On November 12, 2025, a federal court ruling in the case Moody et al. v. Mayorkas et al. granted relief to new investors in the EB-5 program by halting the increased application fees introduced by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) on April 1, 2024.
What fees were increased?
Here’s a quick breakdown of the fee changes that were challenged:
On November 5th the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced that the country‑specific designation of South Sudan will be terminated for the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) program. The TPS designation for South Sudan will end on January 5, 2026.
What’s the background?
Who is affected?
Nationals of South Sudan (and certain stateless individuals who last habitually resided in South Sudan) who currently hold TPS under that country’s designation. After January 5, 2026, they will no longer have TPS status.
What’s the timeline and transition?
This week, the Justice Department announced that it has hired 36 new immigration judges — 11 permanent and 25 temporary — for the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR), a key agency that handles immigration court proceedings in deportation cases.
What’s happening?
The hiring comes after several months of layoffs among immigration judges occurring earlier this year. In the past 10 months, EOIR fired more than 125 judges, causing delays in immigration court proceedings across the country.
The courts in Massachusetts and Illinois were among the most affected by these departures. The good news is these newly hired judges will begin serving across 16 states nationwide.
Who are the new judges?
On August 29, 2025, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced a major update to how filing fees for USCIS forms are paid.
Starting October 28, 2025, all payments must be made electronically through ACH bank transfer from a U.S. bank account or with credit/debit cards. Paper checks and money orders will no longer be accepted.
Payment Methods
Applicants should confirm that the bank account or card used has sufficient funds to avoid rejected filings.
Why the Change
This initiative supports Executive Order 14247, “Modernizing Payments to and from America’s Bank Account,” which seeks to streamline the processing of checks and money orders, reduce staff workload, and minimize risks related to fraud, lost payments, and theft.
USCIS spokesman Matthew J. Tragesser, cited in the agency’s press release, stated, “Over 90% of our payments come from checks and money orders, causing processing delays and increasing the risk of fraud and lost payments.”
For additional guidance on making a payment for USCIS filing fees, please reach out to your caseworker or an attorney at the Law Offices of Jacob Sapochnick.
To learn more about this announcement, please click here.
On October 29, 2025, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced an interim final rule that will end the automatic extension of employment authorization documents (EADs) for most renewal applicants effective October 30, 2025.
In this post, we’ll unpack what’s changing, who it affects, the rationale behind the change, and what individuals and employers should do to prepare.
What was the previous policy?
Historically, noncitizens who held valid EADs (Form I-766) and timely filed a renewal application (Form I-765) before their current EAD expired often automatically received continued employment authorization while the renewal was pending. This “automatic extension” policy served as a buffer to prevent employment gaps.
These policies helped many workers avoid a lapse in authorization while waiting for processing of their renewal application.
What is changing now?
Starting October 30, 2025, the automatic extension of work authorization for most renewal applicants will end.
What to know
In short, you will not be authorized to keep working simply because you filed a renewal — you must wait for the new EAD to be approved by USCIS.
The latest announcement from U.S. Department of State has sent ripples through immigration communities: the opening of registration for the Diversity Visa Lottery (DV‑2027) has been delayed, and changes to the entry process are on the horizon.
What’s happening?
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 was filed before the rule took effect. Only a few narrow exceptions are available such as for those applying for green cards returning after temporary travel abroad and those facing medical emergencies.
Officials say the policy aims to curb “rampant abuse” of the parole system and ensure the government recovers administrative costs. It also comes alongside broader fee increases for other immigration benefits, including work permits for parolees and asylum seekers.
This marks a major shift in how parole is handled, making the process more restrictive and costly.
Applicants will now face higher financial barriers, and exceptions will be tightly limited, signaling a tougher stance on parole admissions going forward.
Starting October 16, 2025, if your parole or re-parole request is approved and requires the immigration parole fee, you will receive a notice with payment instructions and a deadline.
The fee must be paid in full and on time before your request can be approved. Parole will not be granted if the payment is not completed as instructed by USCIS.
We are pleased to report that the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Consular Affairs has published the November 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 residence in the month of November, USCIS will be using the Dates for Filing Chart for the employment-based and family-sponsored categories.
Highlights of the November 2025 Visa Bulletin
At a Glance
What can we expect to see in the month of November?
Employment-Based Categories
There are no changes to the Dates for Filing and Final Action charts for the employment-based categories when compared to the October Visa Bulletin.
Family-Sponsored Categories
Final Action Advancements
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 the administration’s cancellation of TPS protections for Venezuelans unlawful. The unsigned order from the Court effectively allows the government to proceed, for now, with its plans to revoke temporary protections that had shielded Venezuelan nationals from deportation and granted them employment authorization.
TPS was created in 1990 as a humanitarian safeguard for individuals whose home countries are experiencing extraordinary crises such as armed conflict, environmental disasters, or other temporary but severe disruptions. Venezuela was designated for TPS in 2021 under President Biden, in response to the country’s severe economic collapse, widespread human rights abuses, and political instability.
Since then, approximately 300,000 Venezuelans have relied on that protection to live and work legally in the U.S., building lives, paying taxes, and raising families.
Trump Administration Moves to Strip Venezuela’s TPS Designation
But the political tides have shifted. When the Trump administration returned to office, it appointed Kristi Noem as Secretary of Homeland Security. Earlier this year, Noem moved to revoke Venezuela’s TPS designation, arguing that conditions in the country had improved and that continuing the program was no longer in the national interest. That decision sparked immediate legal challenges. A coalition of Venezuelan TPS recipients and advocacy groups sued, claiming the administration’s actions were arbitrary, rushed, and in violation of federal law.
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 been halted due to a court order which was later applied only to the state of Texas.
Under the proposed plan, USCIS would process initial applications for applicants residing outside of Texas. For those living in Texas, the government would only grant deferred action, without employment authorization or recognition of lawful presence. Moving to Texas could jeopardize a DACA recipient’s work authorization.
The government’s plan still requires court approval, and USCIS has not yet shared any timeline or implementation details if it moves forward.
DACA Refresher
Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) is a program that allows individuals who were brought to the United States as children to remain in the United States temporarily and apply for work permits. While it does not grant legal status, it offers protection from deportation.
Those eligible for DACA include individuals who entered the country as children before their 16th birthday, were under 31 years old as of June 15, 2012, and have not been convicted of a felony, a significant misdemeanor, or three misdemeanors.
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