ABIL Global Update • August 2025

1. INTERNSHIP/TRAINEE VISAS: AN OVERVIEW – This article provides an update on internship/trainee visas in several countries.

2. CANADA – This article discusses important immigration-related updates for 2025.

3. EUROPEAN UNION/ITALY – Investor visa programs are under pressure across the European Union. Should you consider the Italian investor visa now?

4. TÜRKIYE – The Turkish government has announced expanded waivers to its traditional work permit sponsorship criteria.

New Publications and Items of Interest – New Publications and Items of Interest

ABIL Member / Firm News – ABIL Member / Firm News

Download:

ABIL Global Immigration Update – August 2025

1. INTERNSHIP/TRAINEE VISAS: AN OVERVIEW

This article provides an update on internship/trainee visas in several countries.

Canada

The Trainees/Trainers Business Visitor category in Canada allows foreign nationals to either provide training to employees of a Canadian parent or subsidiary of a foreign corporation, or receive training from such Canadian entity.

Foreign nationals in this category are not considered to be entering the Canadian labor market. As such, they may participate in training activities provided that any resulting production of goods or services is incidental to the training. The primary purpose of their activities must be learning, not production. To qualify, there must be a valid corporate relationship between the Canadian company and the foreign company that employs the trainee/trainer abroad.

To qualify as a trainee/trainer, the foreign national must meet the eligibility criteria for a Business Visitor. Business Visitors typically come to Canada for short-term purposes such as attending meetings or events, usually for a few days or weeks, and usually may stay for up to six months. The general eligibility criteria for business visitors are:

• They will not enter the Canadian labor market;
• They have documentation that supports their application (such as a letter of invitation from the Canadian host business);
• Their main place of business and source of income/profits is outside Canada;
• They meet the entry requirements, including:
  • Having a valid travel document (such as a passport);
  • Having enough funds to support their stay and return home;
  • Having a plan to leave Canada at the end of their stay;
  • Not posing a criminal, security, or health risk to Canadians.

A Business Visitor might need a Temporary Resident Visa (TRV) or an electronic travel authorization (eTA).

Sources: Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations, SOR/2002-227; Business Visitors Attending Meetings, Events and Conferences in Canada (Government of Canada)

Italy

An internship is considered a period of job training and orientation, not an employment relationship. The candidate must apply for a study/internship (studio/tirocinio) visa. A work permit is not required before applying for the visa.

This visa is issued by the Italian Consulate/Embassy of the country where the foreign national resides, within the limits of quotas periodically established. Although entry for internships takes place outside the annual quotas set by the Decreto Flussi, it is still permitted only within a specific quota, determined every three years by an interministerial decree. For the 2023–2025 three-year period, the maximum quota for study/internship visas is 7,500.

The main requirement for the candidate to obtain the study/internship visa is that the Italian entity willing to host the individual sets up an internship program, duly approved by the relevant regional authority

The legal framework for non-EU citizens’ internships in Italy is based on law at the national level and on regional regulations. Non-EU citizens intending to undertake an internship in Italy must obtain an entry visa (study/internship) and relevant permit. Generally, the required documents include:

• An entry visa application form;
• A recent passport-size photograph;
• A valid passport whose expiration date is one year + three months;
• Proof that the applicant has sufficient means of subsistence for their stay in Italy;
• A statement about the availability in Italy of suitable accommodations, as well as the sum needed for repatriation, which may be verified by submitting a return flight ticket;
• Health/insurance coverage for medical and hospital admissions that should not entail limitations or exceptions; and
• Documentation concerning the internship program: Internship programs are organized by authorized entities and are implemented according to a specific agreement between the promoting institution and the hosting employer. The visa can be requested by presenting a formal internship project duly stamped by the competent Italian Region; internships are made based on a special agreement between the promoter and the hosting entity.

Key entities involved in the preparation of the internship program include regional authorities (that must stamp the internship project); promoting entity (prepares the training project for approval by the relevant entity; this can be employment services or regional job agencies, universities, schools, etc.); hosting entity (can be a public or private subject, such as a company, business, or university, where the internship is conducted).

