1. Entry Restrictions

International travel to the United States is currently prohibited to the following passengers:

• Passengers arriving in the United States from Canada and Mexico at a land port-of-entry
  • Exceptions:
    • Arrival by air or by sea;
    • U.S. Citizens and Lawful U.S. Permanent Residents (“green card holders”);
    • International students;
    • Persons traveling to the U.S to receive medical treatment;
    • Emergency responders or public health officials;
    • Individuals engaged in international trade (including truck drivers moving cargo);
    • Official government or diplomatic travel;
    • Members of the U.S. Armed Forces and their spouse and children.

• Passengers arriving in the United States from the following countries, or who have visited one of these countries in the 14 days before arrival in the U.S. (collectively, “risk area”):
  • China
  • Iran
  • Brazil
  • Schengen Zone (Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland)
  • The United Kingdom
  • Ireland
  • Exceptions —  entry to the United States will be permitted to the following travelers arriving from a risk area:
• U.S. Citizens;
• Lawful U.S. Permanent Residence (“green card holders”);
• Non-U.S. Citizens or green card holders who have a spouse, child (under 21) or parent who is a U.S. Citizen or green card holders;
• Foreign Nationals who travel to the United States at the invitation of the U.S. Government for the purpose of containment or mitigation of COVID-19;
• Foreign Nationals who work as an air or sea crew member in C-1 or D status;
• Foreign Nationals who seek to enter for employment in diplomatic status or staff members of international organizations, and their immediate relatives (A-1, A-2, C-2, C-3, E-1 TECRO/TECO employee), G-1 through G-4, NATO-1 through NATO-4, NATO-6);
• Members of the U.S. Armed Forces and their spouse and children;
• Foreign Nationals whose entry will be in the National Interest of the United States, including, but not limited to, healthcare workers, certain technical specialists/experts or certain senior-level managers or executives. 

Passengers arriving in the United States from the United Kingdom are required to present a medical certificate (either a hardcopy or an electronic version) showing a negative COVID-19 PCR test taken within 72 hours of boarding the flight to the United States.

Visa Suspensions/Restrictions

The United States Department of State suspended routine visa services in all countries on 20 March  2020 and has since been slowly resuming limited service to foreign nationals, based on local health conditions:

• Priority given to those applying for student visas (F-1, M-1 and J-1)
• Some consulates may accommodate emergency appointments, with a detailed statement describing the nature of the emergency (e.g., seeking medical treatment in the U.S.)
• Visa appointment wait times, by consulate, are available here.

Issuance of Immigrant Visas (permanent residence) at U.S. Consulates was suspended on April 23, 2020, until December 31, 2020 , except for the following:

• Foreign Nationals seeking to enter the United States for employment as healthcare workers;
• Foreign National children due to reach their 21^st birthday by 15 January 2020;
• Foreign Nationals whose entry will be in the National Interest of the United States, including, but not limited to, certain senior-level managers or executives;

Issuance of certain Non-Immigrant (temporary) visas was suspended on June 24, 2020, until December 31, 2020:

• Impacted visas:  H-1B (professional workers), H-2 (seasonal or intermittent employees), L-1 (intracompany transferees), and J-1 Intern/Trainee visas, and their Dependents (H-4, L-2 and J-2 visa applicants)
• : 
  • Spouses or minor children of U.S. Citizens;
  • Foreign Nationals who were physically present in the U.S. on June 24, 2020;
  • Foreign Nationals who were outside the United States on June 24, 2020, but who already had an H-1B, H-2, L-1 or J-1 visa stamp;
  • Foreign Nationals whose entry will be in the National Interest of the United States, including, but not limited to, healthcare workers, certain returning employees (who were in the U.S. on June 24, 2020 and are seeking visa renewal after that date), certain technical specialists/experts or certain senior-level managers or executives;
  • Employees or Trainees of U.S. organizations that are member of the National Association of Manufacturers, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the National Retail Federation, Technet and Intrax, Inc.;
  • Dependents whose H-1B, H-2, L-1 or J-1 spouse is not subject to visa issuance suspension; 
  • If a visa applicant falls within one of these exempt categories, they still remain subject to:
    • Consulate closures, and
    • Entry Restrictions to the United States, if arriving from a risk area

2. Quarantine/Self-Isolation Requirements

All travelers who have spent time in a risk area in the 14 days before arrival to the United States are required to complete a COVID-19 arrival form (available on flight or at arrival) and will be screened for temperature at arrival. The United States does not require presentation of a negative COVID-19 test for entry in the U.S., however, the Center for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) recommends testing 1-3 days before your flight, and 3-4 days after travel. 

If a traveler shows no fever or other COVID-19 symptoms, they may proceed in the United States but must quarantine for 14 days, at their home of any other suitable accommodation, for self-isolation. 

Please note that this page is updated on an ongoing basis, but COVID-19 related restrictions and policies are subject to frequent and sudden change, often with little to no advance notice to the public. Therefore, to ensure that you have the latest updates, we recommend that you reach out to T&S at us@tandslaw.com for additional information.