Updates & Events

On December 22, 2020, U.S. Customs and Border Protection issued two notices extending temporary travel restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic and applicable to land ports of entry and ferry service between the United States and Canada, and between the United States and Mexico.

The Ninth Circuit ruled that U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services’ denial of a visa for a computer programmer on the basis that it was not a “specialty occupation” was arbitrary and capricious, and the Circuit  remanded the case.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced that its lockbox facilities “have received a significant increase in filings in recent weeks.”

The Cato Institute recommended 30 deregulatory actions for the Biden administration to consider, to “lessen the costs of America’s outdated immigration laws.”

As a result of litigation challenging USCIS’s blank-space rejection policy, where the agency rejected applications because of blank spaces, USCIS agreed to pause implementation of the rejection policy starting December 24, 2020.

Following litigation related to Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals that resulted in a U.S. district court order issued December 4, 2020, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services released guidance effective December 7, 2020.

DHS is automatically extending the validity of temporary protected status-related documentation for beneficiaries under the TPS designations for El Salvador, Haiti, Nicaragua, Sudan, Honduras and Nepal for nine months from the current expiration date of January 4, 2021, through October 4, 2021.

A spokesperson for the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) announced that spring 2021 guidance related to the COVID-19 pandemic for international students in programs in “hybrid” or online modes will remain the same as before.

Hayden brings the perspective of an experienced State Senator with a demonstrated history in the government administration industry to his government relations and policy work.