Immigration News

Oct 15, 2026 • Immigration News • 2 min read

DHS is preparing a rule that would change premium processing timeframes

The White House is reviewing a USCIS proposal to amend premium processing timeframes, which are currently 15, 30 or 45 business days depending on the benefit.

H-1B Processing Times

Oct 15, 2026 • Immigration News • 3 min read

Federal judge orders the State Department to reopen the 2027 Diversity Visa lottery

A San Diego judge granted a preliminary injunction requiring the State Department to announce and open the fiscal year 2027 Diversity Visa registration, with a 30-day entry window.

Green Card

Oct 14, 2026 • Immigration News • 2 min read

House bill would raise the H-1B dependent-employer salary threshold to about $140,000

A House companion to Sen. Jon Husted's H-1B bill would replace the $60,000 salary line that exempts H-1B-dependent employers from recruitment attestations with twice the national average wage index, about $140,000 today.

H-1B

Oct 13, 2026 • Immigration News • 2 min read

DHS proposes ending automatic deference to prior USCIS approvals in work-visa extensions

A proposed rule would remove the regulation that tells USCIS officers to give weight to an earlier approval when the same employer and worker ask to extend an H-1B or another work visa. DHS expects more Requests for Evidence.

H-1B USCIS Processing Times

Oct 13, 2026 • Immigration News • 2 min read

USCIS finalizes the end of the 540-day automatic work-permit extension

A final rule reaffirms the October 2025 interim rule that stopped automatically extending expiring EADs for renewal applicants. It applies to renewal applications filed on or after October 30, 2025.

USCIS Processing Times Green Card

Oct 12, 2026 • Immigration News • 2 min read

DHS proposes a $70,000 fee for post-graduation work (OPT)

A Federal Register notice proposes charging F-1 students $70,000 for initial Optional Practical Training and $30,000 for later OPT. Comments are due November 9, 2026.

H-1B Green Card

Oct 12, 2026 • Immigration News • 2 min read

Nine universities face a federal J-1 visa fraud investigation

Vice President JD Vance named Harvard, Yale, Stanford, Brown, MIT, Caltech, UC Davis, Pittsburgh and Arizona State at an October 8 press conference. The Labor Department's inspector general says subpoenas have been served.

H-1B Green Card

Oct 09, 2026 • Immigration News • 2 min read

Labor Department says it will stop PERM cases at eight employers

On October 8, the Labor Secretary said DOL will not accept or process permanent labor certifications for Microsoft, Adobe, and six IT firms. The step is not an H-1B ban, and NIW and EB-1A filings do not use PERM.

EB-2 H-1B Green Card

Sep 28, 2026 • Immigration News • 3 min read

USCIS August Data: Family-Petition Denials Nearly Tripled and Employment Green Card Waits Hit 11.8 Months

USCIS's August 2026 report to Congress shows I-130 denials jumping from 5,480 to 14,704 in a month, employment-based I-485 processing climbing to 11.8 months, and the N-400 backlog passing 813,000.

USCIS Processing Times EB-2 Green Card

Sep 23, 2026 • Immigration News • 2 min read

FY2027 Refugee Ceiling Set at 17,500, Again Reserved Mostly for White South Africans

In a September 22 notice to Congress, the administration set the FY2027 refugee ceiling at 17,500, primarily for Afrikaners, with about $500 million budgeted for resettlement.

Refugees USCIS State Department

Sep 21, 2026 • Immigration News • 3 min read

USCIS Is Posting Its H-1B Wage-Level Fraud Findings on Social Media - and the Details Should Worry Honest Petitioners

Two official USCIS posts detail H-1B wage-level fraud findings: a Florida petition understating required experience by five years, and Nebraska petitions misclassifying engineers as programmers.

H-1B USCIS Policy Updates

Sep 17, 2026 • Immigration News • 3 min read

The Public Charge Rule Takes Effect Tomorrow — and Unlike Duration of Status, No One Has Asked a Judge to Stop It

Two SDNY lawsuits challenge the public charge rule, but no emergency motion has been docketed — so the rule and the new no-grace-period I-485 edition are on track to take effect September 18.

Public Charge Green Card USCIS I-485

Sep 12, 2026 • Immigration News • 2 min read

A Secret Terrorism Court Congress Built in 1996 Just Removed Its First Person Ever

The Justice Department used the Alien Terrorist Removal Court for the first time since its creation in 1996, removing an Afghan national from Fort Worth, Texas. USCIS confirmed its role in the interagency operation.

