The following additional items may be of interest to our readers:

“Birth Tourism” New Rule in Effect: In late January, DOS issued a final rule establishing a rebuttable presumption that a B visa applicant who a consular officer believes will give birth during her stay in the U.S. is traveling for the primary purpose of obtaining U.S. citizenship for the child and thus should be denied the visa.

N.Y. Residents Ineligible for Certain CBP Trusted Traveler Programs: In response to New York State implementing the Driver’s License Access and Privacy Act, DHS announced that New York residents will no longer be eligible to apply for or renew their enrollment in certain Trusted Traveler Programs like Global Entry, NEXUS, SENTRI, and FAST. The N.Y. law prohibits the Department of Motor Vehicles from sharing information with DHS.

E-1 and E-2 Nonimmigrant Status for Iranian Nationals Terminated: In a January 23, 2020 notice, USCIS advises that nationals of Iran and their dependents are no longer eligible to change to E-1 or E-2 nonimmigrant status or to extend their stay in one of these statuses, due to the termination of the1955 Treaty of Amity, Economic Relations, and Consular Rights between the United States and Iran.

TPS Extended for Yemen: DHS extended the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) designation for Yemen for 18 months through September 3, 2021.