Category: Americas

Visas, Immigration & Nationality

COVID-19: Which Countries Are Closed Again? Updated Restrictions Due to Omicron Variant and How to Bypass Them

The omicron variant (B.1.1.529) of the SARS-CoV-2 virus was first detected in South Africa on November 24, 2021. Since its discovery, countries around the world have closed their borders to citizens, travellers, or visitors from many African countries in hopes of slowing the spread of the virus.  Each country has its own set of rules…
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No Vaccine Mandate for US Domestic Air Travel

US President Joe Biden said he doesn’t plan to make COVID-19 vaccines mandatory for domestic air travel amid the spread of the omicron variant at this time. On 03 December, the US President said he doesn’t see a need to implement a vaccine mandate for travel within the United States, even though the new omicron variant…
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New US COVID Testing Requirements for International Travel – What You Need To Know

The United States will require all inbound international travellers, regardless of citizenship or vaccination status, to test negative for COVID-19 within one day of departure starting on Monday, 6 December. President Joe Biden announced the rollout of the stricter requirements in response to the recent discovery of the Omicron COVID variant. Starting Dec. 6: All…
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US Tightens Restriction on International Travel

In response to the new Omicron variant of the COVID-19 virus and in an effort to stop the spread, the United States is restricting travel from certain countries in the African region exposed to the Omicron variant. The new restriction started on 29 November 2021 and will remain in effect until terminated by the president.…
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US Conducts Historic Third H-1B Lottery for 2022

In a move not seen since the introduction of the electronic H-1B registration process, US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) had to hold a third lottery in order to meet the required number of candidates.  The H-1B visa is a non-immigrant visa that allows US companies to employ foreign workers in specialty occupations that require…
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