhanced Passenger Processing (EPP) and Seamless Border Entry (SBE) at certain U.S. airports. Key Points: CBP processed over 420 million travelers at ports of entry in fiscal year
Effective June 1, 2025, Poland is enacting comprehensive labor market reforms aimed at streamlining administrative processes and tightening compliance around the employment of foreign nationals. Key Points: Two acts were signed into law by President Andrzej Duda on April 11, 2025: the Labor Market and
BAL is once again recognized as a Band 1 immigration law firm in the Chambers USA Guide 2025, earning the highest tier ranking nationwide as well as for its California, Colorado, Massachusetts, Texas and Virginia offices. BAL’s newest office in Georgia was also recognized in its first year with