On December 8, 2025, some H-1B and H-4 visa applicants began receiving notices that their consular interviews were being rescheduled for months later. Read below for details of what we know so far. Who is Impacted? Some individuals with H-1B and H-4 visa interviews (“consular interviews”) scheduled for December 15, 2025 and later have received rescheduling notices from their consulates/embassies. Indian consular posts have been largely impacted, though there are reports that

On December 4, 2025, USCIS updated its Policy Manual  to reduce the maximum validity period for certain Employment Authorization Document (“EAD”) categories.  Several categories of foreign national workers will now only be eligible for initial and renewal EADs valid for a maximum of 18 months. The previous standard was five years. The impacted categories are as follows: Refugee (a)(3); Granted asylum (a)(5); Granted withholding of deportation or removal (a)(10); Pending appli

On November 27, 2025, USCIS issued new guidance allowing for negative, country-specific factors to be considered when adjudicating immigration benefit requests from individuals from certain “high-risk” countries. This comes in response to the November 26, 2025 shooting of two West Virginia National Guard members by a suspect who is an Afghan national. Here is what we know so far. Brief Background  President Trump issued Presidential Proclamation 10949, “ Restricting the Entry

Several new USCIS fees were introduced as part of President Trump’s July 2025 One Big Beautiful Bill Act,   Public Law 119-21 , 139 Stat. 72 (“HR-1”). One of these new fees was the Annual Asylum Fee or “AAF.” This is a $100 fee that an asylum applicant must pay when filing a new Form I-589, Application for Asylum and for Withholding of Removal, postmarked on or after July 22, 2025. That $100 fee is also due each calendar year that a Form I-589 filed after October 1, 2024 rema

Overseas Employment Certificates (“OEC”) are generally required for Filipinos who have or will be entering into active employment abroad and are not yet permanent residents of the country where they will be working. This means all Filipino H-1B employees must obtain an OEC and the employer should account for the extra time. What is an OEC? Also known as an exit clearance, this document is issued by the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (“POEA”) to Filipino workers

On August 29, 2025, USCIS announced two significant changes to its fee payment methods . Read below for those important details.   ACH Transaction   USCIS will now accept electronic debit from a U.S. bank account to pay filing fees. ACH stands for “Automatic Clearing House.” It’s a method of paying directly using bank account information. To pay by ACH transaction, complete the new  Form G-1650, Authorization for ACH Transactions . The payer can choose to pay via checking or

This FAQ previously posted in late September has been revised based on new information issued by USCIS on October 20, 2025. The revised information is in red and any information that is no longer applicable has been struck through.   When does this proclamation take effect? The proclamation took effect on 12:01 a.m. EST on September 21, 2025.     Does the proclamation have an expiration date? The proclamation is set to expire on September 21, 2026.   What does the proclamatio

This post was updated on November 19, 2025. TPS is another U.S. immigration program that has changed in 2025. Read below for more information on the program and its current state. What is TPS?   “TPS” stands for Temporary Protected Status. The Secretary of Homeland Security may designate a country for TPS if conditions in that country temporarily prevent that country’s nationals from safely returning, or if that country cannot adequately handle the return of its nationals. Th

The United States government shutdown will impact some immigration services. Read below for each immigration department’s current status...

This post was updated on October 21, 2025. See the updated blog here . The recent Presidential Proclamation leaves many questions unanswered. Here's what we know so far. When does this proclamation take effect? The proclamation took effect on 12:01 a.m. EST on September 21, 2025.     Does the proclamation have an expiration date? The proclamation is set to expire on September 21, 2026.   What does the proclamation do? It imposes a new $100,000 fee that the H-1B sponsor must p

On September 19, President Trump issued a proclamation that dramatically changes the rules for employers who rely on H-1B visa workers....

This post summarizes the key directives and implications outlined in the May 2025 Department of State cable titled “Action Request: the...

Many permanent resident cards (green cards) are valid for ten years, but some are only valid for two. This is called “conditional...

There is an array of eligibility categories to obtain a U.S. green card (lawful permanent residence or “LPR”). Family-based and...

Although they do not have all the rights of U.S. Citizens, permanent residents (“LPRs”) do gain several new rights. Some of these new...

The J-1 Exchange Visitor Skills List  is a list maintained by the U.S. Department of State that identifies specialized skills and fields...

The 240-day rule for H-1B extensions is a provision that allows H-1B holders to continue legally working in the U.S. while their...

Nonimmigrant visas are issued to foreign nationals who intend to enter the U.S. temporarily for specific purposes such as tourism,...

Attorneys, legal representatives, petitioners, applicants, and supporters can create a myUSCIS account to track the status of...

Applying for an H-4, whether inside or outside the U.S., can be a hassle. There can be long wait times, a stack of paperwork to complete,...