20 updates tagged immigration.
A DHS final rule published August 10, 2026 and effective September 9, 2026 extends the 9/11 Response and Biometric Entry-Exit Fee to H-1B and L-1 extension petitions, not just init…
A USCIS policy alert effective Aug 5, 2026 lets officers deny a benefit request without first issuing a Request for Evidence (RFE) or Notice of Intent to Deny (NOID) when required…
A USCIS policy alert effective August 5, 2026 restores officers' discretion to deny an immigration benefit request without first issuing a Request for Evidence (RFE) or Notice of I…
Effective Aug 3, 2026, the Department of State finalized regulations making the Visa Bond Pilot Program a permanent requirement for certain B-1 (business visitor) and B-2 (tourist)…
Effective Aug 1, 2026, the U.S. Department of State realigned routine visa services from 24 embassies/consulates (including Abuja, Harare, Lusaka, Maputo, Windhoek) to 20 regional…
The Department of State's August 2026 Visa Bulletin lists EB-2 India as 'unavailable' for the rest of FY2026 after annual limits were reached, while EB-1 India's final action date…
A September 19, 2025 presidential proclamation imposed a one-time $100,000 fee on new H-1B petitions for beneficiaries processed abroad. On June 8, 2026 a federal judge vacated the…
On July 24, 2026 the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit denied the government's request to stay a district-court ruling that vacated the $100,000 H-1B entry fee. As a resu…
A DHS final rule published July 17, 2026 replaces the ~50-year 'duration of status' framework with fixed admission periods of up to four years for F-1 students, J-1 exchange visito…
A January 2025 USCIS policy update confirmed that a founder-owned company may petition for an O-1 visa on behalf of its founder. USCIS data show an O-1A approval rate of approximat…
IRCC announced on December 19, 2025 that the federal Start-Up Visa (SUV) program is paused: it stopped accepting new commitment certificates after December 31, 2025, and applicants…
Dependent-child sponsorship threshold rose to ~NZ$58,240/yr from 9 March 2026 (80% of the new $35.00/hr median wage), not NZ$55,844 (which held only 10 Mar 2025-8 Mar 2026).
For the FY2027 cap season, a final rule finalized in December 2025 replaces the random H-1B lottery with a weighted selection process favoring higher-paid, higher-skilled workers a…
At the March 2026 MOM Committee of Supply, Singapore announced a new ONE Pass (AI and Tech) work-pass track that will replace the Tech.Pass from January 2027 with more attractive t…
DHS's final rule (published Dec 29, 2025) replacing the random H-1B lottery with wage-weighted selection took effect Feb 27, 2026 and governed the FY2027 cap season (registration M…
USCIS premium processing fees for Form I-129 (O-1 and other classifications) and Form I-140 (EB-1/EB-2 immigrant petitions) increase from $2,805 to $2,965 — a $160 jump — for any r…
USCIS announced on Jan 9, 2026 that the Form I-907 premium-processing fee for most classifications, including H-1B, L-1, O-1 and I-140 (EB-1/2/3), rises from $2,805 to $2,965 for r…
Existing EP Salary Floors Began Applying to Renewals in January 2026 The S$5,600 general salary floor and S$6,200 finance salary floor have applied to new EP applications since 1 J…
DHS finalized a rule on December 29, 2025, effective February 27, 2026, replacing the random H-1B cap lottery with a wage weighted process for the FY2027 cap season. Registrations…
As of January 1, 2026, IRCC no longer accepts new applications under the Start-Up Visa (SUV) and Self-Employed Persons programs, and new optional SUV work permits are halted immedi…