The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has introduced a new $1,000 immigration parole fee for most individuals granted parole into the country, effective October 16, 2025. Announced by DHS and USCIS under the H.R. 1 legislation, the fee applies at the time parole is granted, even if the application…
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced that, effective October 28, it will no longer accept checks or money orders for payment of filing fees, ending the previously permitted payment methods. What Payment Methods Are Now Accepted? Payment by ACH Bank Transfer Starting October 28th USCIS will accept payment…
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…
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…
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…
On Tuesday, August 19th, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued updated policy guidance clarifying that immigration officers will assess a range of factors when determining whether to grant a favorable exercise of discretion in the green card process—signaling a tougher stance that may create additional hurdles for applicants seeking…
On Friday August 15th, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) released a new policy memorandum (PM-602-0188) increasing the scrutiny of applications for U.S. citizenship, as part of the Trump administration’s latest efforts to tighten eligibility for naturalization. Specifically, USCIS has directed immigration officers to evaluate additional factors when assessing…
On August 1st the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced new policies that could make immigrants applying for green cards through family-based petitions more vulnerable to deportation. The changes appear in various updates to USCIS’ Policy Manual which states that immigration officials can begin removal proceedings for immigrants who…
Starting September 2, 2025, the U.S. Department of State will implement major changes that limit eligibility for nonimmigrant visa interview waivers. Under the State Department’s new revised policy, most applicants—including children under 14 and adults over 79—will be required to attend an in-person interview with a U.S. consular officer, with…
A new Department of Homeland Security (DHS) proposed rule known as RIN 1615-AD01 “Weighted Selection Process for Registrants and Petitioners Seeking to File Cap-Subject H-1B Petitions,” seeks to make radical changes to the selection process for new H-1B specialty occupation cap-subject visas. On Thursday last week, the proposed rule was…