President Joe Biden has already begun to reverse his predecessor's immigration policies. On the same day of his inauguration, Biden issued a Proclamation revoking Executive Order 13780 and Proclamations 9645, 9723, and 9983. These orders essentially banned entry of most Muslim country nationals.
There were exceptions to these bans which required a waiver, but there was no formal waiver application and consulates were mostly closed, which resulted in a large backlog. The Proclamation addresses these points first by ordering embassies and consulates to resume processing visas to the extent that COVID allows them.
Biden also ordered plans to address applications that were affected by the bans, delivered within 45 days. It is to include expediting visa processing for those with pending waivers and to reconsider applications that were denied due to Trump's Proclamations. Plans also must ensure that the denied visas do not affect re-application.
Further sections of the Proclamation orders a report within 120 days on improvements for current screening procedures and foreign exchange of information for vetting, with a focus on efficacy and diplomacy.
Overall, immigration policy is taking a 180 degree turn with the new presidency. Trump's discriminatory travel bans have been revoked and there are policies in the making aimed at mitigating their effects. Anyone that was affected by the travel ban should contact their embassy on what to do next.
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