US DHS announces pause to Diversity Visa program

Because the suspect in the Brown and MIT shootings obtained his U.S. lawful permanent residence through the Diversity Visa (DV) immigrant visa program, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced an immediate pause of the program. However, it remains unclear whether the program is fully suspended. The DV program allows up to 55,000 immigrants from countries with historically low U.S. immigration rates to become U.S. lawful permanent residents (aka Green Card holders). The U.S. Department of State administers the program for individuals pursuing diversity immigrant visas outside the United States, with DHS generally responsible only for issuing the actual permanent resident cards. This raises questions about DHS’s authority to halt the program beyond pausing card issuance. We will continue to monitor this situation as it develops and provide updates as they become available.

If you have any questions or need additional information about this alert, please feel free to contact the HSF Kramer Immigration Group.