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On December 2, 2025, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued a new policy memo directing officers to pause all asylum applications (Form I-589) regardless of the applicant’s country of origin. Additionally, USCIS were to pause all pending benefit requests where the individual was born or is a citizen of one of the 19 high-risk countries listed under Presidential Proclamation 10949 issued on June 4, 2025. Such benefits were to include applications for permanent residence, permanent residence card renewals, petitions to remove conditions on residence, travel-document applications, and petitions for a range of nonimmigrant statuses, such as H-1B...

USCIS announced today the impending publication of a final rule which will significantly change the H-1B lottery system. The rule, expected to be published on December 29, 2025, will be effective February 27, 2026, and impact this spring’s upcoming lottery. Based on preliminary proposed language, the lottery which had been a random selection process, will be weighted based on salary measured against the U.S. Department of Labor's prevailing wage leveling system.

The DOL has four wage levels, with “Level 1” the lowest and “Level 4” the highest. The proposed language released this fall indicated that those whose...

On December 16, 2025, the White House issued a Proclamation limiting entry to the United States for nationals of certain countries as a follow up to Proclamation 10949 of June 4, 2025.

This Proclamation clarifies limits to entry for immigrants (those seeking entry to the United States to become permanent residents) and nonimmigrants (those seeking entry to the United States for a temporary stay) citing authority under 212(f) and 215(a) of the INA, 8 U.S.C. 1182(f) and 1185(a), and section 301 of title 3, United States Code.

Nationals from the following countries are completely suspended from entering the...

On December 3, 2025, the U.S. Department of State (DOS) announced that, effective December 15, 2025, it will expand its screening of H-1B and H-4 (dependents of H-1B) to their online presence. As of June 23, 2025, the DOS has been requiring such a similar expanded social media screening of students and researchers in F-1, M-1, and J1 visa status. H-1B and H-4 visa applicants will soon be required to adjust their privacy settings on all social media profiles to “public."

As of the week of December 8, 2025, H-1B and H-4 visa applicants have reported that various U.S...

On December 3, 2025, the U.S. Department of State (DOS) announced that, effective December 15, 2025, it will expand its screening of H-1B and H-4 (dependents of H-1B) to their online presence. As of June 23, 2025, the DOS has been requiring such a similar expanded social media screening of students and researchers in F-1, M-1, and J1 visa status. H-1B and H-4 visa applicants will soon be required to adjust their privacy settings on all social media profiles to “public.”

Consular officers must review all available information, including online presence, to determine whether applicants pose a threat to...

On December 2, 2025, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued a new policy memo directing officers to pause all asylum applications (Form I-589) regardless of the applicant’s country of origin. Additionally, USCIS is pausing all pending benefit requests where the individual was born or is a citizen of one of the 19 high-risk countries listed under Presidential Proclamation 10949 issued on June 4, 2025. Such benefits include applications for permanent residence, permanent residence card renewals, petitions to remove conditions on residence, and travel-document applications. We also believe this pause applies to petitions for a range of nonimmigrant...