USCIS Policy Updates Enforcement

Sep 11, 2026 • Immigration News • 3 min read

El Salvador TPS Passed Its September 9 Deadline With No Decision — USCIS Says Status and Work Permits Stay Valid For Now

TPS for roughly 200,000 Salvadorans was set to end September 9, 2026. DHS made no announcement, and USCIS confirmed that night that both protection and work authorization remain valid — with no end date given.

TPS USCIS Work Authorization Policy Updates

Sep 11, 2026 • Immigration News • 2 min read

Federal Court Vacates the USCIS Diversity Visa Hold — and DV-2026 Selectees Have Under Three Weeks to Use It

A Northern District of California order in Medani v. Trump vacated Policy Memorandum PM-602-0193, forcing USCIS to resume DV adjustment adjudications. With the DV-2026 year ending September 30, the window is nearly closed.

Diversity Visa USCIS Green Card Policy Updates

Sep 11, 2026 • Immigration News • 3 min read

USCIS Received 45% Fewer Filings and Still Fell Further Behind — Backlog Clearance Time Doubled to 24 Months

New American Immigration Council data shows USCIS pending cases hit a record 12.1 million in FY2026 Q2 while receipts fell 45% and completions fell 44.5%. The EAD queue for green card applicants tripled to 585,000.

USCIS Processing Times NIW EB-2

Sep 10, 2026 • Immigration News • 3 min read

H-1B Approvals Held at 97% Through June - and the RFE Rate Fell. The Crackdown Isn't in the Data Yet

New USCIS I-129 data through June 30, 2026 shows H-1B approvals at 97% and RFEs at 8.5%, while L-1A and O-1 petitions drew RFEs roughly three times as often.

H-1B USCIS Processing Times Policy Updates

Sep 10, 2026 • Immigration News • 3 min read

USCIS Q3 Data: NIW Approvals Finally Overtake Denials as EB-1A Slides to 32%

New USCIS I-140 data for April-June 2026 shows the National Interest Waiver approval rate climbing to 55.3% while EB-1A fell to 32.2% - and the NIW backlog hit a record 96,297 pending petitions.

NIW EB-2 USCIS Processing Times

Sep 09, 2026 • Immigration News • 2 min read

Former USCIS Officer Charged in Alleged $960,000 Scheme to Approve Green Card and Citizenship Applications

Federal prosecutors in the Northern District of Texas charged a former Senior Immigration Services Officer and an associate with taking roughly $960,000 to unlawfully approve and expedite immigration applications.

USCIS Green Card Processing Times

Sep 09, 2026 • Immigration News • 2 min read

Labor Department Suspends Cognizant and Cloudera Green Card Filings in Widening Visa Fraud Investigation

DOL Inspector General Anthony D'Esposito announced on September 8 that PERM labor certification filings by Cognizant and Cloudera are suspended pending a fraud investigation.

Green Card H-1B EB-2 USCIS

Sep 09, 2026 • Immigration News • 2 min read

USCIS Is Publicizing Its Fraud Cases — What the Agency's Enforcement Push Means for Honest Applicants

USCIS has been posting individual fraud detections publicly while DOL escalates H-1B and PERM investigations, marking a shift toward visible, data-driven enforcement.

H-1B USCIS Green Card Policy Updates

Sep 09, 2026 • Immigration News • 2 min read

USCIS Reverses Course on Form I-864 After Lawsuit, Granting a Grace Period Through September 30

After AILA sued over mandatory form changes imposed without notice, USCIS will accept the prior edition of Form I-864 until September 30, 2026.

USCIS Green Card Policy Updates

Sep 02, 2026 • Immigration News • 3 min read

Religious Workers Get Two Developments at Once: EB-4 Advances Two Months and USCIS Publishes New R-1 Guidance

EB-4 was the only employment-based category to move in the September 2026 Visa Bulletin, advancing two months, while USCIS launched a new resource page for R-1 religious workers and their petitioning employers.

Visa Bulletin USCIS Green Card

Aug 31, 2026 • Immigration News • 3 min read

BIA Overrules Arrabally: Advance Parole Travel Can Now Trigger the 10-Year Bar

In Matter of Delcarmen-Lara (Aug. 13, 2026), the BIA overruled Matter of Arrabally and held that travel on advance parole is a departure that can trigger the three- and ten-year unlawful presence bars.

