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On November 26, 2021, President Joe Biden issued a presidential proclamation prohibiting travel into the United States for travelers who were physically present in eight countries in southern Africa (Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, and Zimbabwe), beginning on Monday, November 29, 2021. The restrictions, which prohibit travel from these eight African countries, come approximately three weeks after the White House relaxed prior location-based travel restrictions, moving to vaccination status-based travel restrictions on November 8, 2021.

United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) recently announced that, effective October 1, 2021, applicants for permanent residence (i.e., green card applicants) who are “subject to the immigration medical examination must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 before the civil surgeon can complete … [the] examination and sign Form I-693, Report of Medical Examination and Vaccination Record.” USCIS stated that this requirement “applies prospectively to all Forms I-693 signed by the civil surgeons” on or after October 1, 2021.

Effective June 1, 2021, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has expanded and extended ongoing flexibility for employers complying with certain I-9 employment eligibility verification requirements due to ongoing issues caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

On April 19, 2021, the Biden administration extended travel restrictions along the land ports of entry between the United States and Canada and the United States and Mexico through May 21, 2021. The border restrictions were set to expire on April 21, 2021. The restrictions, which have been in effect since March 21, 2020, specifically prohibit all “non-essential” travel at these land ports of entry to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

On March 31, 2021, the Trump administration’s Proclamation 10052, which had suspended the entry of certain H-1B, H-2B, J, and L nonimmigrant visa holders and their dependents to the United States, expired. In addition, on February 24, 2021, the Biden administration lifted Proclamation 10014, which had suspended the entry of certain immigrant visa holders through March 31, 2021. Despite these policy developments, applicants for nonimmigrant work visas and immigrant visas can still expect continued delays in obtaining visas due to COVID-19–related issues.

Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) authorized U.S. employers with employees who are taking physical proximity precautions to remotely inspect identity and work authorization documents when completing Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification, rather than review original documents in person.

On April 30, 2021, the Biden administration issued a proclamation that implements restrictions for travelers from India, due to concerns regarding COVID-19. Pursuant to the proclamation, noncitizens who have been physically present in India within 14 days of travel to the United States will be barred entry, unless eligible for an exception. The restrictions are scheduled to take effect on May 4, 2021, at 12:01 am eastern daylight time.

On April 27, 2021, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued updated policy guidance “instructing officers to give deference to prior determinations when adjudicating extension requests involving the same parties and facts unless there was a material error, material change, or new material facts.” This USCIS policy update reverts back to a long-standing policy originally established in 2004.

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in numerous presidential proclamations restricting travel and entry into the United States. Likewise, since the pandemic began, the criteria for “national interest exceptions” (NIEs) has also evolved. On March 2, 2021, the U.S. Department of State issued updated criteria for NIEs relating to certain travelers from the Schengen Area, United Kingdom, and Ireland. Given the frequency of the changes, it can be difficult to track the current state of these matters. The following information is a summary of the latest updates with regard to U.S. travel restrictions.