Does anyone know the exact wording of Biden's executive action on immigration

[Marieke H 2,520]

19 minutes ago, GregandNatty said:

One executive order from Biden ordering these embassies to ramp up interviews is all it would take.

An executive order can't make thousands of employees magically appear to take care of the huge backlogs. It also can't make embassies safely reopen for all visa processing.

[Crazy Cat 41,985]

22 minutes ago, Marieke H said:

An executive order can't make thousands of employees magically appear to take care of the huge backlogs. It also can't make embassies safely reopen for all visa processing.

I thought spousal visas were already getting priority.

Edited January 21, 2021 by Lucky Cat

[TBoneTX 45,649]

24 minutes ago, GregandNatty said:

One executive order from Biden ordering these embassies to ramp up interviews is all it would take.

The consulates are all in different countries that have varying levels of lockdown restrictions.

Amidst these (despite these), each consulate would have to build back up to full staff strength.

This means COs, Chiefs, and LESs (locally engaged staff, previously called Foreign Service Nationals).

Even after this, there's no guarantee of continued or uninterrupted functioning.

In addition, other visa classes might be given priority.

 

Edited to add:  What Marieke H said above, more concisely than I!

Edited January 21, 2021 by TBoneTX

[millefleur 5,047]

2 minutes ago, TBoneTX said:

Amidst these (despite these), each consulate would have to build back up to full staff strength.

Weren't a bunch of consulate/embassy workers evacuated back to the US when Covid broke out? I would assume this is the biggest issue with the backlog on the embassy side.

[TBoneTX 45,649]

1 minute ago, millefleur said:

Weren't a bunch of consulate/embassy workers evacuated back to the US when Covid broke out? I would assume this is the biggest issue with the backlog on the embassy side.

Oh, absolutely.  Imaginably, the LESs (FSNs) were furloughed in their respective countries.

[GregandNatty 195]

12 minutes ago, Marieke H said:

An executive order can't make thousands of employees magically appear to take care of the huge backlogs. It also can't make embassies safely reopen for all visa processing.

It doesn't seem to me that thousands of additional employees need to show up.   They need to use the employees they do have to ramp up interviews more.  I'm going through the Nairobi embassy and they issued 27 IR1/CR1 VISAs in December of 2020 and 105 IR1/CR VISAs in December of 2019.   They are doing a very small fraction of what they normally do. 

 

I just returned from Uganda a few weeks ago and COVID is nothing there compared to here in the US.  Everything is open over there, so it makes no sense that they aren't doing even 1/2 of what they normally do.

 

Someone needs to give them a swift kick to get moving on interviews.  Since Biden is now their boss, he's the best guy to do the kicking. 

Edited January 21, 2021 by TBoneTX
evading word-filter

[TBoneTX 45,649]

1 minute ago, GregandNatty said:

Biden is now their boss

A President has less influence over the consulates than perhaps any other organ of government.  Furthermore, he can't snap his fingers and overcome the very real functional disabilities of skeleton staff, or the decrees of the host countries.

[TBoneTX 45,649]

[Mod hat on]

A post above has been edited because of evasion of the site's word-filter.

[Mod hat off]

[GregandNatty 195]

4 minutes ago, TBoneTX said:

[Mod hat on]

A post above has been edited because of evasion of the site's word-filter.

[Mod hat off]

Sorry, I wasn't trying to evade it, but to not offend anyone.  I'll watch it better next time

[TBoneTX 45,649]

Didn't figure that it was intentional.  

[TBoneTX 45,649]

A possibly sarcastic post has been removed because of how it could be interpreted literally and thus violate the Terms of Service.

Edited January 21, 2021 by TBoneTX

[Bill Hamze 89]

9 hours ago, Unlockable said:

 

The public charge rule has been in place long before Trump. Trump just issued an order for it to be more strictly enforced. The "strictly enforced" order by Trump may get removed but the public charge rule as a whole is not going anywhere.

Yeah, that’s what I meant - the proclamation itself, not the overall public charge rule. 
 

Specifically, I’m interested in the part about receiving subsidies for a health insurance plan purchased off an exchange. 
 

Until that part clears up, and the covid pandemic ends (or we get vaccinated), I’m pausing our immigration process, which is now at NVC.

[B, J 13]

Regarding this news: https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/01/20/proclamation-ending-discriminatory-bans-on-entry-to-the-united-states/

 

It serves to undo some proclamations and one executive order. It includes this text as well: "Resumption of Visa Processing and Clearing the Backlog of Cases in Waiver Processing." This might be the part where people are hung up on. It says, "The Secretary of State shall direct all Embassies and Consulates, consistent with applicable law and visa processing procedures, including any related to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), to resume visa processing in a manner consistent with the revocation of the Executive Order and Proclamations specified in section 1 of this proclamation."

 

Notice that it says "in a manner consistent with the revocation of [the executive order and proclamations]."

 

My take is that it doesn't have anything to do with resuming routine visa services in general, but implies that whenever Embassies/Posts do continue their services, to stop considering Trump's previous executive order and proclamations.

Edited January 21, 2021 by B, J

[Bill Hamze 89]

20 minutes ago, B, J said:

Regarding this news: https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/01/20/proclamation-ending-discriminatory-bans-on-entry-to-the-united-states/

 

It serves to undo some proclamations and one executive order. It includes this text as well: "Resumption of Visa Processing and Clearing the Backlog of Cases in Waiver Processing." This might be the part where people are hung up on. It says, "The Secretary of State shall direct all Embassies and Consulates, consistent with applicable law and visa processing procedures, including any related to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), to resume visa processing in a manner consistent with the revocation of the Executive Order and Proclamations specified in section 1 of this proclamation."

 

Notice that it says "in a manner consistent with the revocation of [the executive order and proclamations]."

 

My take is that it doesn't have anything to do with resuming routine visa services in general, but implies that whenever Embassies/Posts do continue their services, to stop considering Trump's previous executive order and proclamations.

This listed which specific proclamations they revoked, but proclamation 9945 (pertaining to healthcare) was not mentioned unfortunately.

[Boiler 45,739]

I can think of no end of countries that were open and nobody was paying any attention and then boom,

 

I also wonder how anybody would know where a country has very little recording and reporting going on.

 

I was looking at the UK regulations and wondering who could and who could not even make it to the Consulate for an interview. I think spouses and children can but it is by no means clear, pretty sure spouses can travel to an Airport. Consulates do not work in a vacuum.