The U.S. Department of State (DOS) has released the October 2025 Visa Bulletin, which is the first visa bulletin of fiscal year (FY) 2026. All cutoff dates listed below refer to the final action chart (i.e., Chart A), unless otherwise specified. Visa Bulletin Summary Employment-Based, First Preference...
On 03.Sep.2025, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) published a notice in the Federal Register proposing significant revisions to the information collected on the petition for approval of school for attendance by nonimmigrant student (form I-17), and the certificate of eligibility for nonimmigrant (F-1...
The U.S. Department of State (DOS) has issued new instructions, effective 06.Sep.2025, that may sharply curtail the practice of third-country national (TCN) visa processing. The new guidance signals that most nonimmigrant visa (NIV) applicants will be expected to apply from within their country of nationality...
In a significant policy shift, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced its plan to eliminate the ability to pay filing fees using personal checks, money orders, or other forms of paper payments, with few exceptions. For decades, these paper-based payments have been a...
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 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...
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 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...
