The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has issued a proposed rule that would eliminate the regulation requiring U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) generally to defer to an earlier eligibility determination when reviewing a Form I-129 filing involving the same parties and underlying facts....
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released a proposed rule on October 7, 2026, that would require Student and Exchange Visitor Program-certified schools to pay $70,000 before first recommending an F-1 student for optional practical training (OPT), and $30,000 before a subsequent OPT recommendation after...
Some applicants who have provided biometrics are seeing an unsettling update in their USCIS online case history: “Case Required USCIS To Send A Notice.” The accompanying message may say, “On [date], we issued a notice for your Form [form type], Receipt Number [number].” In cases...
UPDATE TO: October 2026 Visa Bulletin USCIS has confirmed that applicants may use the Dates for Filing charts for both family-sponsored and employment-based adjustment-of-status filings in October 2026. Check your category, country of chargeability, and priority date before filing Form I-485. https://www.uscis.gov/green-card/green-card-processes-and-procedures/visa-availability-priority-dates/adjustment-of-status-filing-charts-from-the-visa-bulletin...
UPDATE: October 2026 Adjustment of Status: Dates for Filing for Family and Employment CategoriesThe October 2026 Visa Bulletin marks the start of fiscal year 2027, with renewed visa availability for EB2 India and unreserved EB5 India, while several employment-based cutoff dates for countries other than...
Answer Not necessarily. When checking a case on CEAC, the status may show only “Issued” or “Refused,” without distinguishing between a refusal that requires additional processing and a refusal that is based on another ground of ineligibility. Thus, a “Refused” status may reflect a refusal under...
Answer Any arrest, charge, or conviction can complicate a nonimmigrant visa application, although a criminal record does not automatically make every applicant inadmissible. The result depends on the offense, criminal statute, disposition, sentence, and other facts. If a criminal ground of inadmissibility applies, the applicant may...
New York and a coalition of states and local governments filed two federal lawsuits on September 14, 2026, seeking to block the Trump administration’s new public charge rule. The cases, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, challenge the...
A federal district court in Massachusetts has postponed the effective date of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) final rule that would eliminate the duration-of-status (D/S) framework for F-1 students, J-1 exchange visitors, and certain I nonimmigrants. The rule, titled “Establishing a Fixed Time Period...
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is scheduled to publish a notice of proposed rulemaking on September 11, 2026, that would eliminate the discretionary grace period of up to 60 days currently available to certain nonimmigrant workers following the end of employment. The proposed...
