Notice: Message from the Canadian Cross-border Legal Coalition.
I am writing as an update to the Temporary Suspension of Trump’s Executive Order, in particular, IRAP has created a recent Know Your Rights booklet that encourages everyone affected by the recent travel ban attempting to travel to the U.S. on a valid visa, to get on a plane as soon as possible. It is important that we are all letting our clients know this information and encouraging them to travel immediately, including those who had their visas revoked/cancelled unless they were stamped ‘cancelled’. Unfortunately, it is possible that during their travel, the law may change and so, we need to prepare our clients of that possibility as well.
As stated in the IRAP booklet:
Until a court rules otherwise, all officials at U.S. airports and other ports of entry are not allowed to prohibit entry to people from Iraq, Syria, Iran, Sudan, Somalia, Yemen, and Libya who are traveling on valid visas and are otherwise admissible.
The U.S. State Department has confirmed with American Immigration Lawyers Association that unless there are additional issues in the case, all valid visas that were revoked/cancelled by the Executive Order have been made valid again, unless they were physically cancelled (stamped ‘cancelled’).
The U.S. federal government has announced that it will ask the court to end this temporary freeze of its Executive Order “at the earliest possible time.” Therefore, if you are attempting to travel to the U.S. on a valid visa, you should attempt to get on a plane as soon as possible. It is possible that during your travel, the law may change and you may be detained at a U.S. port of entry.
Also, as a final note, as you may have seen the Canadian Cross-Border Legal Coalition has now formed, it is a group of lawyers and legal and civil society organizations from across Canada who have come together to coordinate a national legal response to Trump’s discriminatory travel ban. We are excited about this new initiative and will keep you informed of its’ progress.
-Mitchell J Goldberg
If you have any individual questions or concerns, please contact our office for a more customized consultation for your unique situation. Please note that this posting is for general information only and is not to be considered binding or official legal counsel since situations will vary and can be complicated. The content in this post is current as of the day of entry. Due to the changing nature of Immigration law, the information in this entry may or may not still be applicable.