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…
Articles Posted in Professionals
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…
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…
Trump Administration Plans to Change Selection Process for H-1B High-Skilled Workers and Naturalization Exams
In a recent interview with the New York Times, published on July 25th the new director of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Joseph Edlow told reporters that the agency is planning sweeping changes to the way the agency awards visas for H-1B high-skilled workers in specialty occupations. Under…
August Visa Bulletin: EB-2 Final Action Retrogressions, EB-5 China and India Advancement, Little to No Movement in Other Categories
We are pleased to report that today the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Consular Affairs published the August 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 employment-based preference categories, the U.S. Citizenship and…
State Department Resumes Student Visa Appointments at U.S. Consulates, with Enhanced Vetting Polices and Demands for Social Media Access
On June 18, 2025, the State Department announced that U.S. Embassies and Consulates around the world will resume scheduling appointments for F, M, and J nonimmigrant visas, introducing new guidance that includes stricter vetting procedures and an expanded review of applicants’ social media activity. Moving forward, all F, M, and…
July Visa Bulletin: Major Movement for Family Sponsored Categories, and EB-3 Final Action Dates
We are pleased to report that today the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Consular Affairs published the July 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 employment-based preference categories, the U.S. Citizenship and…
BREAKING: Trump Aggressively Targets International Students in New Visa Policies, Launches Assault on Higher Education
In recent days, the Trump administration has launched an aggressive campaign targeting international students studying at colleges and universities throughout the United States. These attacks escalated Thursday last week when the administration first announced that it would be halting Harvard University’s ability to enroll international students by revoking their Student…
USCIS Releases FY 2026 H-1B Cap Season Statistics
The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) recently released detailed statistics and data regarding the number of beneficiaries selected during the fiscal year 2026 H-1B cap season, highlighting the highly competitive nature of the visa process. Each year, the H-1B visa program allows U.S. employers to temporarily employ foreign…
BREAKING NEWS: The H-1B FY 2026 Initial Lottery and Selection Process Has Been Completed
In this blog post, we bring you an important announcement regarding the H-1B visa fiscal year (FY) 2026 cap season. Today, March 31st the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that it received sufficient electronic registrations during the initial registration period to meet the annual numerical limitations for fiscal year…