The U.S. State Department has released a list of exemptions following President Trump's presidential proclamation that he signed on June 22. 

Who Does This Impact? 

According to the memo, the State Department is introducing certain limited exceptions to the president's June 22 proclamation for humanitarian travel, public health response and national security. 

Additional limited exceptions may be provided to: 

  • Spouses and children of certain visa holders, such as H, J and L visa holders who are already excepted from, or not subject to, P.P. 10052; 
  • Certain H and J visa applicants who are traveling to work in support of a critical U.S. foreign policy objective, such as the Covid-19 response, and/or traveling at the request of the U.S. government; and 
  • Applicants who are subject to aging out of their current immigrant visa classification before the relevant presidential proclamations expire or within two weeks thereafter. 

As of July 20, 2020, only the Department of State, which is responsible for issuing visas as U.S. consular posts, has confirmed these exceptions. U.S. Customs and Border Protection, which is responsible for determining admissibility at ports of entry, has not yet confirmed that it is also recognizing these exceptions from proclamations 1041 and 10052. 

How Are GIA And Envoy Responding? 

GIA and Envoy are staying up to date for any further updates, particularly from Customs and Border Protection. 

What Do I Need To Do Next? 

If you fit within one of these exemptions, you may attempt to schedule a visa appointment at a U.S. consulate. However, you most consulates are still operating at very limited capacity, and the visa appointments may not be available for weeks or months. You should also continue to monitor this site for updates on this policy, including whether Customs and Border Protection is also recognizing the same exemptions. 

Envoy is pleased to provide you this information, which was prepared in collaboration with Ian Love, who is a Managing Attorney at Global Immigration Associates, P.C. (www.giafirm.com), Envoy's affiliated law firm. 

Originally published July 20, 2020.

The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.