Weekly Immigration Update: April 26–May 2, 2024

United States, May 1, 2024 
Summer 2024 Travel Planning for Foreign Nationals 

• If you are a foreign national planning to travel internationally this summer, make sure that you have all the necessary documents, including a passport with sufficient remaining validity, a valid U.S. visa in the appropriate classification, and advance permission to travel if necessary.
• If you will need to apply for a visa while you are abroad, be prepared for possible delays in visa issuance.
• On reentry to the United States, expect thorough screening at the port of entry.

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United States, April 30, 2024  
USCIS Releases Selection Numbers for the FY 2025 H-1B Cap

• USCIS received eligible registrations for 442,000 unique beneficiaries in the FY 2025 H-1B cap season and selected 114,017 – or 25.8% – of these beneficiaries. 
• The overall number of registrations submitted in FY 2025 decreased sharply from last year; 470,342 eligible registrations were filed this year, while a record 758,994 registrations were filed last year, which raised concerns about abuse of the H-1B cap registration system and prompted significant changes in the system this year.
• In the FY 2025 cap, there was also a significant decrease in the number of registrations submitted for foreign nationals with multiple registrations, another factor of concern in last year’s cap season.
• USCIS is not expected to make a decision on whether to conduct a second cap lottery until at least July 2024, after the current H-1B filing period closes.

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United Kingdom, April 29, 2024
eVisa System on Track for 2025 Commencement

• As part of efforts to fully digitalize its immigration system, the United Kingdom is phasing out the use of physical immigration documents, with eVisas to replace current physical equivalents.
• By the end of 2024, physical immigration documents such as Biometric Residence Cards, Biometric Residence Permits, passport endorsements, and physical ‘vignette’ visa stickers which provide proof of the immigration status a person holds will no longer be issued. Instead, from 2025, the immigration status of all persons will be recorded electronically and will be accessible through an online United Kingdom Visas and Immigration (UKVI) account, linked to the individual’s travel document.
• This new format will have no effect on visa or permit eligibility or application criteria and requirements. Rather, the exclusive use of eVisas will only change the way individuals prove their immigration status.
• Biometric Residence Cards and Biometric Residence Permits show an expiry of December 31, 2024. Holders of these document plus those with passport endorsements and physical vignette visa stickers should set up a UKVI account to access their eVisa. BETA testing is underway and will be open to the majority of individuals during the UK summer of 2024.
• Employers should ensure that existing employees with physical immigration documents are aware of the changes and may need to re-do Right to Work checks where the initial check was conducted manually on a time-limited permission.

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