News in Brief
The following additional items may be of interest to our readers:
Registration for 2017 Diversity Lottery Open Until 11/3/2015: The 2017 Diversity Lottery Visa Program (DV-2017) opened on 10/1/2015 and closes at noon (EST) on 11/3/15. Applicants from countries with historically low rates of immigration to the United States can now register using d States. For fiscal year 2016, 50,000 diversity visas (DVs) will be available.
Applicants who are selected in the lottery (“selectees”) must meet simple, but strict, eligibility requirements in order to qualify for a diversity visa. Selectees are chosen through a randomized computer drawing.
entry the electronic DV entry form (E-DV) at www.dvlottery.state.gov. DOS provides information on eligibility, entry period, completing the electronic entry, selection of applicants, and FAQs.
TPS Extended for Nationals from Haiti and Work Authorization Extended for Haitian F-1 Students: DHS extended the designation of Haiti for temporary protected status (TPS) for 18 months, effective 1/23/16 through 7/22/17. The 60-day re-registration period runs from 8/25/15 through 10/26/15. Rules about re-registration and initial applications are provided at https://www.uscis.gov/tps. DHS also extended employment authorization for Haitian F-1 nonimmigrant students experiencing severe economic hardship as a direct result of the 1/12/10 earthquake in Haiti.
Update for Yemeni Nationals: In September, DHS designated the Republic of Yemen for temporary protected status (TPS) for a period of 18 months, effective 9/3/15 through 3/3/17. The 180-day registration period for eligible individuals to submit TPS applications runs until 3/1/16. Meanwhile, the suspension of operations in Sana’a has led to problems for Yemeni citizens seeking to be interviewed for their immigrant visas. While the U.S. embassies in Cairo and Algiers are the designated immigrant visa (IV) processing posts for Yemeni IV cases, Yemeni citizens have difficulty traveling to Egypt since they are required to obtain visas to enter Egypt and the Embassy of Egypt in Yemen is closed. Those Yemeni citizens who made it to Egypt report waiting months before getting their interview scheduled. As a result, DOS has apparently transferred those cases to Algeria, and advises that applicants scheduled prior to August 31 and unable to appear for their interview can request transferring their case to a post where they can appear. For Yemenis unclear about where their case has been transferred, DOS advises contacting [email protected].