On August 28, 2025, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) published a proposed rule that would significantly change how F-1 students, J-1 exchange visitors, and I-1 media representatives are admitted to and allowed to remain in the United States. The most substantial change is...
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) published policy guidance on 19.Aug.2025, updating the factors officers may consider when exercising discretion in certain immigration benefit requests. The update emphasizes negative discretionary weight for applicants with connections to “anti-American” or terrorist organizations. Understanding Discretionary Analysis Many immigration benefit...
The Murthy Law Firm recently succeeded in helping a client obtain a green card based on the special provisions for a surviving spouse of a principal employment-based beneficiary who passed away. This client graciously granted permission for the Murthy Law Firm to share her story...
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued a policy memorandum on 15.Aug.2025, announcing changes to how "good moral character" is evaluated for naturalization applicants. The new policy restores a prior totality of the circumstances approach for good moral character determinations. Overview of Good Moral Character...
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Policy Manual was recently updated, providing guidance related to family-based petitions. This update explains and clarifies eligibility criteria, filing procedures, interview scheduling, and other issues. Most notable is the USCIS decision to issue notices to appear (NTAs) –...
Today, the U.S. Department of State (DOS) released the September 2025 Visa Bulletin. There is no movement in the latest visa bulletin from the previous month. All cutoff dates listed below refer to the final action chart (i.e., Chart A), unless otherwise specified. Visa Bulletin Summary Employment-Based,...
On 08.Aug.2025, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued updated guidance in the USCIS Policy Manual, rescinding the policy that allows a child’s age calculation under the Child Status Protection Act (CSPA) sometimes to be based on the more favorable dates-for-filing chart (Chart B),...
On 05.Aug.2025, the U.S. Department of State published a temporary final rule in the Federal Register implementing a 12-month visa bond pilot program targeting certain B-1/B-2 nonimmigrant visa applicants. The program ostensibly aims to address overstay concerns by requiring certain applicants to post a visa...
A federal district court ruled on 29.Jul.2025, that the current EB5 investment sustainment requirement will remain in place while the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) works on formal rulemaking to implement changes from the EB5 Reform and Integrity Act of 2022 (RIA). The decision...
Recently, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) submitted a proposed rule to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), titled "Weighted Selection Process for Registrants and Petitioners Seeking to File Cap-Subject H-1B Petitions." While the text of the proposed rule has not yet been...
