Visa Issues for Communist or Totalitarian Party Members

Form I-601, Application for Waiver of Inadmissibility for Communist or Totalitarian Party Membership or Affiliation
Form I-601, Application for Waiver of Inadmissibility for Communist or Totalitarian Party Membership or Affiliation

This article discusses filing a Form I-601, Application for Waiver of Grounds of Inadmissibility, for a person who is inadmissible to the United States on the ground that they have been a member of or affiliated with a communist or totalitarian party or a related organization.

U.S. State Department Stiffens the Bar on Immigrant Visas for Communist Party Members
U.S. State Department Stiffens the Bar on Immigrant Visas for Communist Party Members

The U.S. State Department has updated its Foreign Affairs Manual (FAM) to toughen its interpretation of the statutory bar on issuance of immigrant visas to communist party members and affiliates. Topics affected including non-meaningful association, the United Socialist Party in Venezuela, ideological exclusion, state-owned enterprise employees, government employees, and joining for the essentials of living.

This Week’s Policies Attacking Chinese Students and Exchange Visitors
This Week’s Policies Attacking Chinese Students and Exchange Visitors

Two of the Trump administrations favorite foils are immigrants and higher education. This week’s announced initiatives against Chinese students and exchange visitors represent a convergence of those two subjects.

Communist Party Membership or Affiliation Makes Some Ineligible for U.S. Green Card and Citizenship
Communist Party Membership or Affiliation Makes Some Ineligible for U.S. Green Card and Citizenship

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has maintained a political monopoly in China’s mainland since Mao Zedong founded the People’s Republic of China in 1949. The Party comprises over 100 million members, about 10% of China’s adult population. This article discusses how the U.S. Immigration and Nationality Act makes certain CCP members and affiliates ineligible for…

Catalog of U.S. Visa Sanctions Against China (Updated)
Catalog of U.S. Visa Sanctions Against China (Updated)

This article summarizes the U.S. government's visa sanctions targeting specific Chinese individuals, companies, and institutions.

Update: Entry Suspended for Chinese Students and Researchers with Military-Civil Fusion Links
Update: Entry Suspended for Chinese Students and Researchers with Military-Civil Fusion Links

The President has issued a May 29, 2020, Proclamation on the Suspension of Entry as Nonimmigrants of Certain Students and Researchers from the People’s Republic of China.The proclamation appears to be counter-productive, a distraction from real measures needed to fight Beijing's theft of sensitive technologies, and an attempt to boost Trump's electoral odds by stoking…

State Dep’t Limits B (Visitor) Visa Validity for Communist Party Members
State Dep’t Limits B (Visitor) Visa Validity for Communist Party Members

On Dec. 2, the State Department issued new restrictions on B1/B2 (visitor for business or leisure) visas for members of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and their families. While other Chinese citizens may obtain multiple-entry visas valid for entry within 10 years, under a 2014 reciprocal agreement between Presidents Obama and Xi Jinping, CCP members…

USCIS Policy Manual Update on Immigrant Membership in the Communist Party
USCIS Policy Manual Update on Immigrant Membership in the Communist Party

During the Trump administration, immigration lawyers have become accustomed to “shock by memo,” meaning backdoor rules announced by government memo with no prior notice, typically on a Friday afternoon, which leave us scrambling to help clients understand how the new rules may apply to applications filed months or years ago under a different memo.[1] On…

Chinese Communist Party Members Targeted by Draft Trump Visa Ban
Chinese Communist Party Members Targeted by Draft Trump Visa Ban

Visa bans based on Communist Party membership–like any bans based on ideology or associaiton–are an unnecessary, and most damaging, legacy of the McCarthy era.

What is Form I-601, Application for Waiver of Grounds of Inadmissibility?
What is Form I-601, Application for Waiver of Grounds of Inadmissibility?

An individual who an immigration officer or consular officer has determined is inadmissible to the United States as an immigrant or to adjust status in the United States, and certain nonimmigrant applicants who are deemed inadmissible, must file the Form I-601, Application for Waiver of Grounds of Inadmissibility, to seek a waiver of certain grounds…

U.S. Restricts Visas for Chinese Officials Responsible for Xinjiang Repression
U.S. Restricts Visas for Chinese Officials Responsible for Xinjiang Repression

On October 8, the U.S. State Department announced visa restrictions on Chinese government and Communist Party officials responsible for, or complicit in, repression of Uighurs and other Muslim minority groups in the Xinjiang region.

Congressional Report Raises Concerns: Could Chinese Students and Scholars Association Members Be Denied Green Cards?
Congressional Report Raises Concerns: Could Chinese Students and Scholars Association Members Be Denied Green Cards?

A new Congressional report asserts that Chinese Students and Scholars Associations (CSSAs) at U.S. colleges appear to be directly subordinate to and receive political direction from the Chinese Embassy and consulates. This report raises concerns: could the U.S. government deny green cards to CSSA members? The report, entitled China’s Overseas United Front Work: Background and…