Law Offices of Laurent C. Vonderweidt

03/24/2026

03/24/2026

Immigration update: because of the shutdown, ICE has been deployed at 14 airports to help with crowed control, but they are making arrests and looking at proof of lawful status. Be prepared to show your paperwork and not only a valid DL to travel. If not in status, do not travel at this time.

01/30/2026

Thank you to the Consul General, our député, Christopher Weissberg, and the Consulate team for a beautiful evening at the residence de France!

12/09/2025

Le gouvernement américain n'a toujours pas annoncé l'ouverture de la loterie des cartes vertes cette année. Celle-ci a lieu en principe en novembre chaque année. Le 5 novembre 2025, le « Departement of State » à publier qu'ils annonceraient la date d'ouverture ultérieurement mais il n'y a pas de nouvelles depuis. https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/News/visas-news/changes-to-2027-dv-program-entry-period.html

Suspension of Visa Issuance to Foreign Nationals to Protect the United States from Foreign Terrorists and other National Security and Public Safety Threats

09/20/2025

URGENT: While some clarification/precision may occur in the next few days, for now: If you are an H1-B visa holder DO NOT travel abroad; if you are outside the U.S with a valid H1-B visa we recommend that you return to the U.S TODAY before 12:01 a.m. eastern daylight time on September 21, 2025.

The administration has signed yesterday a proclamation, restricting entry into the US of H1-B visa unless their company has made a payment of $100,000 per applicant.

BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA A PROCLAMATION The H-1B nonimmigrant visa program was created to bring temporary workers into the United

09/08/2025

Attention clients sous visa E2 et autre visa non-immigrant : Depuis le 2 septembre 2025, tous les demandeurs de visas non-immigrants doivent être présent à l'interview, même les enfants de moins de 14 ans (qui étaient avant dispensés). Si vous avez un renouvellement de visa de prévus et que vous avez une famille, sachez donc que vos enfants peu importe leur âge doivent maintenant venir avec vous au consulat.

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E2 visa and other non-immigrants: Since September 2, 2025, the U.S. Department of State updated its visa policy, now all applicants, including children under 14 now need to attend the in-person visa interviews at a U.S. consulate. If you have a visa renewal comming up note that your children, regardless of age, are now required to come to the interview with you.

09/08/2025

A partir du mardi 30 septembre, l'ESTA passe de $21 a $40 dollars.

The U.S. ESTA (Electronic System for Travel Authorization) fee will increase from $21 to $40 on September 30, 2025

06/05/2025

The white house has as expected published a new travel ban for certain countries:

- Fully restrict and limit the entry of nationals of the following 12 countries: Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen. These restrictions distinguish between, but apply to both, the entry of immigrants and nonimmigrants, but not to green card holder or dual citizens of these country and the U.S.

- partially restrict and limit the entry of nationals of the following 7 countries: Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela. These restrictions distinguish between, but apply to both, the entry of immigrants and nonimmigrants, but not to green card holder or dual citizens of these country and the U.S.

BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA A PROCLAMATION During my first Administration, I restricted the entry of foreign nationals into the

04/02/2025

USCIS updated its policy on gender following the executive order recognizing only 2 s*xes. They will not deny benefits solely on this basis but will follow s*x assigned at birth as written on the birth certificate. https://www.uscis.gov/newsroom/news-releases/uscis-updates-policy-to-recognize-two-biological-s*xes

L'USCIS a mis à jour sa politique sur le genre à la suite de l'ordre executif reconnaissant uniquement deux s*xes. Ils ne refuseront pas les dossiers uniquement sur cette base, mais suivront le s*xe assigné tel qu'indiqué sur l'acte de naissance.
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Passport marked with an X will remain valid but are no longer being issued by the US: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports/passport-help/s*x-marker.html #:~:text=Under%20the%20executive%20order%2C%20we,soon%20as%20they%20are%20available.

Les passeports americains marqués d'un X resteront valides, mais ne sont plus délivrés par les États-Unis.

We will only issue passports with an M or F s*x marker that match the customer's biological s*x at birth. Learn more about our policy on this page.

01/28/2025

Attention les contrôles et arrestations se multiplies et ne sont plus limités au gens avec un casier judiciaire. Si vous êtes présent aux USA illégalement, connaissez-vos droits en cas de contrôle. Voici une fiche en français et anglais: chrome-extensio://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://www.ilrc.org/sites/default/files/documents/red_card-self_srv-french-20190603.pdf

10/24/2024

📢 New travel rules for Europe : ETIAS Coming in 2025 !
Starting in 2025, U.S. citizens will need to obtain ETIAS authorization before traveling to Schengen Area countries.

💼 Which countries will require ETIAS ?
ETIAS will apply to 30 European countries, including :
France, Italy, Spain, Germany, Greece, Portugal, Netherlands, and more. It covers the entire Schengen Area plus non-EU countries like Norway and Switzerland.

⏳ How long is ETIAS valid ?
Once approved, ETIAS will be valid for 3 years or until your passport expires, whichever comes first. It allows multiple trips of up to 90 days within a 180-day period.

💶 What’s the cost ?
The ETIAS application fee is €7. Travelers under 18 years old or over 70 years old are exempt from the fee.

📅 Plan ahead : If you’re preparing for a European trip in 2025 or beyond, don’t forget that ETIAS will be a mandatory entry requirement for short stays !