Once the visa is obtained, the individual should travel to Italy and apply for the residence permit card within eight days of arrival. They will be granted a residence permit for study/internship purposes, which may be converted at the end of the internship into a residence permit for subordinate employment, upon filing an online application through the dedicated government portal and submission of suitable employment documentation.

Türkiye

Turkish immigration law provides for a special work permit exemption for certain internship scenarios. The most common of these include:

• Foreigners who engage in an internship within the scope of approved student exchange programs (between Turkish universities and universities in foreign countries and approved by the Council of Higher Education);
• Foreigners who engage in an internship as part of an approved international student intern exchange, newly graduated intern exchange, or youth exchange program (e.g., IAESTE, AIESEC, ERASMUS+),
• Foreign students enrolled in a formal education program in Türkiye who are required to participate in a compulsory internship with an employer within the scope of their vocational education program.

The internship work permit exemption normally allows anywhere from four to 12 months of validity and is applied for domestically via an online portal with the Ministry of Labor.

Back to Top

2. CANADA

This article discusses important immigration-related updates for 2025.

We have already reached the middle of 2025 and there are some important Canadian immigration updates across the board to be mindful of.

Express Entry Priorities

The federal government’s current priorities with respect to economic immigration in the Express Entry system are health care and social services, education, provincial nominees, and, for the Canadian Experience Class, those with high scores. For the Canadian Experience Class, the last draw had a cut-off score of 521, which is quite high given that job offer points are currently not being counted. There has been no French language draw since March 21, 2025. The rounds of invitation for Express Entry can be viewed here: Ministerial instructions respecting invitations to apply for permanent residence under the Express Entry system – Canada.ca

Update to Wage Thresholds for Low-Wage and High-Wage LMIAs

On June 27, 2025, the wage thresholds in each province and territory distinguishing between low-wage and high-wage Labour Market Impact Assessments was updated. The wage thresholds can be viewed here: Hire a temporary foreign worker in a high-wage or low-wage position – Canada.ca

Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program: New Portal

The Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) is moving to a new Employer Portal for the OINP Employer Job Offer streams. This new portal will be an employer-led process. Employers will initiate the application by registering and providing employment position information, which in turn will enable applicants to register an Expression of Interest (EOI).

All existing EOIs were withdrawn on June 21 and June 22, 2025. On July 2, the Employer Portal opened for registration; previous EOIs will need to be submitted again.

OINP Draws in June

The OINP conducted draws in early June. These draws were limited; the OINP’s allocation from the federal government has dropped significantly as the government’s priority in decreasing the number of new permanent residents continues. The draws targeted the healthcare occupations and less populated areas of Ontario outside of Southern Ontario. For the In-Demand Skills stream, draws targeted health occupations, those in Northern Ontario, and those in Greater Sudbury. For the International Student stream, draws targeted health occupations, Eastern Ontario, Northern Ontario, Greater Sudbury, and the Regional Economic Development through Immigration Pilot (Lanark County, Leeds and Grenville, Sarnia-Lambton, Thunder Bay). For the Employer Job Offer: Foreign Worker stream, draws targeted Greater Sudbury, Northern Ontario, and the Regional Economic Development through Immigration Pilot (Lanark County, Leeds and Grenville, Sarnia-Lambton, Thunder Bay).

Study Field Requirement for Post-Graduation Work Permits

As part of a policy to limit the number of temporary residents in Canada, the government has restricted students in non-degree programs, which are programs other than bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral degrees, in applying for post-graduation work permits (PGWPs). Those who applied for study permits to study in a non-degree program on or after November 1, 2024, can only qualify for post-graduation work permits if they studied in a certain field.

In an effort to align with Express Entry priorities, 119 new fields of study in sectors like health care and social services, education, and trades were added, while 178 fields of study no longer linked to occupations in long-term labor shortages were removed. As a result of these changes, 920 fields of study are eligible for a PGWP. Study programs are assigned a Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) code. Eligible CIP codes can be checked here: Work in Canada after you graduate: Field of study requirement – Canada.ca.

