State Department Issues Much-Needed Guidance on Recent Executive Orders

Maggio Kattar
On August 12, 2020 the U.S. Department of State (DOS) issued guidance on certain aspects of the Executive Orders recently issued by the President banning the issuance of many H-1B, H-2B, L-1, and J-1 visas.
Since the issuance of these Orders, companies have experienced inconsistent application of the Executive Orders by DOS officials at U.S. consulates around the world. The new DOS guidelines clarify a number of questions employers have been asking, including whether H-1B and L-1 employees who have secured extensions of their statuses are able to secure new visas at U.S. consulates, whether H-4 and L-2 dependents may secure visas even if their spouses who hold L-1 or H-1B visas are in the U.S., and what evidence consular officers must review in order to determine whether to grant an exception to the Executive Order prohibitions.
If you have any questions regarding this guidance, please reach out to your Maggio Kattar attorney.