EIG US and Global Update | December 16, 2020

With our mission to uncomplicate the complicated, we’ve always thought of our work in immigration as people-first. Our goal is for these updates 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

Bulgaria | The health minister said that the current restrictions, due to end on December 21, will remain in place until at least January 31.

El Salvador | El Salvador has agreed to the “operational details” of the Asylum Cooperative Agreement (ACA) with the United States to take in certain migrants seeking asylum in the US.

Singapore | From late January, a limited number of select business travelers will be able to enter the country as part of a “bubble” program – an arrangement that offers a preview of how travel for the World Economic Forum in the spring may work. In this “bubble” arrangement, visitors will be regularly tested, carry contact-tracing devices, remain in groups of five people, and stay in segregated facilities for up to 14 days. Singapore has been closed for most of the year, and this is the first such program open to visitors worldwide.

Stay in the Loop with the Immigration Nerds Podcast
In late November, President Donald Trump issued a new temporary rule to pilot a program that would require tourist and business travelers from 24 countries with higher rates of visa overstay — mostly in Africa — to pay a bond as much as $15,000.

In this week’s Immigration Nerds podcast, we talk to Erickson Immigration Group attorney Krystal Kirst about the rule, its impact, and what to expect.

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.