US to tighten B visa regulations citing abuse

B1/B2 visas are non-immigrant category visas for foreigners  entering the United States temporarily for business (visa category B-1), for tourism (visa category B-2) or combination.

USCIS chairman Cissna announced the following statement on B visas

As you rightly noted in your statement afterward, “Specific visas are designed for specific purposes, and when companies abuse or deceive the visa system, they hurt American workers and the American economy, as well as the foreign workers they hire under fraudulent pretenses.”

You may be aware that my agency, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), is reviewing existing regulations, policies, and programs and developing a combination of i-ulemaking, policy memoranda, and operational changes to implement the “Buy American and Hire American” Executive Order. These initiatives aim to protect the economic interests of United States workers and prevent fraud and abuse in the immigration system.

One area of focus is the B visa program. As noted in the Spring 2018 Unified Agenda, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is working on a proposed regulation pertaining to nonimmigrants admitted to the United States as temporary visitors for business (B-1) or pleasure (B-2).1 The proposed regulatory revisions will clarify the criteria for according B-1 or B-2 nonimmigrant classification to applicants for admission to the United States. As stated in the Unified Agenda, “Such clarification is necessary to ensure fair and consistent adjudication and enforcement, as well as to make the criteria more transparent.”

This rulemaking is a priority for the Department, and USCIS is taking a lead role in drafting the proposed regulation. The public will be able to comment once it is published.

See https://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/eAgendaViewRule?pubId=201804&RIN=1651-AA99