Immigration Updates: September 2024

U.S. Diversity Visa Lottery for Fiscal Year 2026

The Diversity Visa Lottery for FY 2026 will open for registrations on October 2, 2024. Eligible participants have until November 5, 2024, at noon EST to submit their applications through the U.S. State Department’s official Diversity Visa Lottery website. The program is intended for individuals from countries with historically low immigration rates to the United States. Please note that nationals from countries like Bangladesh, Brazil, Canada, China (including Hong Kong), Colombia, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Haiti, Honduras, India, Jamaica, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines, South Korea, Venezuela, and Vietnam are not eligible for the DV lottery. However, individuals from these countries may still qualify through their spouse’s eligibility. Lottery winners are selected through a random computer drawing, and results will be made available from May 3, 2025, through at least September 30, 2026.

District Court Extends Temporary Halt on Certain Family Reunification Applications

A recent ruling by the Eastern District Court of Texas has prolonged the suspension of “Keeping Families Together” parole-in-place (PIP) approvals under the Biden Administration’s initiative. This suspension, which now runs until September 23, 2024, restricts the approval of certain PIP applications while the court examines the legality of the program. While the stay is active, applicants can still file Form I-131F PIP requests with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), and the agency will continue to accept these applications and conduct biometrics. The ruling does not impact any PIP approvals issued before 6:46 PM ET on August 26, 2024. Please be aware that this stay could be extended further depending on the court’s findings.

USCIS Extends Green Card Renewal Validity to 36 Months

USCIS has implemented a policy change that extends the automatic validity of green cards for renewal applicants. As of September 10, 2024, applicants who submit Form I-90 to renew their expiring or expired green cards will receive a 36-month extension on their green card validity, an increase from the previous 24-month extension. This updated policy applies to all green card renewal applications pending as of that date, and applicants will receive amended receipt notices reflecting the change. These notices can be used in conjunction with expired green cards as evidence of continued legal permanent resident status for Form I-9 employment eligibility verification purposes. The USCIS M-274 Handbook for Employers will be updated accordingly to reflect these changes.

For further information or assistance with any of these topics, feel free to reach out to our office.