THIS NOTICE WILL BE UPDATED AS MORE INFORMATION COMES AVAILABLE. PLEASE CHECK BACK FOR FINAL INSTRUCTIONS NO LATER THAN AUGUST 2, 2024.

NOTICE OF CLASS-WIDE RELIEF

The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California has certified a class in the consolidated cases Farangis Emami, et al. v. Alejandro Mayorkas, et al., No. 18-cv-01587-JD, and Pars Equality Center, et al. v. Antony Blinken, et al., No. 18- cv-07818-JD, to allow certain visa applicants who were refused visas under Presidential Proclamation 9645 ("P.P. 9645") to receive a one-time, non­ transferable fee credit to submit a new visa application and (for eligible class members) to have the option to get a prioritized visa appointment.

Class-wide relief will be available starting on August 12, 2024.

Who Benefits Under the Court’s Order

If you are a national of Iran, Libya, North Korea, Somalia, Syria, Venezuela, or Yemen and were denied a visa under P.P. 9645 between December 8, 2017, and January 20, 2021, and did not receive a waiver under P.P. 9645, you may be eligible for relief under the Court’s Order.

You may be eligible for relief under this Order so long as:

• You have not submitted a new DS-160 Online Nonimmigrant Application form or a new DS-260 Immigrant Visa Electronic Application form since your prior application that was refused under P.P. 9645; or
  
  
• You have submitted a new DS-160 Online Nonimmigrant Application form or a new DS-260 Immigrant Visa Electronic Application form but have not yet appeared for a visa interview (consular appointment).

You are not eligible for relief under this Order if:

• Your application denied under P.P. 9645 was an application for diversity visa;
  
  
• You received a waiver while P.P. 9645 was in effect;
  
  
• You have received a visa since January 20, 2021; or
  
  
• You have made a new application, attended a visa interview (consular appointment) and have received a decision, including a refusal under INA 22l(g), since January 20, 2021.

Individuals who benefit under this order are referred to as “class members.” Only class members are eligible to benefit from this order.

How to Benefit from the Court’s Order

The U.S. Department of State has reviewed its records to identify all class members who may receive relief under the Court’s Order. The Department is actively working out the processes necessary to implement this Order and will update this notice by August 2, 2024, with more detailed instructions on how class members may benefit from this Order. Please do NOT reach out to the Department to inquire about whether you benefit from this Order until we provide updates in this space.

Emami Litigation - Notice to Class Members - Arabic translation

Emami Litigation - Notice to Class Members - Farsi translation