Last week, the U.S. Supreme Court handed down a troubling decision that could strip legal status from hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans currently living in the United States under Temporary Protected Status (TPS). On Friday, the Court granted the Trump administration’s request to halt a lower court ruling that found…
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DACA Update: USCIS could soon process new DACA applications
Source: Flickr Creative Commons Attribution mollyktadams Recent court documents submitted by the government in the case, State of Texas v. United States of America (1:18-cv-00068), reveal that the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) may soon resume processing initial DACA applications for individuals living outside of Texas. Since 2021, new DACA requests had…
DHS Proposes Rule to Increase H-1B Lottery Selection Odds for Higher-Paid Workers
On September 24, 2025, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued a proposed rule that would change the current selection process for selecting H-1B visa petitions subject to the annual numerical limits established by the Immigration and Nationality Act. Under the proposed rule, the current random lottery system would be…
New Executive Order Establishes the Gold Card—Pathway to Permanent Residency for Wealthy
On Friday evening, President Donald J. Trump signed an executive order establishing a new pathway to permanent residency called “The Gold Card.” This program creates a fast-track green card option for wealthy individuals who make significant “gifts” to the U.S. government through the Department of Commerce. Highlights Although clear guidance on…
New Executive Order Halts Entry of H-1B Nonimmigrant Workers Unless $100,000 Fee is Paid for New Petitions
The legal immigration landscape was shaken once again late Friday evening when the President issued a new proclamation barring new H-1B workers from entering the United States—unless their employers pay a $100,000 fee for each sponsored employee. The proclamation took effect at 12:01 a.m. EDT on Sunday, September 21, and…
USCIS Introduces New 2025 Naturalization Civics Test: What You Need to Know
On September 18, 2025, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) published a notice in the Federal Register announcing the implementation of a newly revised civics test for naturalization applicants, known as the 2025 Naturalization Civics Test. This updated version builds on the 2020 test—and will replace the existing 2008…
October 2025 Visa Bulletin – Start of Fiscal Year Brings Moderate Movement in EB Final Action Dates and Significant Movement in EB Dates for Filing, Family Sponsored Final Actions Dates Also Show Major Movement
We are pleased to report that today the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Consular Affairs published the October 2025 Visa Bulletin. In this blog post, we breakdown the movement of the employment-based and family-sponsored categories in the coming month. USCIS Adjustment of Status For adjustment of status filings to permanent…
New U.S. Visa Rules: Applying at U.S. Embassy in Your Place of Residence or Country of Nationality Now Required
Flickr Creative Commons Attribution Jeroen Akkermans In the last months, the U.S. Department of State released two significant policy updates that impact both immigrant and nonimmigrant visa applicants. These updates focus on a core change: applicants will now be required to have their visa interviews in their place of residence…
A New Enforcement Era: USCIS Gives Special Agents Law Enforcement Powers
Introducing sweeping changes, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has expanded its role by gaining law enforcement powers previously limited to agencies like Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP). Under a new final rule published today, USCIS will now recruit 1,811-classified special agents—fully empowered officers…
Immigration Updates: DHS Terminates Venezuela’s 2021 Designation for Temporary Protected Status, and EB-2 Annual Limit Reached
On September 3, 2025, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced the termination of the 2021 designation of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) previously granted to Venezuelans by President Biden. The government’s actions mean that the 2021 designation for Venezuela TPS and any associated TPS-related protection and documentation for beneficiaries will expire on…