Home/Policy/Security Bars and Processing; Delay of Effective Date

Security Bars and Processing; Delay of Effective Date

CategoriesPolicy
Signals
Neutral sentiment
Low impact
Fed. Register
Final rule
Summary

Informational only, not legal advice. Confirm deadlines on the official notice or with a qualified professional.

DHS and DOJ have indefinitely delayed the effective date of a December 2020 final rule that would have defined certain emergency public health concerns as security bars to immigration benefits. The rule was designed to address security threats during the COVID-19 pandemic but has never been implemented. The delay means current immigration processing continues under prior standards.
Full official notice
Fed. Register

Authoritative text and filing details are always on the publisher’s site.

Document info
TypeRule
SourceFed. Register
PublishedDecember 27, 2024

On December 23, 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Department of Homeland Security ("DHS") and the Department of Justice ("DOJ") (collectively, "the Departments") published a final rule entitled Security Bars and Processing ("Security Bars final rule") to define "danger to the security of the United States" to include certain emergency public health concerns. The Departments have delayed the final rule's effective date such that it has never gone into effect. This rulemaking further delays

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