Green Card Adjustment of Status Advance Parole USCIS

Aug 31, 2026 • Immigration News • 3 min read

Federal Court Blocks USCIS Adjudication Holds Class-Wide — Applications From 39 Listed Countries Must Move Again

On Aug. 24, 2026 the Northern District of California enjoined USCIS policy memoranda PM 602-0192 and PM 602-0194 and certified a class covering nationals of 39 proclamation-listed countries, ordering USCIS to resume normal adjudication.

USCIS Processing Times Adjustment of Status Court Ruling

Aug 31, 2026 • Immigration News • 3 min read

USCIS Can Refer Your Asylum Case to Immigration Court Without an Interview - and Comments Close Sept. 28

A correction published August 31 restores the cost table for the interim final rule letting USCIS refer affirmative asylum cases to court without an interview. Comments are due September 28, 2026.

USCIS Policy Updates Asylum

Aug 27, 2026 • Immigration News • 3 min read

OpenAI Pays $3.2 Million Over PERM Recruitment - Paper-Only Applications and Late-Night Radio Ads

The Justice Department's thirteenth Protecting U.S. Workers settlement finds OpenAI steered PERM job ads away from U.S. applicants, with $1.2M in penalties and a $2M back-pay fund.

PERM EB-2 EB-3 Green Card

Aug 26, 2026 • Immigration News • 3 min read

DHS Moves to Narrow H-1B Cap Exemptions - and Universities and Nonprofit Labs Are Directly in the Path

A DHS proposed rule sent to the White House on August 24 would revise which employers qualify as H-1B cap-exempt - the exemption that lets universities and nonprofit research organizations hire outside the lottery.

H-1B USCIS Policy Updates NIW

Aug 24, 2026 • Immigration News • 3 min read

Appeals Court Lets USCIS Reopen Already-Approved Cases for Travel-Ban Nationals - But Keeps the Adjudication Freeze Dead

The First Circuit on August 14 refused to revive the USCIS benefits hold and nationality-as-negative-factor policies, but allowed the agency to resume re-reviewing approvals granted on or after January 20, 2021.

USCIS Policy Updates Travel Ban

Aug 24, 2026 • Immigration News • 3 min read

Colleges and Unions Sue to Block the Four-Year Cap on F-1 and J-1 Status Weeks Before It Takes Effect

A coalition of universities, educator groups and labor unions filed suit August 18 in federal court in Massachusetts seeking to stop the DHS rule that ends duration of status for international students on September 15.

F-1 J-1 DHS Policy Updates

Aug 24, 2026 • Immigration News • 3 min read

Somalia TPS Work Permits Went Invalid August 14 - While Sudan and Ukraine EADs Got Extended to October 19

USCIS terminated Somalia TPS effective August 14, 2026 and voided its A12 and C19 work permits, while automatically extending expired Sudan and Ukraine TPS-based EADs through October 19, 2026.

TPS USCIS Work Permits

Aug 24, 2026 • Immigration News • 3 min read

Texas Governor Wants Zero H-1B Workers in Public Schools - and Dallas ISD Alone Would Lose Hundreds

Gov. Greg Abbott proposed legislation on August 18 to bar Texas public school districts from sponsoring H-1B visas, extending a freeze he already imposed on state agencies and public universities in January.

H-1B Policy Updates Texas

Aug 23, 2026 • Immigration News • 3 min read

BIA Says You Get One Motion to Reopen - Ever - and Bad Lawyering Will Not Buy You Another

In Matter of M-M-L-J-, decided August 18, 2026, the Board of Immigration Appeals held that a noncitizen may file only one motion to reopen across both the Immigration Court and the Board, and that ineffective assistance of counsel cannot equitably toll that limit.

BIA EOIR Removal Proceedings Policy Updates

Aug 23, 2026 • Immigration News • 3 min read

Judge Vacates the 75-Country Immigrant Visa Ban - and Wipes Out the Denials Already Issued Under It

Judge Jeannette Vargas of the Southern District of New York struck down the January 2026 order barring immigrant visas for nationals of 75 countries, vacating denials made under it and ordering the State Department to resume individual assessments.

