Summary: Presidential Proclamation 10052, which temporarily suspended the entry of certain H-1B, H-2B, J (for certain categories within the Exchange Visitor Program), and L nonimmigrants, expired on March 31, 2021.
H, L, J visa entry ban policy was finally lifted on April 2021 as Presidential Proclamation 10052 was expired on March 31, 2021. Therefore, H, J, and L visa applicants that have been impacted by the non-immigrant visa entry ban proclamation can now take the interview or reapply for the visa interview.
That being said, there are still several Presidential Proclamations that remain in effect which suspend certain foreign nationals’ travel and entry to the United States. Also, many international students have been asking about the possibility of international travel during the summer break.
Thus, this blog post will have a look at what to do to take the interview for H, J, and L visa applicants and travel restrictions that international travelers keep in mind before seeking entry to the U.S.
Contents
What does this expiration of the visa entry ban mean to you?
The travel.state.gov website is providing the following guidelines for H-1B, H-2B, L, and J certain category visa applicants, who have been impacted by the 2020 non-immigrant visa entry ban policy:
- Visa applicants who have not yet been interviewed or scheduled for an interview: Their applications prioritized and processed in accordance with the existing phased resumption of visa services guidance.
- Visa applicants who were previously refused visas due to the restrictions of Presidential Proclamation 10052: They can reapply by submitting a new application including a new fee.
For country-specific information such as reopening date and available services, the website recommends to “check the website of their nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate for updates on the services that post is currently offering.”
Additional travel resources
Although the entry ban policy based on the visa status has been expired, there are still geographical travel restrictions due to COVID-19.
Per Presidential Proclamations 9984, 9992, and 10143, foreign nationals’ entry, who have been physically present in the following countries in the 14-day period before seeking entry into the United States, will still be suspended as of April 2021.
- People’s Republic of China
- Islamic Republic of Iran
- Schengen Area
- United Kingdom
- Republic of Ireland
- Brazil
- South Africa
If you are planning to travel internationally and come back to the U.S., it is important to keep abreast of travel updates and news. The U.S. J visa program (BridgeUSA) sent the following message as well:
Despite elimination of the suspension, the COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact visa operations worldwide. As geographic-specific conditions improve, embassies and consulates will provide visa services as resources allow and will update individual embassy websites accordingly.
Proclamation Updates by Private Sector Exchange Directorate
Below are resources that BridgeUSA recommended for internationals in the U.S. regarding the travel:
- General travel information: https://travel.state.gov
- Phased-in resumption of visa services: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/News/visas-news/phased-resumption-routine-visa-services.html
- Country-specific travel information (including scheduling visa appointments): https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/COVID-19-Country-Specific-Information.html
- Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on the J-1 visa exchange program: https://j1visa.state.gov/covid-19/
As Biden didn’t extend the visa entry ban policy, non-immigrants from the world now can take the visa interview, get the visa stamp and seek entry/re-entry to the U.S. However, if you are traveling from one of the countries that are restricted by other presidential proclamations, you would not be able to enter the U.S.
If you are a non-immigrant visa holder in the U.S., please remember no one can decide your travel plans for you. If you are planning to travel in the near future, please refer to the aforementioned websites regarding visa processing and traveling to make informed decisions. To learn more about other F-1 visa and H-1B news, click the F-1 Visa Info page and H-1B page respectively.
