Just when employers thought they had a handle on the $100,000 H-1B fee, the litigation took another turn. On July 24, 2026, the First Circuit Court of Appeals declined to let the government reinstate the fee while its appeal plays out. A quick recap We’ve been tracking this fee since before it even took effect....
News
Jul272026
On July 2, 2026, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), under the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), published a formal proposed rule to codify the EB-5 Reform and Integrity Act of 2022 (RIA). The RIA is a statute that Congress enacted in March 2022, and its core provisions, including investment thresholds and regional center reforms,...
On July 20, 2026, the Department of Homeland Security published a final rule rescinding the 2022 public charge regulations. The change is significant, and it takes effect September 18, 2026. If you’re applying for a visa, admission to the U.S., or adjustment of status after that date, this rule will affect how immigration officers evaluate...
In a 6-3 decision issued today, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down President Trump’s executive order seeking to restrict birthright citizenship under the Fourteenth Amendment, affirming what has been the settled understanding of American law for over a century: children born on U.S. soil are citizens at birth, regardless of their parents’ immigration status. What...
On June 22, 2026, the Department of Homeland Security published a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that would dramatically increase the cost of applying for naturalization and eliminate the financial assistance options that have long helped lower-income applicants pursue citizenship. What Is Being Proposed? Under the proposal, the filing fee for Form N-400, Application for Naturalization,...
In a long-awaited decision, a federal judge has declared the Trump administration’s attempt to impose a $100k fee on certain H-1B workers to be unlawful. Last September, the immigration community was shell-shocked when the Trump administration announced a $100k fee applicable to certain H-1B workers. Practitioners, employers, and employees initially scrambled to understand what the...
Recent federal actions have significantly expanded both U.S. travel restrictions and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) adjudication policies affecting foreign nationals from designated countries. These changes have immediate and far-reaching implications for visa applicants, employers, and individuals with pending or approved immigration benefits. On January 1, 2026, the White House implemented an expanded travel...
Dec122025
USCIS announced on December 4, 2025, that certain Employment Authorization Documents (EADs) will now have shorter validity periods for both initial and renewal applications, affecting many individuals seeking or extending work authorization in the U.S. USCIS explained that the purpose of these changes is to ensure more frequent vetting, deter fraud, and identify applicants who...