Economic Mobility Pathways Pilot Extension

The Economic Mobility Pathways Pilot in support of refugees and displaced persons with in-demand labor market skills becoming permanent residents has been extended until December 31, 2025. The intake cap is 950 for the job offer stream and 150 for the no-job-offer stream. The eligibility criteria can be viewed here: Immigrate through the Economic Mobility Pathways Pilot: Who can apply – Canada.ca.

Public Policy Allowing Temporary Residents to Work in New Jobs or for New Employers After Submitting a Work Permit Application

The policy that was first introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic allowing workers or those authorized to work without a work permit to begin a new job or start working for a new employer after submitting their work permit application and while the application was being processed is still in effect. To do so, applicants must submit an Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada webform and include the code PPCHANGEWORK2020 in the webform message. Detailed instructions can be viewed here: Extend or change the conditions on your work permit: Changing jobs or employers – Canada.ca

Tightening of Immigration Requirements in Québec

Québec has suspended the Temporary Foreign Worker (travailleurs étrangers temporaires) Stream for temporary foreign workers and Québec Graduates (diplômés du Québec) Stream for permanent resident applicants until November 30, 2025.

This is further to the French language requirements for these streams, as follows:

• Temporary foreign workers: Oral comprehension of level 7
• Québec Graduates: Oral comprehension of level 7, written comprehension of level 5
• Partner or spouse: Oral comprehension of level 4

Information about the criteria and the acceptable tests for proof of French language comprehension can be found here: Connaissance du français dans le cadre du Programme de l’expérience québécoise | Gouvernement du Québec.

Back to Top

3. EUROPEAN UNION/ITALY

Investor visa programs are under pressure across the European Union. Should you consider the Italian investor visa now?

Recent developments within the European Union (EU) indicate a growing trend toward the reassessment and, in some cases, termination of investor-based immigration programs. While these changes primarily target citizenship-by-investment programs, several EU Member States have also introduced significant reforms to their investor residence visa frameworks.

Notably, on April 3, 2025, Spain officially discontinued its Golden Visa program. Ireland and the Netherlands had previously taken similar actions, and in 2023, Portugal removed real estate investments from its qualifying criteria. Greece announced plans to tighten eligibility requirements, while Luxembourg is evaluating the future of its own investor visa scheme.

Separately, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) recently issued a ruling against Malta’s investor citizenship program. While this decision pertains specifically to citizenship-by-investment (distinct from residence-based programs such as Italy’s Investor Visa), the ruling underscores European institutions’ increasing scrutiny of investment-related immigration programs.

Italy’s Investor Visa for individuals from non-EU countries remains active and, at present, has not been subject to any proposed legislative or policy changes. The program continues to offer qualifying investors a two-year residence permit (renewable) based on eligible investments, such as funding innovative startups, purchasing Italian government bonds, or contributing to philanthropic initiatives.

While the Italian government has not announced any plans to amend or suspend the program, prospective applicants may wish to consider initiating the process in a timely manner in light of the broader regulatory shifts occurring across the EU.

Back to Top

4. TÜRKIYE

The Turkish government has announced expanded waivers to its traditional work permit sponsorship criteria.

The expanded waivers are a significant development for companies operating in or entering the Turkish market. These changes aim to ease the hiring process for foreign employees in Türkiye, especially for employers not yet ready to hire a large local workforce.

Traditional Turkish Work Permit Sponsorship Rules

For more than two decades, Turkish immigration law has required that a work permit be sponsored by a local entity. Sponsorship rules include:

• A 5:1 ratio requiring five Turkish employees for every foreign employee on payroll.
• Meeting financial thresholds, including:

These criteria are in place to prioritize employment of Turkish citizens and ensure sponsors are financially established and stable.

