US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) published a notice in the Federal Register stating that effective September 14, 2020, flights carrying passengers who were recently present in China (excluding the Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and Macau), Iran, the twenty-six countries of the Schengen Area, the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Brazil will no longer be required to land at one of fifteen designated airports in order for passengers to undergo COVID-19 health screenings. This notice only relates to the cancellation of health screenings at designated US airports but does not lift or change the country-specific COVID-19 travel restrictions (which were issued January 31, 2020, February 29, 2020, March 11, 2020, March 14, 2020, and May 24, 2020) for the countries listed above, the immigrant visa travel ban (Presidential Proclamation 10014) or the nonimmigrant visa travel ban (Presidential Proclamation 10052). The American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) CBP Liaison Committee confirmed with CBP that the travel restrictions remain in place and those affected by the restrictions will still be required to obtain a National Interest Exemption (NIE) to travel to the US.
Read moreTrusted Traveler Programs
Taking my shoes off at airport security is one of my biggest pet peeves (apart from waiting in long lines). While it’s certainly understandable that in a post-9/11 world, security must be tight, for frequent travelers waiting in long security lines and dealing with restrictions on carry-on items are some of the least pleasant aspects of flying (and that’s including airline food). And the restrictions keep coming. Most recently, the Trump administration barred passengers on foreign airlines headed to the US from ten airports in eight majority-Muslim countries from carrying “personal electronic devices (PEDs) larger than a cell phone or smart phone,” and US officials have even discussed expanding the ban to include flights to the US from Europe. Who knows what might come next.
Read moreMobile Passport Control: All about CBP’s Smartphone App to Expedite Entry into the US
Pretty much everyone agrees that the most time-consuming and least enjoyable part of international travel is being processed through customs and immigration. (Okay, waiting for baggage isn’t much fun either.) In an effort to make the admission process into the US smoother and to manage the growing number of travelers, US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has launched Mobile Passport Control (MPC), the first authorized app to expedite a traveler’s entry process into the US. The app is designed to streamline “the traveler inspection process and enables CBP officers to focus more on the inspection and less on administrative functions.” Although we’ve discussed it previously, we thought we’d answer some questions (with CPB’s help) about the app, especially since now we have even used it ourselves!
Read moreMy Favorite “Immigration” Movie
Although awards season for film and television is over with the Academy Awards show last weekend, there is still much buzz surrounding the fantastic and diverse films that were released in the past year. With all of the excitement, I am inspired to reminisce about my own favorite films—and influenced by my profession–specifically my favorite immigration film: The Terminal.
Read morePassport Control
"I DON’T know if I’ll ever be comfortable with the silence that comes after I’ve handed my papers to the passport control officer. In that moment, I instantly recall all my faults and sins from my childhood, including the day I accidentally broke an entire bowl of ceramic fruits from a friend’s dinner table. (I later tried to glue them back together.) There should be a German word for this fear, something long and terrifying. Instead of being afraid to fly, I’m mortally afraid of landing and being judged by the officer at the airport, even if I don’t have anything to hide."