GOOD NEWS: USCIS has agreed to call off its planned furlough of 13,500 employees which had been scheduled for this weekend. BAD NEWS: In exchange for this, the U.S. House of Representatives has unanimously agreed to let USCIS raise the premium processing fee from $1440 to $2500 for O and P petitions and cancel the […]
Read the rest of this article »I. Consulates Are Open, But Now Refusing To Issue Visas To Applicants Who Have Been In Certain Countries For artists who have been approved for visas, but have been waiting months to apply for them at a U.S. Consulate, many U.S. Consulates have re-opened and are beginning to issue visas. But not so fast…there continues […]
Read the rest of this article »On July 31, 2020, DHS (The Department of Homeland (In)Security) issued a “Final Rule” confirming that USCIS (Unconscionable, Shameful, Callous, Immoral, and Sinister) will be imposing steep fee increases for visa petitions as well as creating new forms. Assuming that the many lawsuits and injunctions that are already in the works don’t stop this, then […]
Read the rest of this article »We have seen two Requests for Evidence (RFE) this week for foreign artists who are currently in the U.S. with O-1 classification (both of whom have been previously approved for O-1 classification multiple times) and who filed new O-1 petitions to extend their status and remain in the U.S. In each case, neither artist has […]
Read the rest of this article »Last night, July 6, 2020, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced that all F-1 (student) visa holders attending schools that have decided to operate entirely on-line for the fall 2020 semester due to the COVID-19 pandemic will not be permitted to take a full online course load and remain in the U.S., forcing schools and […]
Read the rest of this article »As you are doubtlessly aware by now, the Dark Lord has just issued a new immigration proclamation. IT WILL HAVE LITTLE, IF ANY, SIGNIFICANT IMPACT ON ARTISTS! Now, take a breath and read on… Fresh from his triumphant campaign rally before a crowd of several dozen (including a frightened family of squirrels trapped in the […]
Read the rest of this article »By Brian Taylor Goldstein To those of you wondering what is happening with The Screaming Carrot Demon’s immigration ban, his Executive Order slithered out of the White House today. Here’s the deal: Today’s spewage only addresses immigrant visas (green cards). Though there is a fairly long list of exceptions, for the next 60 days people […]
Read the rest of this article »Unemployment and the CARES Act For Non-US Artists April 7, 2020 By Brian Taylor Goldstein Shocking as it may sound, USCIS has passed a tiny wind of hope in the direction of artist visas during this coronavirus pandemic. The Department of Homeland Security (which sets the policies for USCIS) has confirmed that applying for unemployment […]
Read the rest of this article »Cancelled Engagements, Unemployment, Layoffs, and Visa Renewals March 31, 2020 By Brian Taylor Goldstein As the tumbleweeds blow through Times Square and we begin to consider the viability of Easter peeps or even kale to supplement the dwindling toilet paper supplies, there is an understandable amount of angst and confusion on many fronts. Not least […]
Read the rest of this article »By Brian Taylor Goldstein In short, not much. As you can imagine, this was announced without any details as to how, exactly, this was going to work in terms of screening, implementation, flight schedules, etc. But here what we know so far… Anyone who has been in one of the 26 European countries in the […]
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