Previously Established Sponsorship Waivers

Before October 2024, waivers to sponsorship criteria were limited and applied only in specific scenarios. These waivers, which are still in force, include:

• Government-related projects: Foreigners employed for public tenders or bilateral/multilateral projects.
• High-tech positions: Roles requiring specialized technology skills not readily available in the local workforce.
• Foreign direct investment personnel: Key employees at companies registered under the Foreign Direct Investment Law.
• Liaison offices: General managers or representatives registered to operate in Türkiye.
• New business partners: Foreigners who hold at least 20% partnership and have invested a minimum of 500,000 TL (valid for six months).
• Foreign public airlines and household workers.
• Spouses: Foreigners married to a Turkish citizen for at least three years.

New Work Permit Sponsorship Waivers (effective October 2024)

Back to Top

5. New Publications and Items of Interest

Alliance of Business Immigration Lawyers:

• ABIL is available on X (formerly Twitter): @ABILImmigration
• Recent ABIL member blogs are at http://www.abilblog.com/

Back to Top

ABIL Member / Firm News

Flynn Hodkinson has promoted Rikki Barrow to Partner. Also, Janice Flynn was asked to speak at the Democrats Abroad UK 4^th of July picnic on U.S. visa and nationality issues.

Klasko Immigration Law Partners, LLP, warns that green card holders returning from abroad in 2025 should be aware that U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers are using new tactics and screening permanent residents more strictly after trips abroad lasting more than six months. “While we do not wish to alarm you, we want to warn green card holders that applying for entry into the U.S. after an absence of six months or more could result in being placed in removal proceedings, and possibly detained, if you do not have a reentry permit or special immigrant (returning resident) visa,” the alert states.

Klasko Immigration Law Partners, LLP, has welcomed three attorneys to its expanding office in Washington, DC: Stacy Shore, Duncan Fulton, and Anabel Nataros. Ms. Shore will serve as Senior Counsel to augment Klasko’s expanding government relations, immigration compliance, and corporate practices; Mr. Fulton joins as a Senior Associate on the litigation and EB-5 teams; and Ms. Nataros joins as a Senior Associate on the corporate immigration team.

Klasko Immigration Law Partners, LLP, has published several new client alerts/blog posts: The One Big Beautiful Bill’s Visa Integrity Fee Explained; Key Status Updates for Humanitarian Immigration Programs; Supreme Court Decision Continues Legal Battle Over Birthright Citizenship, Regional Uncertainty Driven by Iran Tensions: Impact on U.S. Visa Processing and Consular Services, Proactive Prevailing Wage Strategies for Employers During the Second Trump Administration, DOJ Prioritizes Denaturalization Enforcement in New Civil Division Directive, State Department Implements Enhanced Online Vetting for F, J, and M Visas, Key Status Updates for Humanitarian Immigration Programs, 2025 Travel Ban: What Employers and Foreign Nationals Need to Know, and New U.S. Student Visa Restrictions Under Latest State Department Guidance.

Charles Kuck was quoted extensively by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution about a birthright citizenship case and the overall political climate surrounding immigration, in Immigration Lawyer Talks Birthright Citizenship, Student Visas and Protests.

Cyrus Mehta was extensively quoted by the Times of India in USCIS Draws Up an Implementation Plan to Narrow Birthright Citizenship. He said, “The USCIS has a sinister plan to implement Trump’s ‘currently unconstitutional’ birthright citizenship order, in case the [Executive Order] which is currently blocked, is allowed to go into effect. Under it, the newborn child will not automatically be a U.S. citizen but would take on the lawful but temporary status of the mother.” He noted that “[i]f the mother is unlawfully present, the child will also be considered unlawfully present as soon as it is born. The immigration authorities can technically remove the child who is unlawfully present.”

Mr. Mehta authored several new blog posts: USCIS’s Dystopian Implentation Plan to Allow Inheritance of Temporary Statuses for the US Born Child Instead of Automatic Citizenship; Supreme Court Decision Limits Nationwide Injunctions Giving More Power to Trump to Violate the Constitution; and Although DOS Resumes Visa Processing for Foreign Students, the Enhanced Vetting Guidance Undermines American Values of Free Speech and Expression.

Mr. Mehta and Kaitlyn Box co-authored several new blog posts: Notwithstanding Trump’s Threats, Can the Government Really Take Away a Person’s Citizenship?, The Inherently Moral Executive Actions on Immigration Cannot Die Under Trump, and In the Walmart Case, the Government Cannot Have Its Cake and Eat It Too.

