TheHILL.
President Joe Biden has terminated the U.S. entry ban on new immigrants implemented by the Trump administration under Presidential Proclamation 10014.
This ban, which had been set to expire on March 31, 2021, prevented new immigrants, or “green card” holders, from entering the United States beginning in April 2020. Details of this ban, initially effective for 60 days and twice extended, were explained in a prior Mintz Alert.
This ban temporarily suspended the entry into the United States of individuals who:
were outside the United States on the April 23, 2020 effective date of the proclamation; and
had not yet been issued an immigrant visa or similar travel document, which allows entry into the United States as a permanent resident.
An immigrant visa is issued by a U.S. Embassy or Consulate to individuals applying for permanent residence from outside the United States. The ban did not impact individuals applying for permanent residence inside the United States through Adjustment of Status processing. The ban also did not affect the travel of existing permanent residents; it applied only to those making an initial entry pursuant to an immigrant visa issued abroad.
While the immigrant visa ban implemented by former President Trump contained some narrow exemptions (such as for spouses of U.S. citizens, etc.), with President Biden’s termination of Proclamation 10014, now ALL immigrant visa cases at U.S. Consulates and Embassies throughout the world may move forward.
However, a number of other travel restrictions have been implemented over the prior year in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and those restrictions remain in place.
