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2024

OFLC Reminds Employers that Legacy PERM System will be Taken Offline on December 1

November 1, 2024
The Department of Labor Office of Foreign Labor Certification (OFLC) reminded the public that "on December 1, 2024, the legacy Permanent Online System will no longer be accessible to account holders and the general public will be redirected to the FLAG System. Stakeholders who require documents from their Permanent Online System accounts are strongly encouraged to access and download those documents well in advance of December 1, 2024. Permanent Online System account holders who need to upload documents or request a specific case action on an application submitted in the Permanent Online System (e.g., request reconsideration, withdraw applications, etc.) should complete action in the system by November 30, 2024, at 7 PM EST."
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DOS Posts Page on Visa Guidance for Individuals Affected by Events in Lebanon

October 30, 2024
The U.S. Department of State maintains a page on "U.S. Visa Guidance for Individuals Affected by Events in Lebanon" which covers both immigrant and nonimmigrant visa processing. The introductory paragraph states: "The United States continues to work to assist U.S. citizens in Lebanon. In order to facilitate family reunification, we have resumed full immigrant visa processing at Embassy Beirut for Lebanese family members of U.S. citizens. Routine nonimmigrant visa processing is not available in Beirut at this time, but individuals may apply for a nonimmigrant visa at any U.S. embassy or consulate."
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DHS Designates Lebanon for F-1 Special Student Relief

October 18, 2024
In a Federal Register notice published on October 18, 2024, DHS makes Special Student Relief (SSR) available to certain Lebanese F-1 students who were in the United States as of July 26, 2024, "who are experiencing severe economic hardship as a direct result of the current humanitarian crisis in Lebanon." The SSR benefits, if granted, will be available through January 25, 2026.
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NAFSA Urges USCIS Director to Address 5 Month Study Abroad Issue in USCIS Policy Manual

October 17, 2024
On October 16, 2024 NAFSA wrote a letter to USCIS Director Ur Jaddou urging USCIS to "clarify that a student fully enrolled in an SEVP-certified school during a study abroad program may remain in Active SEVIS status and reenter the United States on that SEVIS record even if the study abroad program lasts more than 5 months." This is a follow-up letter to NAFSA's September 13, 2024 comments to USCIS on the agency's August 27, 2024 USCIS Policy Manual revisions.
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Remember That I-515A Documentation Must Now Be Submitted Only By Email

October 16, 2024
Remember that SEVP Broadcast Message 2409-06 confirmed that "Beginning Monday, Sept. 30, the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) will only accept emailed documentation for the Form I-515A, “Notice to Student or Exchange Visitor.”
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U.S. Directs Planes Carrying Persons Who Recently Traveled to Rwanda to Land Only at Three U.S. Airports

October 15, 2024
The Secretary of Homeland Security has directed all flights to the United States departing after 11:59 p.m Eastern Daylight Time on October 15, 2024 and that are carrying "a person who has departed from, or was otherwise present within, Rwanda within 21 days of the date of the person’s entry or attempted entry into the United States” to land at one of three U.S. airports "where the U.S. government is focusing public health resources to implement enhanced public health measures.” The restrictions apply to flights carrying anyone who “has recently traveled from Rwanda," regardless of citizenship or immigration status. The policy is meant to contain spread of Marburg Virus Disease (MVD).
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U.S. Mission to India Opens Additional 250,000 Visa Appointments

October 9, 2024
On September 30, 2024, the U.S. Mission to India announced that it "opened an additional 250,000 visa appointments for Indian travelers, including tourists, skilled workers, and students. The recently released new slots will help hundreds of thousands of Indian applicants take timely interviews, facilitating the travel which is the backbone of the people-to-people ties that underpin the U.S.-India relationship."
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Resources for Emergencies & Natural Disasters in the U.S.

October 2, 2024
In the wake of the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene, NAFSA reminds advisers to visit NAFSA's Resources for Emergencies and Natural Disasters in the U.S. page for links to some useful "evergreen" resources.
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USCIS Updates EB-11 Extraordinary Ability Guidance in USCIS Policy Manual

October 2, 2024
On October 2, 2024, USCIS revised the Employment Based First Preference 1 (EB-11) "Extraordinary Ability" guidance in the USCIS Policy Manual to clarify certain details, such as accepting a person's receipt of team awards under the recognized prizes or awards criterion and past memberships under the membership criterion, and removing prior language that had suggested that published material had to demonstrate the value of the person's work and contributions to satisfy the published material criterion.
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OIRA Training on Writing Effective Regulatory Comment Letters

September 27, 2024
On October 9, 2024, at 4 p.m. to 4:45 p.m. Eastern Time, the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) will offer a training session on how to write effective public comments on agencies’ proposed regulations. Pre-registration is required.
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