Mr. Mehta was quoted by Slate in Trump is Threatening to Take Away People’s Citizenship. Can He? Commenting on the Trump administration’s newly announced prioritizing of denaturalization, the article states that “[t]he immigration courts have no jurisdiction over U.S. citizens, so the only way for the administration to attempt to strip citizenship is to go through the actual federal judiciary, which is far more independent and much less likely to look favorably upon efforts to target the relatively ironclad protections of citizenship. The government can attempt either a civil or criminal denaturalization, with the latter alleging that the naturalization itself was obtained through criminal means. Despite the Supreme Court’s recent kowtowing to the more authoritarian aspects of Trump’s agenda, in the unanimous 2017 decision in Maslenjak v. United States, the court ruled that the government could not strip citizenship from a woman who had lied about her husband having served in the Bosnian Serb army because the denaturalization statute ‘demands a causal or means-end connection between a legal violation and naturalization.’ ” Mr. Mehta said that “[a]ny omission that would not have had an impact on the citizenship application would not cut it, even if it was misrepresentation or an omission.” Mr. Mehta is representing Palestinian activist Mohsen Mahdawi, a permanent resident detained by the Trump administration.

Mr. Mehta was quoted by Forbes in Immigration Restrictions Pile Up on International Students. Commenting on the Mahmoud Khalil case, he said, “Assuming the Rubio memo knocked off in the habeas proceeding, the deportable ground under INA 237(a)(C)(4) may not be sustained.” Mr. Mehta said he thinks the Department of Homeland Security can continue seeking to deport Khalil for fraud or misrepresentation. “If Khalil cannot overcome this, he can seek a waiver in removal under INA 237(a)(1)(H) to waive entry fraud as he has a spouse who is a qualifying relative. Therefore, that would be the most practical way to deal with it rather than challenge the 212(a)(C)(6) ground in the Court of Appeals, where there may also be a jurisdictional bar as it would be a discretionary decision.”

Mr. Mehta and Ira Kurzban, of Kurzban Kurzban Tetzeli & Pratt, were quoted by Forbes in Immigration Restrictions Mount Against Americans and Legal Residents. Discussing a new proclamation that includes an exception for spouses, children, and parents of U.S. citizens coming to the United States but requires U.S. citizens to overcome a new standard—clear and convincing evidence of identity and family relationship (e.g., DNA)—Mr. Mehta said, “This standard is higher than the preponderance of evidence standard that exists presently for U.S. citizens to claim their relationship to relatives they wish to sponsor for permanent residence. Normally, the standard only escalates to the clear and convincing standard in situations involving suspected fraud, such as when a respondent in removal proceedings marries a U.S. citizen or when there have been instances of prior fraud.” Regarding the Trump travel ban, Mr. Mehta said, “There seems to be a strategy to prevent immigration and future citizenship from … mainly African countries,” adding that he considers the ban on lawful permanent residents sponsoring their spouses or children “draconian.” He said that although “it may be difficult to challenge the entire proclamation on its face as unconstitutional under equal protection or First Amendment principles after Trump v. Hawaii, plaintiffs may try to take shots at challenging narrower provisions such as the provision rendering it harder for U.S. citizens to sponsor immediate relatives from the banned country.” Mr. Kurzban said the travel ban “doesn’t allow people to reunify with family members, and it forces people to remain in or be deported to conditions that the United States and the rest of the world have recognized as absolutely horrific.”

In the same article, Mr. Kurzban pointed out that the travel ban allows the government to deport Cubans and Haitians to Rwanda, Libya, El Salvador, or other places to which they have no connection and may be imprisoned. “Instead of being deported, many of these people could be doctors or nurses in the United States,” he said, adding that the ban “is supposed to be temporary, but that’s just a mirage, because not issuing the visas and ending the visa process means starting that backup will take substantial time. The decision to not only ban entry, but to ban the whole process of getting the visa, having it put in your passport, or if you’re an immigrant, going through the whole immigrant processing, is now, in effect, shut down.” Mr. Kurzban also said, “I think most Americans fail to realize that when you harm immigrants, you are hurting their American citizen or lawful permanent resident families.”

