How Can The US Travel Ban for 12 Countries Impact Visa Aspirants?

On 5th June, the US President implemented a travel ban on nationals from 12 countries. To put it in verbatim, the White House announced the following:

‘The proclamation fully restricts and limits the entry of nationals from 12 countries found to be deficient with regard to screening and vetting and determined to pose a very high risk to the United States.’

This news is big and is going to have consequences for visa aspirants all over the world, i.e., in the permitted countries. Here, we have looked deeper into some trends we are detecting in U.S policies and how it is going to impact visa aspirants. If you are gearing up to qualify for the EB-1A Green Card, the following information is going to be significant for you. 

Four ways the US travel ban will have consequences for visa aspirants

Expanded recognition of team-based aspirations

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has updated its guidelines to incorporate and acknowledge team-based accomplishments for EB-1A applicants. With this ban in action, we are more likely to see welcoming nods toward award-winning teams in fields like technology, research, and sports from the permitted countries. This change will be particularly effective for professionals involved in collaborative projects, such as engineers in multinational corporations or researchers contributing to groundbreaking studies; essentially, those who fulfill the EB-1A requirements. 

Increased self-sponsorship opportunities for Indian professionals

Indian nationals, especially those in the STEM field, can significantly benefit from the self-sponsorship opportunity in their EB-1A applications. This development can also allow qualified individuals to apply without employer sponsorship. Along with the travel ban, more of these applications are going to open up for Indian professionals.

Visa availability reset in the fiscal year of 2025

The annual cap for EB-1 visas will reset with the new fiscal year, starting from October 1, 2024. The travel ban for the 12 countries is likely to open up more fresh opportunities for applicants from the permitted countries. We are going to witness a surge in the quota for EB-1 visas to become available anew.

Ongoing legislative efforts to eliminate the per-country limits

The travel ban did not come out of the blue. It is also a part of ongoing legislative revisions. And, we are likely to witness more legislative efforts to remove per-country numerical limitations for employment-based immigrants. The ‘Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants Act’ has been recently reintroduced in Congress. If it is passed, it is likely to benefit applicants from countries like India by reducing the backlog and the subsequent wait times for a green card. 

At GCEB1, we never lose touch with the latest policy news and how it can impact visa aspirants. Get in touch with us to get personalized guidance to help you succeed in your journey as a visa aspirant. As a leading EB-1A expert, we have been helping visa aspirants with our resources, networks, and much more. Tell us what’s holding you back; we might be the breakthrough you have been looking for.