The Federal Government on March 14, 2020, announced the inclusion of the United Kingdom and Ireland in the existing travel restrictions in place due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. In response to the concerns brought on by the spread of COVID-19 certain consular posts, such as Belgium, France, Italy and the Netherlands, have begun alerting applicants of suspended visa services and are unable to provide a specific date for when routine visa services will resume.

In an attempt to keep the public apprised, the Department of State has compiled a list of embassy websites for country-specific information concerning COVID-19. This page provides links to the COVID-19 dedicated page for each nation’s embassy which includes information concerning health services, recommendations, and in some cases, information concerning a reduction or temporary suspension of visa services. While not every page has been updated to reflect the current level of services, we recommend that individuals utilize this link as well as a respective post or embassy’s website before they travel abroad, especially if they are already present in the United States. At this time, an individual who has an appointment should attend their visa appointment unless notified by the embassy or consulate that it has been cancelled. Individuals with cancelled appointments can log back in to the scheduling webpage and check periodically whether they can reschedule their visa appointment. At this time, there is no clear guidance on when the embassies and consulates will resume normal visa processing.

The restriction on travel for visitors from the United Kingdom and Ireland goes into effect on Monday, March 16, 2020, at midnight (EDT). This announcement comes on the heels of President Trump’s proclamation banning visitors from the European Union’s (EU) Schengen Area (but excluded the U.K. and Ireland), which went into effect Friday, March 13, 2020, at 11:59pm EST. The travel restriction is in place for 30 days with the possibility that it will be extended depending on how the virus is mitigated in those countries.

As the United States government continues to evaluate its strategy to contain and address the COVID-19 pandemic, we anticipate there will be continuing updates to the Administration’s travel restrictions; thus creating uncertainty among employers and their global workforce.

In light of the evolving travel restrictions, it is important for non-immigrant visa holders to re-evaluate the necessity of their international trips, even to countries not currently impacted by a travel ban. Individuals may be unable to re-enter the United States should the Administration unexpectedly adopt additional measures to its travel ban policies. Given the fluidity of the circumstances, it may be prudent to remain in the U.S. and avoid international travel where possible.

On March 13, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced new requirements for U.S. nationals, legal permanent residents, and their immediate families entering the United States after having recently visited the specified European countries, the People’s Republic of China, or Iran at any point during the 14 days prior to their departure from those countries bound for the United States. All flights carrying travelers exempted from the presidential proclamation’s travel restrictions but who have recently traveled from, or were otherwise present within, the impacted countries within 14 days of the person’s entry or attempted entry into the United States to arrive at one of the 13 designated U.S. airports. These airports have implemented or will be implementing increased public health measures and enhanced screening procedures. The 13 designated airports are:

• John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), New York;
• Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD), Illinois;
• San Francisco International Airport (SFO), California;
• Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA), Washington;
• Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL), Hawaii;
• Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), California;
• Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL), Georgia;
• Washington-Dulles International Airport (IAD), Virginia;
• Newark-Liberty International Airport (EWR), New Jersey;
• Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), Texas;
• Detroit Metropolitan Airport (DTW), Michigan;
• Boston Logan International Airport (BOS), Massachusetts; and
• Miami International Airport (MIA), Florida.

Please note any traveler with a valid ESTA who attempts to travel the United States in violation of the Proclamation will have their ESTA canceled.

Our office is tracking these matters closely and will continue to keep clients and employers up-dated on any important developments when they occur.

Any information included here or through our web site is presented solely for general informational purposes and is not in any way intended as legal advice, is not a substitute for getting actual legal advice from an attorney, and should not be acted upon as legal advice without first seeking qualified professional counsel specific to your needs and situation. Additionally, by providing this general information and the information on our web site, no attorney client relationship is created.

Immigration and the COVID-19 Pandemic

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