President Trump’s April 20th Tweets About Temporary Suspension Of Immigration Into The U.S.
In a tweet by President Trump last night, he announced that he will be signing an Executive Order to temporarily suspend immigration into the United States in order to protect American jobs as COVID-19 has affected the economy. Here is what we know so far.
How is This Different Than the Current Situation with Immigration Processing and Border Closures?
As we previously announced, the U.S. Consular Posts already have been closed around the world since March, which has meant the suspension of visa applications with the exception of emergency situations, including applications for farm workers and healthcare workers specifically assisting with COVID-19. USCIS has also closed the local offices and suspended interviews and biometrics processing until May 3, 2020. In addition, travel between the U.S. and Canada and the U.S. and Mexico has been essentially closed. The Department of Homeland Security also just announced that the U.S., Canada and Mexico have agreed to extend restrictions of non-essential travel across the shared borders for an additional 30-day period, with exceptions for farmworkers, healthcare workers, and essential travel.
Has the Executive Order been Issued?
No, the Executive Order has not been issued as of this time.
What Will the Executive Order Include?
It is not known at this time what exactly will be included in the Executive Order. The Wall Street Journal has reported that “The executive order is expected to include exceptions for migrant farmworkers, who make up about a 10th of the workforce on U.S. farms, and health-care workers, particularly those helping treat coronavirus patients, an administration official said. It is not expected to address the removal of immigrants already in the U.S. or the visa renewal process, the official said.” [emphasis added]
Will USCIS Stop Adjudicating Cases?
Based on information available at this time, United States Citizenship and Immigration Services is not expected to stop adjudicating cases – either new cases or cases already in process.
How Long Will the Temporary Suspension Last?
No information has been provided at this time about the duration of a temporary suspension. We would still recommend that employers continue to move forward with cases for transfers, assignments or new hires scheduled for later in 2020 to reduce the risk that these cases may be subject to backlogs that may occur.
We will provide additional guidance as it is issued by the government. Please feel free to reach out to your Maggio Kattar contact with any questions.