COVID-19 - Vaccine Requirements for Traveling - Part 1

Thanks to the American Immigration Lawyers Association, the immigration lawyers at the Hall Global are happy to bring you the latest in COVID-19 vaccine requirements for travel. While comprehensive, these items apply to the H-2A visa and to the H-2B visa, they apply to all US visas. We would like to thank AILA for putting this together. (ILA Doc. No. 21102900 | Dated November 1, 2021).

To make it easier to understand, we are presenting the material in many parts. This is part 1.

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Part I

On October 25, 2021, President Biden issued Presidential Proclamation 10294 rescinding most COVID-19 travel bans and imposing COVID-19 vaccination requirements for all international air travelers to the United States. It will be effective at 12:01 AM on November 8, 2021, which means that it applies to air passengers on planes that depart from their foreign destination at or after 12:01 AM Eastern Time on November 8.

The Proclamation governs the entry into the United States of nonimmigrants traveling to the United States by air. With limited exceptions, it suspends entry of noncitizen nonimmigrants who are not vaccinated and requires those individuals seeking an exception to follow health and safety requirements determined by the Director of the Center for Disease Control (CDC).

The White House and agencies such as the Department of State and the CDC have issued additional guidance concerning the implementation of the new travel requirements.

RESCISSION OF COVID-19 GEOGRAPHIC TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS

The first section of the Proclamation rescinds the geographic COVID-19 travel bans that restricted travel for those from China (PP 9984), Iran (PP 9992), the Schengen Area, UK and Ireland, Brazil, South Africa (PP 10143), and India (PP 10199) at 12:01 AM ET on November 8, 2021.

Section 4(d) orders the Secretaries of State, Transportation, and Homeland Security to review regulations, orders, guidance, policies, and agency actions developed pursuant to these proclamations and to consider revising or revoking them, in line with the new proclamation and requirements.

Part 2 to follow tomorrow.