Green Card Visa News Court Ruling State Department

Aug 19, 2026 • Immigration News • 3 min read

USCIS Sets a Hard Sept. 18 Cutover for Form I-485 — File the New Edition Early and It Gets Rejected

USCIS will publish a revised Form I-485 on Sept. 18, 2026 with no grace period. Filing the old edition on or after that date means rejection — and so does filing the new edition before it.

USCIS Green Card I-485 Public Charge

Aug 18, 2026 • Immigration News • 3 min read

BIA Overrules Arrabally: Traveling on Advance Parole Can Now Trigger the 3- and 10-Year Bars

In Matter of Delcarmen-Lara, decided Aug. 13, the Board of Immigration Appeals ended a 14-year protection for advance parole travelers — but applied the new rule prospectively only.

Green Card USCIS Policy Updates

Aug 18, 2026 • Immigration News • 3 min read

Justice Department Files Record 25 Denaturalization Cases — Bringing the Total to 123 Since January 2025

USCIS says DOJ has filed 123 civil denaturalization complaints since January 2025, including 25 in recent weeks — what the government must prove, and what it means for naturalized citizens.

USCIS Naturalization Policy Updates

Aug 13, 2026 • Immigration News • 2 min read

USCIS Extends Expired El Salvador TPS Work Permits — But Only Until the Program Ends September 9

USCIS said on August 12 that expired TPS-based work permits for eligible Salvadorans with pending renewals are extended to September 9, 2026 — the same day the El Salvador TPS designation is set to terminate.

TPS USCIS Work Authorization EAD

Aug 11, 2026 • Immigration News • 3 min read

Trump Signs Two New Orders on Birthright Citizenship and 'Birth Tourism' After Losing at the Supreme Court

Two executive orders signed August 6, 2026 narrow birthright citizenship for specific categories of children and direct State and DHS to deny visas to suspected birth tourists — a more targeted approach after the Supreme Court's June ruling.

USCIS Policy Updates Visa News

Aug 08, 2026 • Immigration News • 2 min read

Court Lets TPS Work Permits Lapse for El Salvador, Ukraine and Sudan Beneficiaries

A Massachusetts federal court declined on August 5 to block the government from curtailing TPS employment authorization, allowing work permits for three countries' beneficiaries to expire even though their TPS designations run into September and October.

TPS Work Permits EAD Court Ruling

Aug 05, 2026 • Immigration News • 2 min read

Appeals Court Refuses to Revive the $100,000 H-1B Fee — Petitions Stay Fee-Free Into 2027

The First Circuit denied the government's request to stay a ruling that vacated the $100,000 H-1B payment, leaving the fee unenforceable while the appeal proceeds.

H-1B USCIS Policy Updates

Aug 05, 2026 • Immigration News • 2 min read

ICE Expands Airport Arrests to Visa Overstays — Including People With Pending Green Card Applications

Attorneys report ICE detentions at check-in counters, gates, and arrival terminals at 15+ U.S. airports, now reaching overstays with pending adjustment or EAD applications.

USCIS Green Card H-1B Policy Updates

Aug 05, 2026 • Immigration News • 2 min read

TPS Work Permits Are Now Expiring in Week-Long Increments — Here Are the Current Dates

After the Supreme Court's June 2026 decision in Mullin v. Doe, USCIS is extending TPS work authorization a few days at a time while litigation continues, with Haiti, Syria, and Yemen already terminated.

USCIS Policy Updates Employment Authorization

Jul 22, 2026 • Immigration News • 2 min read

Federal Judge Halts USCIS Work-Permit Rollback for Asylum Seekers and TPS Holders

A Boston federal judge temporarily blocked USCIS from retroactively shortening work permits and from using unpaid annual asylum fees to terminate work authorization, with a longer-term ruling expected by August 5, 2026.

USCIS EAD TPS Policy Updates

Jul 19, 2026 • Immigration News • 2 min read

USCIS Quietly Lifts Processing Holds on Physician H-1B and J-1 Waiver Cases

USCIS has lifted processing holds on physician cases, allowing stalled H-1B petitions and J-1 waiver adjustment-of-status applications for medical doctors to resume normal processing.

USCIS H-1B NIW Processing Times

Jul 18, 2026 • Immigration News • 2 min read

Medicaid, Food Stamps, and Housing Aid Will Count Against Green Card Applicants Starting September 18

A DHS final rule effective September 18, 2026 lets USCIS weigh food stamps, Medicaid, and housing aid in green card decisions under a broader public charge test — with key exemptions.

