Weekly Immigration Update: September 29–October 5, 2023

United States, October 4, 2023
FY 2025 Diversity Visa Lottery Registration Opens

• Entrants have until Tuesday, November 7, 2023 at noon EST to register online at the State Department’s official lottery website.
• Lottery applications must conform to the State Department’s strict requirements.

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United Kingdom, October 3, 2023
Migration Advisory Committee Review Recommends Abolishing Shortage Occupation List

• The Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) published its review of the country’s Shortage Occupation List (SOL) and ultimately recommended that the SOL should be abolished.
• The MAC further recommended that until the SOL is abolished, or as an alternative to abolishment, the list’s benefits should be curtailed in two ways: (1) employers should not benefit from a lower salary threshold when seeking to fill occupations on the SOL with a foreign worker and (2) a sharp decrease in the number of occupations that should be included in the SOL.
• The MAC, while limited to giving independent advice to the government on migratory issues and making recommendations, is highly influential, and most of its recommendations are typically accepted by the government.

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United States, October 3, 2023
DHS Extends and Redesignates Venezuela for Temporary Protected Status

• The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has extended Venezuela for Temporary Protected Status (TPS), from March 11, 2024 to September 10, 2025.
• DHS has also redesignated Venezuela for TPS from October 3, 2023 to April 2, 2025.
• The registration period for new TPS applicants will run from October 3, 2023 to April 2, 2025. Eligible individuals will also be able to apply for TPS-related employment authorization documents (EADs) and travel permission during this time.
• Current Venezuelan TPS beneficiaries who wish to extend their benefits will be required to re-register between January 10, 2024 and March 10, 2024. Those whose current EADs will expire before receiving a new one will receive an automatic extension through March 10, 2025.

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United States, October 2, 2023
H-1B Cap Petition Filing Period Closes October 31

Employers have just a few more weeks to file petitions for foreign nationals selected in the second FY 2024 H-1B cap lottery. USCIS must receive all cap petitions by October 31, 2023.

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United States, October 2, 2023
Federal Shutdown Averted for Now

President Biden has signed a short-term spending bill that will fund the federal government – including immigration operations – through November 17, 2023.

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