New Visa Restrictions Set Off ‘Panic Wave’ in Immigrant Communities
President Trump’s new travel ban that went into effect on January 31, 2020, has hit immigrant communities and the nations affected with panic, uncertainty, outrage, fear and hopelessness. Families are not sure of how long they will have to wait to be reunited with their families in the US. The direct effect of the law is it disqualifies citizens of Eritrea, Kyrgyzstan, Myanmar (Burma) and Nigeria from legally immigrating permanently to the US. That means relatives including spouses, children and parents in the US as citizens or permanent residents, cannot file I-130 or K-1(Finance visas) petitions on behalf of their families abroad if they are nationals of one of the listed countries. Similarly, employers cannot file I-140 Petitions on behalf of workers from these countries. Further, nationals of Sudan and Tanzania no longer qualify to participate in the Diversity Visa Lottery program.
There currently are no waivers available to the nationals of the affected countries in the latest travel ban. We will update all our clients and readers should they become available.