💼Changes to Visa Services Fees for Diversity Visa Lottery Registration
The Department of State ("Department") proposes an adjustment to the Schedule of Fees for Consular Services of the Department of State's Bureau of Consular Affairs ("Schedule of Fees" or "Schedule") to establish a $1 fee to register for the Diversity Visa lottery program. This change will more fairly place the burden of the lottery registration on individuals seeking the benefit of gaining access to the DV application process instead of charging only the small percentage of successful registrants for the costs associated with administering the lottery program for all registrants. To effect this change to the DV program, the Department is also amending its regulations to note that an electronic registration fee will be collected at the time of registration.
Learn More🛂New Regulations Under the Diversity Immigrant Visa Program
The Department of State ("Department") proposes to amend regulations governing the Diversity Immigrant Visa Program ("DV Program") to improve the integrity and combat fraud in the program. The Department proposes to require petitioners to the DV Program to provide valid, unexpired passport information and a scan of the biographic and signature page uploaded to their electronic entry form, or otherwise indicate that they are exempt from this requirement. Additionally, the Department also proposes to standardize and amend language in 22 CFR part 42, including by adding the word "shall" to simplify guidance for consular officers; ensuring the use of the term "sex" in lieu of "gender" as mandated by Executive Order 14168; and replacing the term "age" in 22 CFR 42.33(h)(1)(i) with the phrase "date of birth" to accurately reflect the information collected and maintained by the Department during the immigrant visa process.
Learn More🌍Visa Bond Pilot Program 2025
In this temporary final rule (TFR), the Department of State (the Department) announces the commencement of a 12-month long visa bond pilot program. Aliens applying for visas as temporary visitors for business or pleasure (B-1/B-2) and who are nationals of countries identified by the Department as having high visa overstay rates, where screening and vetting information is deemed deficient, or offering Citizenship by Investment, if the alien obtained citizenship with no residency requirement, may be subject to the pilot program. Consular officers may require covered nonimmigrant visa applicants to post a bond of up to $15,000 as a condition of visa issuance, as determined by the consular officers.
Learn More🌾Proposed Rule to Rescind H-2A Labor Regulation Requirements
The Department of Labor (Department or DOL) is proposing to amend its regulations governing the certification of agricultural labor or services to be performed by temporary foreign workers in H-2A nonimmigrant status (H-2A workers) and enforcement of the contractual obligations applicable to employers of such nonimmigrant workers. This notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM or proposed rule) that would rescind provisions contained within a final rule published by the Department on April 29, 2024, which adopted a number of unnecessary, burdensome, and costly requirements on employers. Specifically, these provisions include, but are not limited to, substantial new requirements associated with the material terms and conditions offered by employers to H-2A workers that are not commonly provided to other U.S. workers, including progressive discipline policies for cause-based employment terminations, anti-retaliation measures for certain workers engaged in self-organization and other concerted activities, and expanding the authority and scope for a State Workforce Agency (SWA) to discontinue employment services to employers, which prevents those employers from accessing the H-2A program, while eliminating employers' option to request a hearing prior to the SWA's final determination. Further, the final rule imposed extensive highly-sensitive data collection requirements on employers related to their use of foreign labor recruiters, including personal names and physical addresses abroad, as well as detailed personal information associated with all owners of the employers, operators of the place(s) of employment, and supervisor(s) and manager(s) of workers employed under the terms of the work contract, with very limited or no practical utility to the agency's statutory decision making. A brief summary of this rulemaking can be found at www.regulations.gov by searching by the RIN: 1205-AC25.
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