Otieno B. Ombok

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  • The State Department is pausing immigrant visa interview appointments while consular officers receive updated public-charge training. The agency has not publicly announced the duration or precise scope of this pause.
  • The pause follows an August 21 federal court decision vacating the State Department’s separate suspension of immigrant visa issuance to nationals of 75 countries.
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The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is expected to publish a proposed rule on Aug. 25, 2026, in the Federal Register that would impose a new $103,265 fee on all cap subject H-1B visa petitions. This new proposal would be in addition to existing H-1B filing fees. Employers who rely on the H-1B program to…

The Department of State has announced a significant restructuring of visa operations across Africa, effective Aug. 1, 2026. Under this initiative, routine immigrant and nonimmigrant visa processing at certain U.S. embassies and consulates will be consolidated into designated regional visa processing hubs or centers. According to the Department of State, this realignment is intended to…

The Department of Homeland Security has published a final rule replacing the long-standing “duration of status” (D/S) framework for F-1 academic students and J-1 exchange visitors with fixed periods of admission. Effective Sept. 15, 2026, the rule also establishes a new extension of stay process administered by USCIS for individuals who need additional time to…

  • USCIS and E-Verify have issued updated employer guidance for TPS beneficiaries from Burma, Ethiopia, Haiti, Somalia, South Sudan, Syria and Yemen.
  • For all seven countries, employers should use July 10, 2026, as the current date for Form I-9 and E-Verify purposes.
  • Employers should not assume July 10 marks the automatic end of TPS-based employment
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In today’s landmark Trump v. Barbara decision, the U.S. Supreme Court held that children born in the United States are citizens at birth regardless of whether their parents are present in the country unlawfully or temporarily. The Court concluded that Executive Order 14160 violates the Citizenship Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment and therefore cannot be…

  • A federal district court has struck down the $100,000 fee the Trump Administration imposed on certain H-1B petitions.
  • The court ruling could allow affected beneficiaries of approved H-1B petitions obtain visas and travel to the U.S. without having to pay the exorbitant fee.
  • The government is expected to consider appellate options, and employers should
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  • A federal district court has vacated USCIS policies that paused adjudication of immigration benefit requests filed by nationals of 39 countries.
  • The court ruling could allow affected adjustment of status, employment authorization, naturalization, and certain asylum-related applications to proceed.
  • The government is expected to consider appellate options, and employers should continue to monitor developments.
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  • A new USCIS policy memorandum emphasizes that adjustment of status is a discretionary benefit and that consular processing abroad is the “ordinary” pathway to permanent residence.
  • The memo does not eliminate employment-based adjustment of status or create a formal new rule requiring all applicants to consular process.
  • Significant questions remain, including how USCIS will
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Takeaways

  • Haitian TPS will not end 02.03.26 after a federal court stayed DHS’s 11.28.25 termination notice.
  • Venezuela TPS is not reinstated despite the Ninth Circuit ruling, because a U.S. Supreme Court stay remains in effect pending further appeals.
  • As the latest developments show, TPS rules differ sharply by country, requiring careful, individualized employer review.

On…