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Finnish authorities provided additional information on the current backlog of applications for immigration on the basis of family ties as well as the reason for the processing delay.
Key Points:
Additional Information: Nearly 50,000 applications were submitted on the basis of family ties in 2024, with 65% of the applications resolved in less than three months. For the remaining applications, authorities stated that they are prioritizing those of applicants whose statutory processing time has already expired.
This alert has been provided by the BAL Global Practice Group.
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Today, President Trump’s executive order (EO) designating English the official U.S. language was officially published in the Federal Register, stating agencies can still provide existing multilingual services.
Additional Information: Regarding agency discretion on services provided, Section 3(b) of the EO states “nothing in this order, however, requires or directs any change in the services provided by any agency. Agency heads should make decisions as they deem necessary to fulfill their respective agencies’ mission and efficiently provide Government services to the American people. Agency heads are not required to amend, remove, or otherwise stop production of documents, products, or other services prepared or offered in languages other than English.”
This alert has been provided by the BAL U.S. Practice Group.
The Canadian government announced the Express Entry category-based draws for 2025, which include a new education category.
Additional Information: IRCC is focusing economic immigrant selection efforts on priority sectors, such as healthcare, construction and education. The government is prioritizing bringing in skilled workers who have specific skills, training or language abilities to support economic growth in these sectors, with a focus on targeting more in-Canada draws specifically to reduce labor shortages.
The European Council announced a general approach has been reached on a regulation that would allow member states to gradually introduce the Entry/Exit System (EES) system over a period of six months.
Additional Information: The announcement from the council states that an established position for the progressive launch of a new digital border management system had been reached. Poland is the country currently holding the EU Council’s rotating presidency, and negotiations with the European Parliament for a final agreement on the amended law are still in process. Once adopted, the EES Regulation will enter into force, allowing member states and eu-LISA to prepare for the progressive start of operations.
The EES has been delayed several times. Officials stated the European Union will announce the start date of the EES several months prior to its launch. BAL will continue to monitor developments and will provide more information as it becomes available.
A new regulation was recently enacted to update Spain’s immigration laws and will take effect May 20.
Background: In recent months, the Spanish government has approved measures to streamline the visa process as well as raise the minimum wage and work on an Integration Plan. The new regulation is designed to clarify visa procedures while establishing five types of integration that strengthen the rights of migrant workers and provides guarantees for companies. A wide range of areas and processes are covered in this regulation, including visa types as well as temporary and long-term residence. BAL will continue to monitor developments and will provide more information as it becomes available.
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has assumed responsibility for managing foreign nationals working in Vietnam.
Additional Information: Additional information is expected to be released at the provincial level regarding the transition of tasks and responsibilities. BAL will continue to monitor developments and will provide more information as it becomes available.
The Department of Labor (DOL) reported that as of Feb. 27, 2025, a total of 5,899 cases were issued Final Decision for fiscal year (FY) 2025 (first half of the visa cap) with a Requested Date of Need from Oct. 1, 2024, through March 31, 2025. Certified positions for this period were allocated for 110,297 workers.
The chart below indicates the number of Final Decisions issued and Positions Certified for filing windows from July 2024 to February 2025:
Final Decision
*Indicates a change in November– January case and worker numbers from those reported as of Feb. 13.
**As of COB Feb. 27, there were no Final Decisions issued or Positions Certified, although six cases were submitted and there were positions requested for 83 workers.
As of Jan. 7, 2025, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services received enough petitions to reach the additional 20,716 H-2B visas made available for returning workers for the first half of FY 2025 with start dates on or before March 31, 2025.
For FY 2025 second half of the visa cap, DOL processing of Group A increased to 1,855 total cases issued a Final Decision and Positions Certified for 26,279 workers. Group B increased to 773 total cases issued a Final Decision and Positions Certified for 11,046 workers.
DOL is still processing Groups C–G for applications received for Requested Date of Need from April 1, 2025.
Background on Assignment Groups: The initial H-2B Assignment Group (i.e., Group A) will always include the number of H-2B applications containing a sufficient amount of worker positions to reach the applicable numerical visa cap, even if the numerical limits of the Immigration and Nationality Act are subsequently changed. Additional Assignment Groups are assigned in ascending sequential order for all remaining H-2B applications that were filed during the initial three-day filing window that requested the earliest start date of work permitted. Each H-2B Assignment Group after Group A (e.g., Group B, Group C, etc.) will total no more than 20,000 worker positions, or roughly 1,000 applications per group. More background on H-2B Temporary Labor Certification Program and the origin of Assignment Groups can be found here.
In February, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced that the initial registration period for the fiscal year (FY) 2026 H-1B cap will open at noon Eastern on March 7 and run through noon Eastern on March 24, 2025.
Additional Information: Tutorials and FAQ on creating organizational accounts can be found here.
The State Department announced that it has issued all EB-4 immigrant visas for fiscal year (FY) 2025.
Additional Information: EB-4 visas allow a wide variety of special immigrants, including religious workers, special immigrant juveniles, certain U.S. government employees, certain international organization retirees and certain international broadcasting employees, among others, to legally reside and work in the United States.
The U.K. government announced expired physical documentation will be accepted for international travel until June 1, 2025, for visa holders making the transition to the new eVisa system.
Additional Information: According to Home Office statistics, over four million U.K. visa holders have successfully created an account to access their eVisa, and an estimated 600,000 people have yet to switch.
The Home Office is transitioning to a new eVisa system to create a streamlined digital border and immigration system. The grace period is designed to ease the shift to the digital system and address technical issues faced by some visa holders. Officials stated that this update does not affect the way that Border Force conducts its passenger checks and that passengers will remain subject to the usual immigration checks and requirements.