USCIS Announces Implementation of Several New Fees for Humanitarian Applications Based on Reconciliation Bill
Starting July 22, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will begin collecting several of the new USCIS fees enacted by the budget reconciliation bill (H.R.1) passed by Congress in early July, according to an advance copy of the Federal Register (FR) notice. The notice…
H-1B Cap Is Reached for FY 2026
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has received enough petitions to meet the annual H-1B quota of 85,000 for Fiscal Year 2026, according to an agency announcement issued today. The announcement means that USCIS will not conduct a second cap lottery selection…
August 2025 Visa Bulletin – EB-2 Worldwide Retrogresses While EB-3 India and EB-5 China and India Advance; State Department Warns EB-2 Worldwide and EB-3 Categories Close to Annual Limits; USCIS to Honor Final Action Dates for EB Categories
According to the State Department’s August Visa Bulletin, Final Action cutoff dates for issuance of an immigrant visa or approval of an adjustment of status application will be as follows: EB-1: China will remain at November 15, 2022, and India will…
Nationwide Class Provisionally Certified in Birthright Citizenship Litigation; Preliminary Injunction is Granted But Stayed
A nationwide class has been provisionally certified by a New Hampshire federal district court in litigation challenging President Trump’s Executive Order (EO) on birthright citizenship. The court has also issued a preliminary injunction against enforcement of the EO for the class, but has stayed…
DHS Announces End of Temporary Protected Status for Honduras and Nicaragua
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is not extending Temporary Protected Status (TPS) designations for Honduras and Nicaragua, but will provide a 60-day transition period, according to advance copies of Federal Register notices scheduled for publication tomorrow. TPS designations for both countries expired…
Congress Passes Budget Reconciliation Bill with Immigration Impact
By a vote of 218 to 214, the U.S. House of Representatives today passed a sweeping budget reconciliation bill that contains a number of provisions with immigration impact, after the Senate passed its version of the bill on July 1.…
District Court Blocks DHS Curtailment of Haiti TPS
Earlier this week, federal district judge in New York ruled that Homeland Security Secretary Kristy Noem’s February decision to truncate the 2024 extension of Haiti Temporary Protected Status (TPS) from 18 months to 12 months exceeded her authority, and on…
DHS Proposal to Replace Duration of Status Designation with Fixed Periods of Stay for F, J, and I Nonimmigrants Is Sent to OMB for Review
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has submitted for Office of Management and Budget (OMB) review a proposed regulation that would seek to replace the current “duration of status” (D/S) admission policy for international students (F status), exchange visitors (J status), representatives…
Supreme Court Orders District Courts to Limit Injunctions Against Birthright Citizenship Executive Order to Parties
In a 6 to 3 vote, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled to partially stay three district court nationwide injunctions that barred implementation of President Trump’s January 20 birthright citizenship Executive Order (EO), meaning the injunctions will only apply to the plaintiff individuals,…
DHS Announces End of Temporary Protected Status for Haiti
Today the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced the termination of TPS for Haiti. TPS for Haiti expires on August 3, 2025 and beneficiaries will be granted a transition period, through September 2, 2025. An advance copy of the Federal Register notice to be…
District Judge Issues Preliminary Injunction Against Revocation of Harvard’s Student and Exchange Visitor Program Certification
The U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts granted a preliminary injunction that prohibits the Departments of Homeland Security, State, and Justice from enforcing a May 22, 2025 purported revocation of Harvard’s Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) certification and Exchange…
State Department Resumes Student Visa Appointment Scheduling with Enhanced Vetting of Applicants’ Online Presence
The State Department has lifted its three-week suspension on visa appointments for foreign nationals seeking F, M, aState Department Resumes Student Visa Appointment Scheduling with Enhanced Vetting of Applicants’ Online Presence The State Department has lifted its three-week suspension on visa appointments for foreign…
Federal Court Blocks State Department Policy on U.S. Passports and Gender
Judge Julia E. Kobick of the Federal District Court for the District of Massachusetts on Tuesday granted a preliminary injunction that prohibits the State Department from enforcing a U.S. passport policy that recognizes only the gender assigned to an individual at birth.…
Nationality-Based Travel Ban for 19 Countries Now in Effect
President Trump’s June 4 proclamation restricting visa issuance for nationals of 19 countries is now in effect. The proclamation suspends both immigrant and nonimmigrant visa issuance for twelve of the affected countries, and for the remaining seven countries, it suspends issuance of…
July 2025 Visa Bulletin Update: USCIS to Honor Final Action Dates for Employment-Based Categories
To be eligible to file an employment-based adjustment application in July, foreign nationals must have a priority date that is earlier than the date listed below for their preference category and country. USCIS has chosen the Final Action Dates chart listed…
July 2025 Visa Bulletin – Some Advancements for China in EB-1, EB-2, and EB-3, and for Most Other Countries in EB-3
According to the State Department’s July Visa Bulletin, Final Action cutoff dates for issuance of an immigrant visa or approval of an adjustment of status application will be as follows: EB-1: India will remain at February 15, 2022, and China will…
DHS Announces End of Temporary Protected Status for Nepal
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem announced the termination of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Nepal. According to the Federal Register notice, TPS for Nepal expires on June 24, 2025, and beneficiaries will be granted a 60-day transition period, through 11:59 pm…
President Trump Issues Nationality-Based Travel Ban for 19 Countries and a Six-Month F/M/J Ban for New Study at Harvard
President Trump has signed two presidential proclamations limiting visa issuance and travel to the United States. The first is a long anticipated proclamation imposing visa and travel restrictions on the nationals of 19 countries, with an effective date of 12:01 am ET…
DHS Announces End of Temporary Protected Status for Cameroon
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem announced the termination of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Cameroon. According to the Federal Register notice, TPS for Cameroon expires on June 7, 2025, and beneficiaries will be granted a 60-day transition period, through…
District Court Maintains Validity of Certain Venezuela TPS Documents For Now
On May 30, a California federal district court has temporarily preserved the status and rights of Venezuela Temporary Protected Status (TPS) holders who were issued employment authorization documents (EADs), Form I-797 notices of action, and Forms I-94 with an October…
Supreme Court Permits Termination of Parole Program for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans as Litigation Continues
On Friday, May 30, 2025, the U.S. Supreme Court lifted a temporary district court stay on termination of the Biden-era CHNV parole program for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans. The Court order means that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) may, for…
Protecting Against Immigration Fraud Schemes
In the current environment of heightened immigration focus, it is common for foreign nationals to be the targets of immigration fraud. By taking some simple steps, however, foreign nationals can learn to recognize potential fraud and reduce their risk of…
USCIS Releases Selection Numbers for the FY 2026 H-1B Cap
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) received H-1B cap registrations for approximately 336,153 unique beneficiaries for FY 2026, according to an agency website announcement. The agency selected 118,660 of these beneficiaries – or approximately 35.3% of those registered – to meet…
June 2025 Visa Bulletin: Modest Advancement for EB-2 and EB-3 Worldwide and China; USCIS to Honor Final Action Dates for EB Categories
According to the State Department’s June Visa Bulletin, Final Action cutoff dates for issuance of an immigrant visa or approval of an adjustment of status application will be as follows: EB-1: India will remain at February 15, 2022, and China will…
Summer Travel Considerations for Foreign Nationals
If you are a foreign national thinking about international travel this summer, there are additional factors to consider in making your plans this year. The U.S. government’s recent increased scrutiny on non-citizens may affect your travel plans. Depending on your…