“On Monday, June 22nd, President Trump signed a proclamation suspending entry into the United States of certain immigrants and non-immigrants who present a risk to the U.S. labor market following the coronavirus outbreak. Effective immediately, the proclamation extends the suspension of entry for certain immigrants through December 31st, 2020…U.S. Citizens, lawful permanent residents (LPRs), and aliens who are or were inside the United States or those holding valid nonimmigrant or immigrant visas on the effective date are not subject to the proclamation.”
It should be noted that this proclamation is still in effect, and has not been canceled by the current administration. This process of suspending entry to certain immigrant groups is not contingent upon, and is completely independent of the USCIS processing times and wait periods associated with:
- Green Cards
- Consular Processing
- Oath of Allegiance ceremonies (for N-400 Applicants)
- Marriage green card interviews and other interviews during the adjustment of status process
This measure also does not affect current visa recipients who are already in the U.S. with H1-B, H2-B, J, and L non-immigrant visas. The process for adjusting status as a visa holder is still possible, but now with longer wait times due to overall back-ups associated with Covid-19.
Overall, the administration describes Proclamation 10014 as one where “…excess labor supply is particularly harmful to workers at the margin between employment and unemployment—those who are typically last in during an economic expansion and first out during an economic contraction.”
Green card holders and those who are in the process of receiving a green card may feel the brunt of the U.S. economic contraction as they look to integrate into new U.S. communities.
In addition, green card holders should be more careful about international travel with the advent of Covid-19, not necessarily because of the abandonment clause that has been pressed by CBP in the past, but because of the risk of Covid-19 positivity and an individuals health as well.
