State Department Advises on “Extreme Vetting” of Immigrants
Looking for A Specific Post? Search Below
On March 6, 2017, President Trump issued a new executive order regarding the travel restrictions of certain immigrants to the United States from Iran, Sudan, Syria, Yemen, Libya, and Somalia and ordered “extreme vetting” for other visa applicants. On March 15, the State Department issued a memorandum from Secretary Rex Tillerson titled “Implementing Immediate Heightened Screening and Vetting of Visa Applications” that elaborated on what should be considered and enforced when it comes to extreme vetting.
First, the memo stated that consular chiefs should decide which immigrants should be subjected to the extreme vetting process. Next, the memo ordered the Department of Homeland Security, State Department, and U.S. Attorney General’s office to enact procedures that would strictly enforce any inadmissibility for visa applicants.
The State Department memo suggested that the following inquiries are to be made in regard to immigrants who require extreme vetting:
- Review of home addresses for 15 years;
- Review of employment history for 15 years;
- Review of travel history for 15 years;
- Review of social media accounts, email addresses, and phone numbers for five years;
- Names of former spouses, children, and siblings.
The order includes even stricter security measures for immigrants from the six countries targeted by the executive order. People who live in the 38 countries that participate in the visa waiver program will not be subject to extreme vetting. Whether other individuals will require extreme vetting will apparently be up to the consular chiefs. There has been some concern that certain people may be targeted simply because of their nationality, religion, or name and not because of any legitimate threat.
For people who require extreme vetting, the new measures will likely cause significant delays in the visa application process and may result in a substantially greater number of denied applications.
EO on Hold
Two federal courts have already enjoined all or part of the new executive order. A court in Hawaii halted the entire order while a court in Maryland enjoined the travel ban from the six designated countries. The government has appealed the Maryland decision and has stated its intentions to appeal the Hawaii decision, as well. In the meantime, the travel ban is on hold and so are the extreme vetting procedures for immigrants from those six countries.
It can be difficult to know what is going to happen with the EO or what the extreme vetting process will entail but we will keep you informed of new developments.
Contact a Chicago Immigration Attorney For Help Today
At the law office of Kriezelman Burton & Associates in Chicago, we understand that the continually changing policies regarding immigration in the past few months have been confusing and worrisome. Our skilled immigration lawyers are here to help you understand and protect your rights. If you need assistance with a visa, green card, citizenship, deportation defense, or any other type of immigration matter, please call our office at 312-332-2550 to learn more about how we can help you.
Co Mówią Nasi Klienci
Ocena 5 gwiazdek | Na podstawie 200+ pozytywnych opinii na Google
We have been in the dark with our case for over 2 decades, while working with other big firms who just kept me in the dark and sat on our case without making any effort to move it forward until I met the wonderful team at Kriezelman & Burton. AO and JP are truly God-sent angels who with their knowledge, collaboration, sense of direction and outside the box thinking, managed…
Highly recommend attorney Kevin Raica and attorney Agata Bigdanowicz. They were super helpful, responded on time, and won my case in record time. It took about a month and half in total for me to get my approval after filing!
Brittni Rivera and her team (Carina Lopez) are fantastic! They are responsive, efficient and beyond compassionate. Brittni Rivera and her team treated me with dignity and respect as they patiently answered all of my questions. They didn't move on without making sure I understood each step. Their work ethic was impressive. It felt like they were an extension of my personal team. I can't say enough to convey my gratitude…
Kevin Raica and his team handled my immigration application and i can other recommend them enough. They made a stressful process very easy. They are very knowledgeable in this area and helped us at every stage from beginning to end.
Brittni Rivera She is my Attorney from 2017 Thank you so, so much. This truly wouldn’t have been possible without you, Brittni. Can’t wait to file for the green cards.
We hoped and prayed for this day, not knowing if it would ever come. Deportations are incredibly scary and overwhelming. We wanted to give a very special thank you to Jennifer Peyton of Chicago for securing this victory for us! With Jennifer on our side we were able to get our loved one back. On behalf of our family, thank you. When we started this journey, we had hoped and…
Matthew Kriezelman, first of all, thank you very much; you and your team are the best immigration lawyers in Chicago. I had a great experience—your professionalism was outstanding, and you were always there whenever needed. I give you five stars for the wonderful work you and your team did. Thanks again.
Hay momentos en la vida en los que una familia siente que el mundo se detiene. Nosotros vivimos uno de esos momentos y, en medio de la incertidumbre y el miedo, tuvimos la fortuna de encontrar a la abogada Sheila McNulty y al paralegal Rafael Rodríguez . Nos escucharon con empatía, nos guiaron con paciencia y defendieron nuestro caso con un profesionalismo, una dedicación y una calidad humana realmente excepcionales.…
We would like to take a moment to sincerely thank Khiabett for her exceptional work and dedication in handling my husband’s removal proceedings case. We also want to thank Agata for her great communication during the gathering of all documents. Khiabett we are incredibly grateful for your expertise, guidance, and persistence throughout the entire process. I can't thank you enough for your empathy and standing by me during such a…
Justin Burton is extremely professional knowledgeable and helpful. I’m extremely thankful for his help and patience with my case. I strongly advise to use his services and refer him to anybody in need of legal help. Thank you.
Schedule a consultation!:
Umów się na konsultację!
Libertyville
Reklama prawnika. Informacje te mają wyłącznie charakter ogólny. Przedstawionych informacji nie należy interpretować jako formalnej porady prawnej ani tworzenia relacji prawnik/klient. Wcześniejsze wyniki i referencje nie stanowią gwarancji, rękojmi ani przewidywania wyniku Twojej sprawy i nie powinny być w ten sposób interpretowane. Wyniki z przeszłości nie mogą zagwarantować przyszłych wyników. Jakikolwiek wynik w pojedynczej sprawie nie ma na celu stworzenia oczekiwań podobnych wyników w przyszłych sprawach, ponieważ każdy przypadek wiąże się z wieloma różnymi czynnikami, dlatego też wyniki będą się różnić w każdym przypadku. Podając dane kontaktowe, użytkownicy potwierdzają i wyrażają wyraźną zgodę na kontakt za pośrednictwem udostępnionych metod komunikacji, w tym wiadomości SMS. Mogą obowiązywać stawki za wiadomości i transmisję danych. Częstotliwość wiadomości może się różnić. Odpowiedz STOP, aby zrezygnować.
NUVEW | Prawo autorskie 2026 Wszelkie prawa zastrzeżone | Informacja o dostępności | polityka prywatności