David Isaacson, of Cyrus D. Mehta & Partners PLLC, has authored a blog post: The Exception That Disproves the Rule: How Matter of K-E-S-G-‘s FGM Exception Exposes Its Incoherence.

Stephen Yale-Loehr, of Miller Mayer, LLP, was quoted by CBS News in Judge Blocks Expedited Deportations of Those Who Entered the U.S. Legally, Possibly Curtailing ICE Courthouse Arrests. He said the judge’s order could mean that “several hundred thousand people will be temporarily spared from immediate removal under the expedited removal procedures.” He noted that the ruling is a reprieve for many of the more than 500,000 Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans who were allowed into the United States through the parole authority, under a Biden administration policy. The article notes that the ruling “also protects some of the nearly 1 million migrants paroled into the U.S. along the southern border under another Biden-era policy powered by a now-discontinued phone app known as CBP One.”

Mr. Yale-Loehr authored an op-ed in The Hill: Trump’s Immigration Policies Could Wreck the World Cup and the Olympics.

Mr. Yale-Loehr was quoted by Bloomberg News in Columbia University to Aid Trump Policing of Foreign Students Under Deal. He said that for Columbia and other schools entertaining such concessions, “the devil is in the implementation details.” But “no matter how this is implemented,” he said, “it shows international students that Columbia—and other universities that accept similar language—will be less welcoming.”

Mr. Yale-Loehr was quoted by 285 South in An Augusta Man Decided to ‘Self-Deport.’ The Government Arrested Him Anyway. He noted that although U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) website says that people using the self-deportation app will be “deprioritized,” there’s nothing that actually prohibits ICE from targeting them. At the same time, he added, ICE’s highest deportation priority under any presidential administration is people with criminal records and those, like David, with final deportation orders. “It seems that ICE is working at cross-purposes with itself,” he said. “Because, on the one hand, they are encouraging people to self-deport, and their website says that if you do self-deport, you are a lower priority for being picked up. But on the other hand, here we have an instance where ICE did arrest and detain someone who had applied for self-deportation. So it’s like the immigrants can’t win no matter what they do.”

Mr. Yale-Loehr was interviewed by the Arizona Republic in Confused About the Status of Birthright Citizenship in the U.S.? Here’s What to Know. He said that he is “confident that some lower courts will decide on the merits that President Trump’s efforts to repeal birthright citizenship are unconstitutional. That lower court decision will eventually make its way back to the Supreme Court. Eventually, we will get a decision on the merits of President Trump’s executive order trying to repeal birthright citizenship.” He said that the “Constitution is clear and the case law is also clear. However, President Trump is already scaring people who unnecessarily worry that their citizenship may be taken from them,” and that “I think fear is the goal. They’ve done that in so many different ways. On birthright citizenship, on mass deportation efforts, trying to discourage international students from coming to or staying in the United States. So even if they lose in the courts, they’re winning the public relations battle.”

Mr. Yale-Loehr was quoted by Newsweek in Birthright Citizenship Faces Supreme Court Climax. He said that a federal district judge’s ruling in a birthright citizenship case “was merely a preliminary finding that the case could go forward as a class action. It did not address the merits of birthright citizenship. Moreover, Judge LaPlante stayed his order for seven days to give the government time to appeal. We are still a long way from a decision on the merits. The case on the merits may not reach the Supreme Court until next spring. Based on the clear language in the Constitution allowing birthright citizenship, I believe the justices will strike down President Trump’s effort to repeal birthright citizenship.”

Mr. Yale-Loehr was quoted by Reuters in U.S. Set to Deport Permanent Residents Over Alleged Support to Haitian Gang Leaders. He said that before the current Trump administration, trying to take away someone’s permanent-resident status in this manner was “very rare” but that the administration had shown a willingness to target students. Mr. Yale-Loehr said it seemed unlikely that many Haitians would have their green card revoked as a result of the policy because of the difficulty of identifying them and then proving the affiliation in immigration court. “Three years from now, how many people from Haiti will be deported under this ground? I think very few,” he said.