Green Card USCIS Policy Updates EB-2

Jul 18, 2026 • Immigration News • 2 min read

Trump Administration Weighs a Refundable $100,000 Green Card Bond for Some Immigrant Visa Applicants

The State Department is reviewing a proposal to require a refundable bond of up to $100,000 from certain immigrant visa applicants abroad, refundable only after naturalization.

Green Card USCIS Policy Updates Immigration News

Jul 18, 2026 • Immigration News • 2 min read

USCIS Reaches FY2027 H-1B Cap — No Second Lottery, and the New Wage-Weighted System Reshapes Selection

USCIS has filled all 85,000 FY2027 H-1B slots with no second lottery, as the first wage-weighted selection cycle drives a 38.5% drop in registrations and boosts advanced-degree selections.

H-1B USCIS Visa News NIW

Jul 17, 2026 • Immigration News • 2 min read

DHS Ends "Duration of Status": F-1 and J-1 Visa Holders Face Fixed 4-Year Admission Under New Final Rule

DHS's new final rule ends open-ended "duration of status" for F, J, and I visa holders, imposing fixed admission periods capped at four years, cutting the F-1 grace period from 60 to 30 days, and restricting mid-program school transfers and objective changes.

F-1 Visa OPT H-1B Duration of Status +2 more

Jul 17, 2026 • Immigration News • 2 min read

TPS Work Permits for Six Countries Set to Expire July 17 — What Workers and Employers Need to Know

USCIS set July 17, 2026 as the work-authorization expiration date for TPS holders from Burma, Ethiopia, Somalia, South Sudan, Syria, and Yemen (July 24 for Haiti). E-Verify updated its employer handbook as automatic extensions are reduced or eliminated amid ongoing litigation.

TPS USCIS Work Authorization E-Verify

Jul 17, 2026 • Immigration News • 2 min read

USCIS Rescinds 2022 Public Charge Rule: Tougher Green Card Test Returns September 18, 2026

DHS has rescinded the 2022 public charge rule effective September 18, 2026, restoring case-by-case officer discretion and requiring a revised Form I-485 — older editions will be rejected after the effective date.

USCIS Green Card I-485 Public Charge +2 more

Jul 15, 2026 • Immigration News • 2 min read

New Gallup Poll: 73% of Americans Still See Immigration as a Good Thing, Even as Support Dips

Gallup polling released in July 2026 shows 73% of Americans view immigration positively — down from a record high but still historically strong, with the dip driven mainly by shifting Republican sentiment.

USCIS Policy Updates

Jul 14, 2026 • Immigration News • 2 min read

Federal Court Orders DHS to Stop Using Force Against Journalists and Observers at Immigration Operations

A Los Angeles federal judge issued a preliminary injunction barring DHS from using force against journalists, legal observers, and protesters documenting immigration enforcement operations in the Central District of California.

DHS Court Ruling Immigration Enforcement

Jul 13, 2026 • Immigration News • 2 min read

Lawsuit Alleges U.S. Shared Iranian Asylum Seekers' Confidential Files With Iran

A lawsuit filed July 7, 2026 by the Iranian American Legal Defense Fund and Public Citizen alleges ICE and the State Department shared confidential Iranian asylum-seeker records with Iran; ICE denies the claims.

Asylum ICE State Department Immigration Policy

Jul 11, 2026 • Immigration News • 2 min read

DOJ Orders Prosecutors to Prioritize 'Birth Tourism' Cases After Supreme Court Upholds Birthright Citizenship

One day after the Supreme Court upheld birthright citizenship in a 5-4 ruling, the DOJ directed prosecutors to prioritize birth tourism cases using visa fraud, wire fraud, and money laundering charges.

Birthright Citizenship USCIS Policy Updates

Jul 11, 2026 • Immigration News • 2 min read

Federal Government Launches Major H-1B and PERM Visa Fraud Crackdown

The Department of Labor's Inspector General, working with DHS, DOJ, and VP Vance's fraud task force, launched a major H-1B and PERM fraud investigation on July 8, 2026, issuing dozens of subpoenas.

H-1B PERM USCIS Policy Updates

Jul 11, 2026 • Immigration News • 2 min read

TPS Work Permits Extended at the Eleventh Hour for Haiti and Six Other Countries

The Trump administration extended TPS work permits for seven countries hours before a July 10 expiration, but DHS says the relief is temporary following the Supreme Court's June 25 ruling.

