Weekly Immigration Update: November 17–22, 2023

United States, November 17, 2023
Temporary Final Rule Provides for an Additional 64,716 H-2B Visas in FY 2024

• A Temporary Final Rule (TFR) published today will make available an additional 64,716 H-2B visas in Fiscal Year (FY) 2024, nearly doubling the number of H-2B visas that would otherwise be available this fiscal year.
• Of the additional visas, 44,716 will be made available to returning H-2B workers, and the remaining 20,000 will be reserved for nationals of Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, and Honduras.
• The additional H-2B visas will be made available in a series of allocations over the course of FY 2024, tied to case type and requested start date, with varying filing timelines.
• The TFR also includes provisions to protect both U.S. and H-2B workers, including additional scrutiny for employers that have committed certain labor law violations in the H-2B program. 

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Ireland, November 17, 2023
Department of Justice to Manage Stamp 4 Permission Application Process

Effective November 30, 2023, the Department of Justice will take over assessment of Stamp 4 permission applications based on employment, and the Department of Enterprise will no longer play an eligibility assessment role in the process. With this transition:

• New eligibility criteria will apply: For Stamp 4 applicants, who need to show 21 months of employment in Ireland on the basis of a relevant Employment Permit, the 21-month period will only commence when the applicant has registered their Stamp 1 permission with the Department of Justice; and
• Critical Skills Employment Permit holders (among other permit holders) will no longer need to receive a support letter from the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment as part of the Stamp 4 permission application process.

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Germany, November 17, 2023
New EU Blue Card Rules in Force from November 18

• Effective November 18, 2023, Germany will introduce new EU Blue Card requirements, establishing a more relaxed EU Blue Card framework.
• Under the reforms, Germany has expanded the list of shortage occupations, lowered salary threshold for the EU Blue Card, eased rules regarding family reunification and changes of employer for EU Blue Card holders.
• The reform is part of Germany adhering to the requirements of the 2021 EU Blue Card Directive, which set a national transposition deadline of November 18, 2023.

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