With our mission to uncomplicate the complicated, we’ve always thought of our work in immigration as people-first. Our goal is for these emails to make sense of the changes happening across the world. Please share these updates with your colleagues who may find this information helpful, too.
International Updates
Austria | The Foreign Ministry said it would lift the travel warning for Lombardy, the epicenter of Italy’s coronavirus outbreak. The land borders reopened between the region and Austria last month.
Case Update: 201 confirmed cases. Last updated: 2020/7/15 5:00 PM CEST
Canada | On the condition of anonymity, sources familiar with the discussions have reported that the United States and Canada would continue their agreement to close their borders for non-essential travel until August 21, a one-month extension. The border between the two countries closed on March 18.
Case Update: 565 confirmed cases. Last updated: 2020/7/15 5:00 PM CEST
China | After reporting no new cases in the past nine days, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism approved tourist sites operating at 50% of their visitor capacity and resuming interprovince touring.
Case Update: 54 confirmed cases. Last updated: 2020/7/15 5:00 PM CEST
India | After spikes of the coronavirus, the government has imposed local lockdowns.
Case Update: 29,429 confirmed cases. Last updated: 2020/7/15 5:00 PM CEST
Malaysia | The border between Malaysia and Singapore will reopen a Green Lane for essential business and official traffic, and for residents with long-term work permits in either country. Travelers will have to do a PCR swab test before entry and provide an itinerary of their visit. These measures are expected to go into effect on August 10, with more information becoming available on August 1.
Case Update: 4 confirmed cases. Last updated: 2020/7/15 5:00 PM CEST
Senegal | International flights resumed on Wednesday four months after suspending them due to the coronavirus pandemic. Passengers arriving to Senegal are required to provide proof of a negative coronavirus test taken within the last seven days. The land and sea borders remain closed.
Case Update: 45 confirmed cases. Last updated: 2020/7/15 5:00 PM CEST
Spain | Following a new surge of cases, authorities put parts of Catalonia into confinement.
Case Update: 666 confirmed cases. Last updated: 2020/7/15 5:00 PM CEST
The United States | On Tuesday, the Trump administration stepped back from a policy position introduced on July 6 that would have put foreign national students studying in the US at risk of losing their visas if their coursework was online only.
The outcome of such a policy would have forced thousands of students to leave the US.
Shortly following the policy announcement last week, Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) filed a suit against the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
At the start of the hearing on Tuesday, US District Judge Allison Burroughs announced the federal authorities had pulled the directive to “return to the status quo.”
Foreign national students enrolled at US colleges and universities will be able to continue their planned studies in the US under the more relaxed directive introduced in March, which removed the typical limits for online education in light of the coronavirus pandemic.
Case Update: 58,720 confirmed cases. Last updated: 2020/7/15 5:00 PM CEST
From Bloomberg Law INSIGHT: Along with the effects of the pandemic, US employers are dealing with recent immigration restrictions. Yasmin Mirreh, an attorney with Erickson Immigration Group, looks at other countries’ immigration actions to find takeaways for US employees on how to deal with the restrictions and gives practical tips for employers.
Stay in the Loop!
We will continue to send updates daily or as more COVID-19-related news is available. If you have questions about anything we’re reporting above or in past updates or want to hear more about a different topic, just reply to let us know. If you have specific questions, please contact your employer or EIG attorney.