US Immigration

Subscribe to US Immigration via RSS

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has issued an Interim Final Rule (IFR) that removes the long‑standing requirement that R‑1 nonimmigrant religious workers who have exhausted the maximum five‑year period in R‑1 status must spend one full year abroad before becoming eligible to return in R‑1 classification.

Under the IFR, an R‑1 nonimmigrant who has…

On Dec. 31, 2025, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California vacated the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) decisions to terminate Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Honduras, Nicaragua, and Nepal, finding that the terminations violated the Administrative Procedure Act (APA). The court concluded that DHS failed to conduct an objective assessment of…

The Department of State is expected to pause consular immigrant visa processing for nationals of 75 countries starting Jan. 21, 2026, according to multiple public reports. This development represents a significant expansion of the Trump Administration’s efforts that include more intensive screening and review of overseas visa applicants.

The government reportedly is undertaking a wide‑ranging…

U.S. consulates abroad have recently begun postponing a wide range of H‑1B and H‑4 visa interviews, resulting in significant delays in visa processing. Consulates in India have been among the most affected, as India remains the largest source of H‑1B visa holders worldwide.

Beginning in the second week of December, applicants with interviews scheduled between…

A federal judge has granted the Trump Administration’s motion for summary judgment and upheld the legality of the $100,000 fee requirement for certain H-1B visa petitions. Chamber of Commerce of the USA v. U.S. Department of Homeland Security, No. 1:25-cv-03675 (D.D.C. Dec. 23, 2025).

President Donald Trump’s Sept. 19, 2025, Presidential Proclamation, “Restriction on Entry…

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has announced that Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Burma (Myanmar), Ethiopia, Haiti, and South Sudan will end in early 2026.

Employers of TPS beneficiaries from affected countries should closely review the timelines and automatic Employment Authorization Document (EAD) extensions, summarized below in order of termination date.

Employers…

  • USCIS has confirmed its Dec. 2 policy memo, which listed only a narrow set of applications, was not exhaustive and that it has
…

Related links

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) released updated educational materials on national origin discrimination on Nov. 19, 2025, in response to the…

Takeaways

  • Starting 12.15.25, all H‑1B visa applicants and their H‑4 dependents must make their social‑media profiles public.
  • Consular officers will scrutinize social-media activity, resumes and online work history.
  • Employers sponsoring H-1B workers should anticipate possible delays, administrative processing or denials, especially for roles in tech, social media or other sensitive content-related fields.

Expansion of Online…