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...
On August 25, 2025, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that it is resuming “neighborhood” investigations of certain individuals applying for naturalization. This policy change ends the agency's over three-decade long practice of waiving these investigations. Overview of Neighborhood Investigations The Immigration and Nationality Act...
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 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) –...
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),...
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...
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced today that the H1B cap limit for fiscal year 2026 (FY26) has been reached. This applies to both the 65,000 regular H1B cap limit as well as the 20,000 advanced degree (masters) cap exemptions.The USCIS only had...
As noted in the MurthyDotCom NewsBrief, USCIS Notice to Appear (NTA) Memo Could Result in Harsh Consequences (04.Mar.2025), the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued a policy memorandum in February 2025, expanding the types of situations that may lead to the issuance of a...
