Immigration Update – July 27, 2026
Headlines: First Circuit Denies Stay in $100,000 H-1B Fee Case – The $100,000 H-1B application fee remains vacated pending a decision on the merits in the underlying appeal. Court Issues Administrative Stay of Certain USCIS Policies Related to TPS-Based EAD Expiration and Asylum Fees – A U.S. district court issued an order granting, in part, […]
Immigration Update – July 24, 2026
Headlines: DHS Finalizes Rule Eliminating Duration of Status for F, J, and I Nonimmigrants – The Department of Homeland Security released its long-anticipated final rule changing the admission period in the F, J, and I classifications from duration of status to admission for a fixed time period tied to the nonimmigrant’s program. USCIS Reaches FY […]
DHS Ends Duration of Status for F, J, and I Nonimmigrants: What the Final Rule Means
By Cyrus Mehta and Damira Zhanatova* On July 17, 2026, DHS published a final rule that is scheduled to take effect on September 15, 2026 and that fundamentally changes the admissions and status-maintenance framework for F students, J exchange visitors, and I representatives of foreign information media. Although the rule applies across all three categories, […]
Immigration Update – July 13, 2026
Headlines: USCIS Again Moves Work Authorization Expiration Date for Certain TPS Recipients, Issues Guidance for Employers – The new guidance, which moves the expiration date for work authorization to July 17, 2026, for Burma (Myanmar), Ethiopia, Somalia, South Sudan, Syria, and Yemen, and to July 24, 2026, for Haiti, supersedes recent previous guidance. E-Verify […]
Immigration Update – July 06, 2026
Headlines: Supreme Court Upholds Birthright Citizenship – The Supreme Court ruled that children born in the United States to parents unlawfully or temporarily present are automatically citizens at birth under the Fourteenth Amendment’s Citizenship Clause of the U.S. Constitution. USCIS Extends Work Authorization for Seven TPS Countries Under Court Order – The guidance, which states […]
Immigration Update – July 01, 2026
Headlines: Supreme Court Increases Re-Entry Risks for Green Card Holders With Criminal History – The Court ruled 6-3 that border officers do not need clear and convincing evidence of a crime at the time of re-entry to reclassify a returning green card holder as applying for admission for the first time. Supreme Court Rules That […]
Immigration Update – June 22, 2026
Headlines: DOS Creates $750 Fee for Expedited B-1/B-2 Nonimmigrant Visa Interview Appointments – The new fee, effective July 1, will allow eligible B-1/B-2 visa applicants to secure an interview appointment at selected posts within 10 business days, subject to availability. Visa Bulletin for July 2026 Includes Updates for China, India, Philippines – The Department of […]
Global Immigration Update – June 2026
FEATURE ARTICLE IMMIGRATION OPPORTUNITIES FOR IRANIANS: AN OVERVIEW – This article provides an update on immigration opportunities for Iranians in several countries. COUNTRY UPDATES Canada – The government has released official details for the permanent residence pathway for 33,000 workers. In other news, a PGWP language test upload slot has been added to the Immigration, […]
Immigration Update – June 15, 2026
Headlines: Federal Court Pauses Decision to Declare $100,000 H-1B Fee an Unlawful Tax – On June 12, 2026, a U.S. district court partially stayed its decision on June 8, 2026, that vacated a Department of Homeland Security policy imposing a $100,000 fee on certain new H-1B petitions. USCIS Follows Compliance Order to Resume Processing of […]
Immigration Update – June 08, 2026
Headlines: DHS Proposes to Limit Eligibility for Certain Discretionary Work Authorization – The Department of Homeland Security issued a proposed rule to limit and clarify eligibility for discretionary employment authorization for those “paroled into the United States temporarily for urgent humanitarian reasons or significant public benefit, who have been granted deferred action, or against whom […]
Immigration Update – June 01, 2026
Headlines: Trump Admin ‘Drawing Up Plans’ to Withdraw Processing of International Travelers and Flights at ‘Sanctuary City’ Airports – The Trump administration is “drawing up plans” to withdraw immigration and U.S. Customs and Border Protection processing of international flights at so-called “sanctuary city” airports, to include international travelers and cargo. CDC Issues Interim Final Rule […]
Immigration Update – May 26, 2026
Headlines: New USCIS Policy Limits Adjustment of Status – The new memo signals a major policy shift toward restrictive adjudication. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services said that it views immigrant visa processing at a U.S. consulate abroad as the default route to a green card for most people, with adjustment applications filed inside the U.S. […]
New USCIS Memo Abruptly Changes Adjustment of Status Policy
By Cyrus D. Mehta and Kaitlyn Box* On May 22, 2026, USCIS promulgated a policy memorandum entitled “Adjustment of Status is a Matter of Discretion and Administrative Grace, and an Extraordinary Relief that Permits Applicants to Dispense with the Ordinary Consular Visa Process”. The policy memorandum states that adjustment of status is a “matter of […]
Immigration Update – May 14, 2026
Headlines: USCIS Ordered to Resume Processing for Certain ‘Restricted’ Countries’ Applicants – On April 30, 2026, a federal court in Massachusetts ordered the U.S. government to lift its blanket hold on certain U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services immigration applications for approximately 200 plaintiffs from specific countries. Enhanced Security Vetting Causes Adjudications Pause, Coinciding With New […]
Immigration Update – May 05, 2026
Headlines: Cap Reached for Second Allocation of Returning Worker H-2B Visas for FY 2026 – U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has received enough petitions to reach the cap for the additional 27,736 H-2B visas made available for the second allocation of returning workers for Fiscal Year 2026 with employment start dates from April 1 to April 30, 2026. Work Authorization Revocation, Other Consequences Announced for Unpaid […]
Immigration Update – April 30, 2026
Headlines: DOL Proposes Rule Clarifying Joint Employer Status – The Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division published a proposed rule that would address joint employer status under federal wage and hour laws. Trump Gold Card: Amid Contradictory Statements, Just One Approved So Far – Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick said that just one […]
Immigration Update – April 20, 2026
Headlines: New ICE I-9 Inspection Policy Increases Risks for Employers – A new fact sheet indicates a change in policy that increases the risks for employers by reclassifying some former technical violations as substantive. May Visa Bulletin Includes Advances in Various Immigrant Visa Categories, Possible Retrogression for India EB-5 Unreserved Category – The Department of […]
Immigration Update – April 13, 2026
Headlines: SAVE and E-Verify Release Updates on EADs Under TPS, Superseding Earlier Notices – The Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements and E-Verify programs recently updated guidance on Employment Authorization Document validity in light of court orders affecting Temporary Protected Status for South Sudan, Ethiopia, Burma, Somalia, Haiti, and Syria, superseding earlier notices on the terminations […]
Immigration Update – April 06, 2026
Headlines: FY 2027 Initial H-1B Registration Selection Process Completed – U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has received enough electronic registrations for unique beneficiaries during the initial registration period to reach the fiscal year 2027 H-1B numerical allocations (H-1B cap), including the advanced degree exemption (master’s cap). USCIS Releases Update on Screening/Vetting of Foreign Nationals – […]
Immigration Update – March 30, 2026
Headlines: DOL Releases Long-Anticipated Prevailing Wage Proposed Rule – The Department of Labor DOL released a long-anticipated proposed rule that could significantly reshape prevailing wage requirements for H-1B, PERM, and related programs. DOS Announces Expansion of Social Media Vetting to Additional Nonimmigrant Visa Classifications – Effective March 30, the agency will expand its “online presence […]