TPS USCIS Work Authorization DHS

Jul 11, 2026 • Immigration News • 2 min read

Trump to Ask Supreme Court to Rehear Birthright Citizenship Case — A Long-Shot Bid

President Trump said on July 8 he will petition the Supreme Court to rehear its June 30 ruling upholding birthright citizenship — a move experts call a long shot, as the Court has not reheard an argued case since 1965.

Birthright Citizenship Supreme Court Immigration Policy

Jul 11, 2026 • Immigration News • 2 min read

USCIS Resumes Processing for Nationals of 39 Countries After Court Order

Following a federal court order, USCIS has resumed processing immigration applications for nationals of 39 travel-ban countries, unlocking long-delayed H-1B and I-140 approvals — though the government has appealed.

USCIS H-1B Green Card Processing Times

Jul 09, 2026 • Green Card • 2 min read

2026 EB-2 NIW and EB-1A RFE Trends: What Is Triggering Requests for Evidence Now

Immigration practitioners report 2026 USCIS RFE trends for EB-2 NIW and EB-1A petitions: boilerplate RFEs, cross-referencing across DS-160/ETA-9089 filings, experience-letter scrutiny, and premium-processing risks.

NIW EB-2 EB-1A USCIS

Jul 09, 2026 • Immigration News • 2 min read

Supreme Court Upholds Birthright Citizenship, Striking Down Trump Executive Order

The Supreme Court ruled 6–3 on June 30, 2026 that children born in the U.S. to unlawfully or temporarily present parents are citizens at birth, striking down Executive Order 14160.

Supreme Court Birthright Citizenship USCIS Policy Updates

Jul 09, 2026 • Policy Updates • 2 min read

USCIS Proposes to Sharply Limit Discretionary Work Permits — One-Year Cap and New Denial Triggers

A USCIS proposed rule (91 FR 34352, June 5, 2026) would limit discretionary EADs for parolees, deferred-action recipients, and those under orders of supervision — capping validity at one year and adding new termination triggers. Comments due August 4, 2026.

USCIS Employment Authorization EAD Policy Updates

Jul 06, 2026 • Immigration News • 2 min read

USCIS Opens New Atlanta Asylum Office to Expand Interview Capacity

USCIS opens a new Atlanta Asylum Office on July 8, 2026, serving Georgia and Alabama with interviews at three locations until a permanent site opens in 2027.

USCIS Asylum Processing Times

Jul 03, 2026 • Immigration News • 2 min read

Federal Court Vacates USCIS Benefits Freeze Affecting Applicants From 39 Countries

On June 5, 2026, a Rhode Island federal court vacated four USCIS policies that had frozen green card, work permit, naturalization, and asylum adjudications for nationals of 39 travel-ban countries, ordering nationwide relief.

USCIS Green Card Policy Updates

Jul 03, 2026 • Immigration News • 2 min read

Naturalization Hit Its Fastest Pace Since 2016 — Then a Filing Surge Pushed the N-400 Backlog Past 640,000

N-400 naturalization processing hit a median 5.7 months in FY2025 — the fastest since 2016 — but a fall 2025 filing surge pushed the backlog above 640,000 cases and lengthened average times to 7.9 months.

USCIS Processing Times

Jul 03, 2026 • Immigration News • 2 min read

Supreme Court Expands Border Authority Over Green Card Holders in Blanche v. Lau

The Supreme Court's 6-3 ruling in Blanche v. Lau lets border officers treat returning green card holders as applicants for admission without clear-and-convincing proof of a crime.

Green Card USCIS

Jun 28, 2026 • Immigration News • 2 min read

USCIS Issues Urgent Notice to Clients of Disbarred Immigration Attorney Alexandra Lozano

USCIS is urging the roughly 35,000 former clients of disbarred attorney Alexandra Lozano to update their addresses and review filings, after she resigned from the Washington bar and was suspended from practice before DHS.

USCIS Immigration News Policy Updates

Jun 27, 2026 • Immigration News • 2 min read

Federal Courts Lift Country-Based Suspensions on Green Card and Visa Processing

Federal courts ordered immigration agencies to lift nationality-based suspensions on green card and immigrant-visa adjudications, ruling the broad pauses unlawful.

