President Trump on Friday, January 27, 2017 signed an Executive Order titled “Protection of the Nation From Foreign Terrorist Entry Into The United States”, the executive order would bar entry to “Aliens” from certain countries from entering the United States for a period of 90 days.

The countries, currently affected by the order are: Iran, Iraq, Syria, Sudan, Libya, Yemen and Somalia.

While previously thought to apply only to Individuals seeking admission i.e. Visitor Visa and largely admission as Refugees into the United States, Gillian Christensen, acting Department of Homeland Security Spokeswoman, confirmed in an email to reporters that the Executive Order also applies to ALL Non-US Citizens, including Lawful Permanent Residents who may have temporarily left the United States to visit family abroad, or for work!

As of this moment, there is NO set guidelines or policy regarding the right of individuals with valid visa to return to the US, this includes the category of individuals who may be in possession of a Student (F-1) Work (H-1, L-1, O-1, P-1, R-1 or any other category)

Our strong recommendation to persons who might be affected by the Executive Order is to refrain from traveling outside of the United States. Legal challenges to the order have been filed as of yesterday. These are fast moving developments and we will follow closely. We will provide updates as soon as further information becomes available.

Should you have any questions, please contact Kripa Upadhyay or Steve Tanijo or call us at 206-623-3352.