The U.S. State Department will waive fees for immigrants applying for visas if they were denied a visa because of the Trump administration’s travel ban. According to the Federal Register IV fee waiver rule published on January 19,
“An IV applicant who is the beneficiary of a valid immigration petition may submit another visa application after being refused and in most circumstances they are required to pay again the relevant application fees.”
The travel ban prevented immigration from the Muslim countries of Iran, Libya, North Korea, Somalia, Syria, Venezuela and Yemen. Immigration applicants who are denied an immigrant visa are allowed to apply again, but are also required to pay the fees again. The new rule is part of President Biden’s January 2021 executive order, Presidential Proclamation 10141, “Ending Discriminatory Bans on Entry to the United States,” to reverse the travel bans and other Trump-era immigration restrictions.
• The rule went into immediate effect on Wednesday, January 19, 2022.
• It is a “one-time exemption.”
• It is not retroactive.
• There will be no refunds as a result of the policy change.
• Fees for individuals whose visa application was denied due to “additional refusal grounds” while the travel ban was in effect will not be waived.
If your immigration application was denied – or you want to prevent it from being denied – the best thing you can do is to hire an experienced immigration attorney to help you take the next steps. When your future is at stake you want to work with a firm that doesn’t treat you like another case file. We know this may be your first time going through this process. Our firm focuses on holding your hand through every step of the journey.
Godoy Law Firm works with family-based and employment-based individuals who want to come to the United States to work temporarily or permanently. Contact Godoy Law Office at 630-912-0322. Godoy Law Office serves the entire Chicago, Illinois area including DuPage, Cook, Kane, Will and Lake Counties.
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Immigration Attorney Mario Godoy has years of experience guiding clients with immigration issues through the immigration process along with guiding clients through the criminal case. Godoy focuses on family-based immigration law, business immigration law, removal defense, and criminal defense representation of immigrants. A criminal charge or conviction can be devastating to your immigration case. With over a decade of immigration law experience and memories of family members who were deported due to bad legal advice, Godoy is committed to helping other immigrant families receive the legal justice they deserve. As a legal entrepreneur who practices immigration law, criminal law, estate and probate law, and running two successful law firms, Mario Godoy understands the importance of keeping families together and making a home and future in America.