Mr. Yale-Loehr was quoted by Newsweek in Donald Trump’s Immigration Approval Slips: Poll. He said, “This poll shows that President Trump’s deportation efforts are backfiring. The public was willing to deport serious criminals, but not families who live near them and are hard-working members of our society.”

Mr. Yale-Loehr was quoted by Newsweek in Republicans Are Changing Their Tune on Immigration: Poll. He said that recent Gallup poll results “show that President Trump’s mass deportation efforts are backfiring. Americans realize that immigration is good for the country and that we need immigrants to grow our economy.”

Mr. Yale-Loehr was quoted by the San Francisco Chronicle in Trump Administration Sues Los Angeles in Latest Attack on Sanctuary Cities. He said that Trump’s immigration enforcement in the Los Angeles area “prompted the massive protests, not the fact that Los Angeles was a sanctuary city.” Mr. Yale-Loehr also said the judicial climate seems to have changed: “The Supreme Court has taken up many emergency appeals by the Trump administration this year. Also, the court is more conservative now than in 2020. So we could see a ruling on sanctuary jurisdictions sometime this year.”

Mr. Yale-Loehr was quoted by the New York Times in What the Supreme Court’s Ruling Will Mean for Birthright Citizenship. He said, “The court decision today means that unless a court certifies a class action within the next 30 days, the Trump administration can start to implement its repeal of birthright citizenship.” Mr. Yale-Loehr also noted that “[t]he practical problems of ending birthright citizenship are both huge and unpredictable.”

Mr. Yale-Loehr was quoted by Newsweek in Supreme Court Rules on Birthright Citizenship: What to Know. Before the Supreme Court issued its decision, he said, “Although the case started as a direct challenge to President Trump’s efforts to end birthright citizenship, the issue before the Court is narrower: whether lower federal courts can issue nationwide injunctions to stop a president. I predict that is all the Court will decide today. Thus, we will have to wait another year or two before the merits regarding birthright citizenship reach the Supreme Court.”

Mr. Yale-Loehr was quoted by Travel Weekly in With Immigration Policy, Hotels Are Caught in a Political and Economic Tug-of-War. He said, “President Trump’s announcement that he [would] exempt hotels from his immigration crackdown means very little. Even if hotel workers are ‘safe’ at work, they could be picked up at home or on their way to or from work.”

Mr. Yale-Loehr was quoted by Mediapart in Los Angeles: Despite the Presence of the Army, the Mobilizations Continue (in French with English translation available). He said, “The Trump administration, which made immigration control a priority of its campaign, is now trying to deport a million people a year. To achieve this figure, it is using every tool imaginable. The administration is going everywhere today, including places previously considered sensitive—churches, courtrooms, schools, etc.—and is mobilizing other federal agencies, such as the FBI and local police. At the same time, it is trying to collect information from various agencies in order to build a database to facilitate the identification of undocumented citizens.”

Mr. Yale-Loehr was quoted by Vox in How a Little-Known Law Became Trump’s Weapon of Choice Against Immigration. Commenting on President Trump’s travel ban on certain countries, Mr. Yale-Loehr said that “court challenges to this travel ban are likely, but they may fail.” He noted, however, that “even if this expansion is legal, it is not good policy. We are not necessarily safer by banning immigrants from these countries.”

Mr. Yale-Loehr was quoted by Forbes in Travel Ban Reinstated By Trump With Mostly Muslim Countries. He predicted court challenges but warned that they may fail. However, he said, “Even if this expansion is legal, it is not good policy. Families will be separated, and we are not necessarily safer.”

Mr. Yale-Loehr was quoted by the Washington Post in Democrats Blast Trump’s Travel Ban, But Legal Challenges May Be Tough. He noted that the new ban includes specific rationales for each nation on the list and contains other measures that would probably shield the order from legal claims of arbitrariness, irrationality, or discrimination. “They’ve clearly learned from their first go-rounds.” He predicted that legal challenges would arise. For example, he said, advocacy groups might seek to pursue discrimination claims if the administration’s stated rationale for including a country in the ban also applies to nations not on the list.

