Business Immigration Insights

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) may designate a country for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) when conditions make it unsafe for citizens of that country who are in the United States to safely return.  TPS is usually granted when there is ongoing armed conflict, an environmental disaster, or other extraordinary and temporary conditions.  Due to the recent Ebola outbreak in western Africa, DHS has designated Liberia, Guinea, and Sierra Leone for TPS.

The U.S. Department of State has announced that, as of November 12, 2014, the National Visa Center ceased collecting original civil documents – birth and marriage certificates, police clearance certificates, etc. – from applicants for immigrant visas.  From now on, applicants will submit only photocopies of these documents to the NVC and take the originals to their visa interviews at U.S. embassies and consulates worldwide.

The NVC’s practice of requiring original documents is a long-standing one that has caused applicants additional stress, worry and expense in the ...