USCIS Green Card Policy Updates

Jun 26, 2026 • Immigration News • 2 min read

Supreme Court Lets Trump End TPS for Haitians and Syrians, Clearing Path to Deportation

The Supreme Court ruled 6-3 on June 25, 2026 to let the Trump administration end Temporary Protected Status for about 350,000 Haitians and 6,000 Syrians, a precedent that could affect 1.3 million TPS holders from 17 countries.

TPS Supreme Court Deportation Immigration News

Jun 25, 2026 • Immigration News • 2 min read

Supreme Court Lets Trump End TPS Protections for Haitians and Syrians

In a 6–3 decision, the Supreme Court ruled the Trump administration has unreviewable authority to end TPS for roughly 330,000 Haitians and 3,800 Syrians.

TPS Policy Updates USCIS

Jun 24, 2026 • Immigration News • 2 min read

Appeals Court Clears Trump Administration to Expand Fast-Track Deportations Nationwide

The D.C. Circuit ruled 2-1 on June 23, 2026 to let the administration apply expedited removal nationwide to undocumented immigrants who cannot prove two years' continuous U.S. presence.

Policy Updates USCIS

Jun 24, 2026 • Immigration News • 2 min read

Data Shows Legal Immigration Falling Sharply in 2026 — What It Means for Skilled Applicants

Government data and Migration Policy Institute analysis show legal immigration falling sharply in 2026 — with fewer visas, halved student-visa issuance, and worsening delays reshaping the system.

Policy Updates NIW Green Card Processing Times

Jun 24, 2026 • Immigration News • 2 min read

Federal Judge Strikes Down Trump's $100,000 H-1B Fee as an Unlawful Tax

A Massachusetts federal judge vacated the administration's $100,000 H-1B fee as an unauthorized tax, but a conflicting D.C. ruling means the issue is likely headed to appeals or the Supreme Court.

H-1B Policy Updates USCIS

Jun 24, 2026 • Immigration News • 2 min read

USCIS Backlog Hits Record ~12 Million Cases as Processing Times Climb in 2026

USCIS closed FY2025 with a record backlog approaching 12 million cases, and 2026 processing times for I-130, I-129F, and I-90 have all risen — with the Ombudsman urging faster digitization.

USCIS Processing Times NIW Green Card

Jun 17, 2026 • Immigration News • 2 min read

Beyond the Country Pause: Why Green Card Processing Has Slowed Across the Board

A r/USCIS discussion describes a broad slowdown in green card and consular processing tied to USCIS workforce losses and a shift toward enforcement — affecting applicants regardless of country.

USCIS Processing Times Green Card

Jun 12, 2026 • Immigration News • 2 min read

Community NIW Tracker Shows ~29% Denial Rate for the Week of May 26, 2026

A crowd-sourced r/EB2_NIW tracker shows roughly 28% approvals and 29% denials among ~130 logged NIW cases for the week of May 26, 2026.

NIW EB-2 USCIS Processing Times

Jun 12, 2026 • Immigration News • 2 min read

I-140 Premium Processing in 2026: What Applicants Are Seeing on Timelines

A community compilation summarizes 2026 I-140 premium-processing timelines and trends, where the 15-business-day window speeds decisions but not the evidentiary standard.

I-140 Premium Processing EB-2 Processing Times

Jun 12, 2026 • Immigration News • 2 min read

NIW Applicants Report Tougher Adjudications in 2026 as Denial Rates Climb

EB-2 NIW applicants report stricter USCIS adjudications in 2026, with community-tracked denial rates of roughly 25-30% for premium-processing cases.

NIW EB-2 USCIS Processing Times

Jun 12, 2026 • Immigration News • 2 min read

USCIS Releases March 2026 Employment-Based I-485 Inventory Report

USCIS published its March 2026 employment-based I-485 adjustment-of-status inventory report, giving EB-2, EB-3, and NIW applicants a clearer view of the pending green card backlog.

USCIS I-485 EB-2 Processing Times

Jun 10, 2026 • Immigration News • 2 min read

Supreme Court to Decide Fate of TPS for 350,000 Haitians, With Ripple Effects for Other Nationalities

The Supreme Court is set to decide whether the administration can end TPS for about 350,000 Haitians, a ruling expected to also affect Venezuelan, Syrian, and Salvadoran TPS holders.

TPS USCIS Policy Updates