Answer No. F-1 students who timely file for a STEM OPT extension still receive up to 180 days of automatic employment authorization and valid F-1 status while USCIS processes the application. The 29.Oct.2025 rule only impacts certain EAD renewal categories and does not change the STEM...
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) recently announced new policy guidance in the USCIS Policy Manual on how country-specific facts and circumstances may impact the adjudication of discretionary benefit requests. Presidential Proclamation 10949 The new guidance follows the framework of the 04.Jun.2025 Presidential Proclamation 10949, "Restricting...
Answer No, the $100,000 fee would not apply to an F-1 student, if the H1B is approved as a change of status. (23.Oct.2025)Sheela Murthy and other senior attorneys provide guidance that clarifies the law. For information on our FREE online services, click here. Access more FAQs...
For over three decades, immigration enforcement agencies operated under policies that restricted enforcement activities at certain sensitive locations, such as schools, places of worship, and hospitals. This protective framework, built through successive presidential administrations, ended abruptly on January 20, 2025, when the Trump Administration rescinded...
Each year, thousands of F-1 students are granted a change of status to H1B, with an effective start date of October 1st. But plans sometimes change before the start date. The employer may withdraw the H1B petition before it ever takes effect, leaving the student...
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...
Answer The OPT time does not work like H1B time. In most circumstances, once you use any portion of your OP, the rest is ‘use it or lose it.’ (02.Sep.2025)Sheela Murthy and other senior attorneys provide guidance that clarifies the law. For information on our FREE...
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...
Answer If the college was accredited at the time the degree was conferred, the degree typically can be used to meet a PERM position’s degree requirements. (20.Aug.2025)Sheela Murthy and other senior attorneys provide guidance that clarifies the law. For information on our FREE online services, click...
