不能旅行,签证过期,我现在该怎么办?

在过去的两周里,由于#冠状病毒 #COVID-19,许多国际航班被取消以及停运, 很多国家也关闭了国土边境从而阻止游客进出,这引起了许多困在国外的人们极度的恐慌。 2020年3月时候,美国国务院宣布,所有领事馆的移民(IV)和非移民签证(NIV)面试都被暂停。

那么,我的签证过期意味着什么呢?我要怎么办?

以上的旅行限制对很多人造成了极大的困扰。使家庭团聚以及重返工作岗位难上加难。很多家庭无法团圆,重大人生历程没有亲人陪伴。雇主们处于迷茫之中,由于其雇员没有具体的返回日期,雇主也无法预料的未来需求。许多的美国签证都有根据法规允许的最长期限,因此领事官员无权延长签证的有效期。但是,好消息在于,领事馆可以重新打印签证

领事馆能够重新签发签证,前提是所有证明文件(例如无犯罪记录,体检等)均未过期。如果证明文件已过期,则要求申请人在重新签发签证之前获得新版本。不同的领事馆有不同的签证程序。申请人必须联系自己的领事馆要求重新签发签证。

对于持有有效签证或者在宽限期期间内滞留在美国但无法离开美国的人,例如旅游签证,学生签证,免签证访问人员等,许多人已经使用I-539表格申请延长或更改其身份,但这意味着申请人需要支付高额费用。其他人则认为,如果超期不超过180天,短暂的停留不会有太大问题。逼近不是每个人都可以承受高额的移民延期申请费用的。这些选择都是可以的。

美国移民律师协会(AILA)已针对美国公民及移民服务局(USCIS)提起申诉,呼吁由于#冠状病毒,移民局应该立即暂停所有移民福利申请期限,并使得正当维持美国非移民身份的人自动延长其有效期限,以便在美国的外国公民可以维持身份。在我们等待这场诉讼的结果的同时,我们敦促大家保持关注并照顾自己。

 

Can’t Travel, Visa Expires, What Do I Do Now?

A lot of people stuck abroad have experienced panicking moments in the past two weeks when flights are cancelled and borders are closed due to the #COVID-19 shutdown. In March, 2020, the U.S. Department of State announced that immigrant (IV) and nonimmigrant visa (NIV) appointments at ALL Consulates are suspended due to coronavirus. Many countries are also restricting exiting and entering in order to control spread of the pandemic.
So what does this mean when my visa expires? 
These travel restrictions have made family unity and returning to work difficult, if not impossible. Employers are now in the dark with no specific return date for their valued employees and facing uncertainties as to their future needs. Since many visas have a maximum period allowed pursuant to regulation, consular officers do not have the authority to extend visa validity. However, the consular may be able to re-print a visa once travel becomes possible.
Consulates are able to re-issue a new visa provided that all supporting documents, such as police certificates, medical examinations, etc., have not expired. If the supporting documents have expired,  the applicant will be required to obtain new copies prior to the re-issuance of the new visa. Applicants will have to contact the consulate for the re-issuance and different consulate has different procedures. 
For people who are stuck in the U.S. either on valid visas or during grace period, but are not able to leave the U.S. to return to their home countries, options are also limited. Many have applied to extend or change their status using the Form I-539, but this also comes with a hefty fee. Others are banking on the fact that a brief overstay won’t be too problematic if it is limited to 180 days.
The American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) has filed a complaint against USCIS calling for the immediate suspension of immigration benefit deadlines and the maintenance of status for nonimmigrants in the U.S. in light of the pandemic, urging USCIS to extend its filing deadlines so that lawfully present foreign nationals in the United States can maintain status during the pandemic.
While we wait for the outcome of this lawsuit, we urge everyone to stay tuned and take care of yourselves.