Immigration Insights and Issues (III)

Effective April 1, 2026, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) implemented a revised edition of Form I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker, including significant updates to the H Classification Supplement. These changes coincide with broader structural developments affecting H-1B and H-1B cap adjudications, including increased data transparency, enhanced integrity measures, and new fee considerations.
Collectively,

For years, Small Business Administration (SBA)-backed small business loans were available to borrowers that were at least 51% owned by U.S. citizens, U.S. nationals, and/or U.S. legal permanent residents (LPRs also known as “green card” holders).  The Trump Administration has now extended the scope of its efforts to tighten immigration-related policies and rules to qualifications

Without any grace period for implementation, investigation results, or opportunity for prior comment by H-1B employers in the State of Texas, Governor Abbott issued a letter on January 27, 2026, addressed to all state agency heads stating that, “The economy of Texas should work for the benefit of Texas workers and Texas employers.” The letter

The H-1B nonimmigrant category[1] has been a target of extreme scrutiny under the current administration.  H-1B sponsoring employers face a variety of new considerations affecting their petition beneficiaries such as:  potential eligibility for selection in the annual H-1B lottery for cap-subject employers, costs of filing due to the H-1B Proclamation implementing the $100,000.00 payment,

This article provides an updated summary of the implications of the expanded Travel Ban announced by the administration on December 16.
BASIS  – PROCLAMATION 10949 of JUNE 4, 2025  – Restricting the Entry of Foreign Nationals To Protect the United States From Foreign Terrorists and Other National Security and Public Safety Threats
TRAVEL BAN EXPANSION

Effective December 15, 2025, the U.S. Department of State (DOS) will require all H-1B professional workers and H-4 dependents to make their social-media profiles publicly viewable so consular officers can conduct an “online presence review.” This screening requirement, previously applied primarily to students and exchange visitors in the F, M, and J visa categories, now

On December 2, 2025, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) released a significant new policy memorandum PM-602-0192, titled “Hold and Review of all Pending Asylum Applications and all USCIS Benefit Applications Filed by Aliens from High-Risk Countries.” The memorandum implements one of the most far-reaching adjudication holds in recent years and directs immediate, agency-wide

In today’s competitive global talent environment, employment-based nonimmigrant and immigrant visa categories remain essential tools for U.S. employers trying to attract, transfer, or retain high-skilled professionals. Recent trends show that U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has adopted a significantly more stringent approach to adjudicating related petitions.
USCIS has recently made several changes that are