Why an Estimated 100,000 Americans Abroad Face Passport Problems
Consular appointments for U.S. citizens overseas are nearly impossible to come by as many embassies, plagued by Covid restrictions and staff reductions, remain all but closed.
Yona Shemesh, a dual U.S.-Israeli citizen who lives in Israel, ended up paying $450 to a broker for a booked appointment to renew his American passport. He tried for eight months to do so himself at the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem.Credit.Tanya Habjouqa for The New York Times
By Debra Kamin
May 6, 2021, 5:00 a.m. ET
Yona Shemesh, 24, was born in Los Angeles, but he moved to Israel with his family at age 9. In July 2020, as the Covid-19 pandemic was raging, he booked a ticket to Los Angeles to visit his grandparents in June 2021, knowing that he would have nearly an entire year to renew his American passport, which had long since expired.
Then, he found a new position. But months later, his room in Madison, Wisconsin, was still empty enough to hear echoes, and he continued to sleep on an air mattress, too wary to invest in replacement furniture.
âThis is not your home,â he said. âSo you can be kicked out any time.â
Swarajâs experience is far from a one-off. From data analysts and software consultants to project engineers and molecular biologists, many foreigners with advanced degrees and specialized knowledge have been losing their jobs in America amid the pandemic. And because theyâre only able to live and work legally in the US thanks to their H-1B status â a coveted visa for skilled workers â routine layoffs that arenât their fault have the potential to completely upend their lives.
US to suspend biometric requirements for processing H4-EAD visas
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Synopsis
This is expected to help speed up processing times for visa extensions and employment authorisation for spouses of H-1B and L1 visa holders in the United States. The move came in response to a class action lawsuit filed by the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) and Wasden Banias.
Agencies
The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.
The US immigration agency will suspend biometrics for all H4 and L2 applications from May 17, said the lawyers at Wasden Banias, an immigration law firm.