Welcome to the Garfinkel Immigration news roundup, where every month we will summarize and provide links to the latest stories impacting U.S. immigration.
Below is the June 2022 edition of the Garfinkel Immigration news roundup:
United States lifts COVID-19 testing requirement for inbound travelers
The United States has lifted the COVID-19 testing requirement for all inbound air travelers.
Beginning in January 2021, all individuals entering the United States from abroad via air, regardless of vaccination status, were required to test negative for COVID-19 before boarding an aircraft. The order applied to all air travelers, including American citizens and legal permanent residents, with limited exceptions.
However, the Biden administration ended the testing mandate on Sunday, June 12. Since then, individuals have not been required to take a COVID-19 test or show proof of a negative result to their airline before traveling to the United States.
Who qualifies for U.S. asylum and how does the process work?
This piece, published by CBS News in early June, provides an in-depth breakdown of the asylum system in the United States. It also answers frequently asked questions by asylum seekers.
“For decades, U.S. law has allowed the government to grant asylum to immigrants who suffered or have a well-founded fear of persecution in their home country because of their nationality, race, religion, political views or membership in a ‘particular social group,’” the story read.
The story continued: “While it uses the same legal threshold, refugee status is offered to individuals abroad. Asylum, on the other hand, is only available to those on U.S. soil. Barring some exceptions, U.S. law allows migrants in the U.S., including those who entered the country unlawfully, to request asylum as a means to halt their deportation.”
Read the full piece from CBS News here.
Seven new changes USCIS made to help immigrants
This story from Forbes discusses a host of recent changes by United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) “made to help immigrants.”
Some of the changes include the “extension of the period of authorized work” and “work authorizations for spouses of H, E and L visa holders.”
Additionally, USCIS issued further O-1 visa guidance.
“The new update provides examples of evidence that may satisfy the O-1A evidentiary criteria and discusses considerations that are relevant to evaluating such evidence, with a focus on the highly technical nature of STEM fields and the complexity of the evidence often submitted,” the story read.
“The update also emphasizes that, if a petitioner demonstrates that a particular criterion does not readily apply to their occupation, they may submit evidence that is of comparable significance to that criterion to establish sustained acclaim and recognition, and it provides examples of possible comparable evidence that may be submitted in support of petitions for beneficiaries working in STEM fields.”
Read the full Forbes story here.
Future of DACA program remains uncertain, a decade after it began
This Roll Call story examines the future of DACA, 10 years after the program was initially implemented via executive action by former President Barack Obama.
“A decade after the DACA program began, its fate is deeply uncertain following numerous court challenges and years of legislative inaction,” the story read.
The piece continued: “With the midterm elections drawing closer, hope for a legislative solution on DACA this year is increasingly dim. The House in early 2021 passed legislation allowing undocumented immigrants brought to the U.S. as children to apply for citizenship, but the bill has not been considered in the Senate.”
Read the full piece from the Roll Call here.
Tech urges DHS to let foreign-born workers’ kids stay in U.S. past 21
Technology companies are calling on the Biden administration and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) “to allow children of high-skilled immigrant workers to remain in the U.S. legally beyond their 21st birthdays,” according to this story from Axios’ Margaret Harding McGill.
“Major companies say they need the administration to act to help them retain high-skilled parents who fear their children will be deported, amid a tight labor market and ongoing green card headaches,” Harding McGill wrote.
About 200,000 people are in danger of “aging out” of the immigration system in this way, according to Axios.
“Many of the children came to the U.S. with parents on skilled worker visas, but lose dependent status when they turn 21, forcing them to scramble to find a temporary status or leave the country,” the story read.