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…
Articles Posted in Temporary Visas
Trump Administration Limits Interview Waiver Policy: What Visa Applicants Need to Know (Effective September 2, 2025)
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…
New Proposed Rule Re-Evaluates Selection Process for H-1B Visa Workers
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…
Trump v. Harvard: New Executive Order Suspends Entry of Harvard Students and Exchange Visitors
On June 4, 2025, President Trump continued his ongoing assault on Harvard University with a new Executive Order entitled, “Enhancing National Security by Addressing Risks at Harvard University.” Effective June 4th, the order suspends the entry of all nonimmigrants and exchange visitors bound for Harvard University for a period of…
Travel Ban 3.0 Restricting the Entry of 12 Country Nationals Effective Today June 9th
After months of speculation and buildup, President Trump’s long-anticipated travel ban has finally arrived. Issued by executive order on June 4th President Trump’s travel ban entitled “Restricting the Entry of Foreign Nationals to Protect the United States from Foreign Terrorists and Other National Security and Public Safety Threats,” closely mirrors…
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…
DHS Announces Termination of Temporary Protected Status for Afghanistan on July 14th
On May 12, 2025, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem announced that the State Department will not renew Temporary Protected Status (TPS) benefits for Afghanistan once the current designation expires on May 20, 2025. Beneficiaries will be granted a 60-day transition period to make preparations to either depart the United…
TSA Begins REAL ID Enforcement for U.S. Travelers
The Department of Homeland Security has announced the implementation of its REAL ID enforcement measures at Transportation Security Administration (TSA) checkpoints nationwide as of May 7th. Anyone 18 years and older traveling domestically within the United States must have a REAL ID-compliant state-issued driver’s license or another accepted form of identification to…
BREAKING: Trump Administration Changes Tune, Restores SEVIS Records for International Students, but Warns of Future Enforcement Actions
Following a wave of lawsuits from international students whose visas and Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) records were terminated without prior notice, the Trump administration has suddenly changed its course. In recent weeks, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has begun reinstating SEVIS records that were previously terminated,…
F-1 International Students Battle Wave of ICE-Initiated SEVIS Terminations
F-1 International Students at university campuses across the country have been rocked by alarming reports that their visas and SEVIS records have been suddenly terminated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), without any prior notice to the university or the student. This new wave of SEVIS terminations which began…