Mr. Yale-Loehr was quoted by the Washington Post in The Boulder Suspect’s Family Faces Deportation. What Rights Do They Have? The article notes that people who have applied for asylum are generally protected from deportation while their cases are pending. However, Mr. Yale-Loehr noted, “It’s a gray area because filing for asylum doesn’t give you formal status. But until this administration, they would not be a target of deportation.” He said U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement routinely arrests family members together for civil immigration violations in “collateral pickups.” Typically, he said, “what they will do is target one individual because they have a criminal arrest or conviction, and then when they go to their address, they happen to find other people who are out of status.” He said the grounds of deportability “apply to anyone who is not a naturalized U.S. citizen.” Mr. Yale-Loehr noted that being found deportable can lead to removal proceedings in immigration court, although individuals may be eligible to apply for relief depending on their circumstances. He also said that while overstaying a visitor visa is a civil violation and not a criminal offense, it can carry serious consequences.

Mr. Yale-Loehr was quoted by the New York Times in Colorado Suspect’s Uncertain Immigration Status Highlights Visa ‘Overstays’. He said, “Scholars have long recognized that visa overstays constitute a significant share of the undocumented population. This segment has not received nearly as much attention as people entering illegally across the U.S.-Mexico border because they are simply not as visible.”

Below is a list of Academy of Business Immigration Lawyers members and attorneys who are on American Immigration Lawyers Association National Committees for 2025-26:

USCIS Benefits Policy Committee: Vincent Lau (vice chair), Vic Goel, Lynn Susser

DOL Liaison Committee: Magaly Cheng, Andrea-Li Wallace, Michele Madera

DOS Liaison Committee: Elise Fialkowski, Elissa Taub

EOIR Liaison Committee: Aaron Hall (chair), Dustin Baxter

EB-5 Committee: Joseph Barnett (vice chair), Kristal Ozmun, Edward Ramos

Military Committee: Daniel Carpenter, Catherine Magennis

Verification & Documentation Committee: Kim Robidoux (chair), Timothy D’Arduini, Marketa Lindt, Matthew Webster

Student Visa Taskforce: Bernard Wolfsdorf

Benefits Litigation Committee: David Isaacson, Zachary New, John Pratt

Standing Committee on Political Engagement (SCOPE): Nam Douglass, Jennifer Howard, William Stock

Business Section Steering Committee: Dagmar Butte, Ceridwen Koski, Christian Park

Family Section Steering Committee: Jorge Gavilanes

Federal Court Litigation Section Steering Committee: Kevin Gregg

National Immigration Litigation Steering Committee: Charles Kuck

Rule of Law Taskforce: Cyrus Mehta, William Stock

National Publications Committee: Helena Tetzeli

Media Advocacy Committee: Kim Robidoux, Elissa Taub

Client Resources Committee: Meghan Moody (vice chair), Vikram Akula, Robby Rubin

Innovation and Technology Committee: Hannah Little (chair), Dan Maranci (vice chair), Vikram Akula

Technology Track: Hannah Little

Business Track: Marisa Casablanca, William Hummel

Distance Learning Committee: Ari Sauer

Equity & Belonging Committee: Miki Matrician

Well-Being Committee: Jennifer Howard (vice chair)

AILA Board of Directors: Miki Matrician (elected director)

Futures Task Force: Kirby Joseph (chair)

Annual Conference 2026 Planning Committee: William Hummel

Fall Conference Planning Committee: Magaly Cheng, Vic Goel, Hannah Little, Greg Siskind

Fall Conference Technology Track: Kirby Joseph (chair)

Fall Conference Law Practice Management Track: Kirby Joseph (chair)

AILA Law Journal: Cyrus Mehta (editor in chief), Kaitlyn Box (editorial board member), Dagmar Butte (editorial board member), William Stock (editorial board member)

Philadelphia Chapter Chair: Michele Madera

Back to Top