by Frank Alvarado | Jan 9, 2026 | Immigration Updates
Overview The FY 2027 H-1B cap season will introduce significant structural changes to the selection process and increased financial risk for some employers. DHS will replace the random H-1B lottery with a wage-based weighted selection system. USCIS is expected to open...
by Frank Alvarado | Jan 8, 2026 | Immigration Updates
For audio listeners, you can listen to our audio version of the News Digest here. You can also join our Immigration News Digest Newsletter here. DHS Finalizes Wage-Weighted H-1B Cap Selection Rule USCIS Ends SSN Requests Through EAD Applications TPS Maintained for...
by Frank Alvarado | Jan 6, 2026 | Global
Our December global immigration recap includes the latest on Australia’s Subclass 186 TRT Visa requirements, Ireland’s Employment Permit salary thresholds, India’s new e-Production Investment Visa, and Saudi Arabia’s business visa approval trends. Australia – New Work...
by Frank Alvarado | Dec 23, 2025 | Immigration Updates
Recent changes in U.S. visa vetting procedures have expanded social media and online presence reviews for certain nonimmigrant visa applicants. These enhanced reviews are contributing to significant processing delays at U.S. embassies and consulates...
by Frank Alvarado | Dec 23, 2025 | Immigration Updates
The Trump administration has finalized a rule that replaces the randomized H-1B lottery with a weighted selection system that favors higher-paid roles. The rule takes effect February 27, meaning it will be in place before the upcoming spring H-1B cap season,...
by Frank Alvarado | Dec 20, 2025 | Immigration Updates
The Department of Labor (DOL) has taken the first formal step toward revising wage rules for the H-1B nonimmigrant and PERM labor certification programs. A proposed rule has been submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review—an early but meaningful...
by Frank Alvarado | Dec 17, 2025 | Immigration Updates
For audio listeners, you can listen to our audio version of the News Digest here. You can also join our Immigration News Digest Newsletter here. U.S. Travel Ban Expanded: Full and Partial Country List Gold Card Program: Speed vs. Stability States Challenge $100,000...
by Frank Alvarado | Dec 16, 2025 | Immigration Updates
Last Updated: December 16, 2025 The White House has issued an expanded update to the U.S. travel ban, adding several new countries to both the full travel ban and partial restriction categories. Below is an up-to-date list reflecting the December 16, 2025...
by Frank Alvarado | Dec 15, 2025 | Immigration Updates
December 2025 Introduction Twenty U.S. states have filed a federal lawsuit challenging the September 19 Presidential Proclamation and related federal agency policies that impose a $100,000 fee on certain H-1B nonimmigrant petitions. The states seek...
by Frank Alvarado | Dec 11, 2025 | Immigration Updates
For audio listeners, you can listen to our audio version of the News Digest here. You can also join our Immigration News Digest Newsletter here. CBP Proposes Major Expansion of ESTA Data Collection DOS Expands Social Media Review to All H-1B and H-4 Applicants Holiday...
by Frank Alvarado | Dec 11, 2025 | Immigration Updates
Distinguishing Proclamation-Based Entry Exemptions from USCIS Adjudication Pauses for Nationals of High-Risk Countries Summary Recent government updates have created confusion regarding whether dual nationals—such as a Canadian–Iranian individual—are subject to the...
by Frank Alvarado | Dec 10, 2025 | Individual Services
Key insights from discussions with a former Deputy Chief of IPO. 1. USCIS’ Current View of EB-5 EB-5 is not viewed negatively within USCIS. Increased scrutiny reflects agency-wide trends, not hostility. 2. Mandamus: Use Strategically IPO has a dedicated team for...
by Frank Alvarado | Dec 5, 2025 | Human Resources Services
The Supreme Court will review Executive Order 14160, President Trump’s January 20, 2025 directive instructing federal agencies to deny automatic U.S. citizenship to children born in the United States if their parents are undocumented or temporarily present, including...
by Frank Alvarado | Dec 4, 2025 | Human Resources Services
Summary U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will soon reduce the maximum validity period for both initial and renewal Employment Authorization Documents (EADs) for several categories of noncitizens. Beginning December 5, 2025,...
by Frank Alvarado | Dec 4, 2025 | Immigration Updates
For audio listeners, you can listen to our audio version of the News Digest here. You can also join our Immigration News Digest Newsletter here. Federal Agencies Pause Key Immigration Processes Online Presence Reviews for H-1B/H-4 Visas Begin December 15 DOJ Dismisses...
by Frank Alvarado | Dec 4, 2025 | Human Resources Services
Effective December 15, 2025, the U.S. Department of State will expand its online presence vetting procedures to include all H-1B specialty occupation and H-4 dependent visa applicants at U.S. consular posts abroad. This policy mirrors the process implemented in June...
by Frank Alvarado | Dec 2, 2025 | Global
WR Immigration’s November global immigration recap includes the latest on the UK’s public consultation regarding changes to Settlement requirements, Canada’s Immigration Levels Plan for 2026-2028, Japan’s updated eligibility criteria for Business Manager Visa...
by Frank Alvarado | Dec 1, 2025 | Human Resources Services
Effective as of November 27, 2025 USCIS has released significant new guidance outlining how officers should evaluate discretion in Adjustment of Status adjudications. This update, contained in the USCIS Policy Manual (Vol. 7, Pt. A, Ch. 10), marks one of the most...
by James Pinedo | Nov 26, 2025 | Individual Services
In a major victory for due process and noncitizens’ statutory rights, a federal district court today issued a nationwide class certification order in Maldonado Bautista v. Garland, extending previously granted declaratory relief to all members of the newly...
by James Pinedo | Nov 25, 2025 | Global
South Africa’s Department of Home Affairs (DHA) has launched MyHomeAffairsOnline, a new digital portal that allows individuals—particularly those living abroad—to apply for the reinstatement of their South African citizenship. The platform was created in response to a...
by Frank Alvarado | Nov 20, 2025 | Immigration Updates
For audio listeners, you can listen to our audio version of the News Digest here. You can also join our Immigration News Digest Newsletter here. Post-Shutdown Immigration Update: Current Status USCIS Advances Gold Card Program USCIS Weighs Stricter Review for...
by James Pinedo | Nov 19, 2025 | Investor Visas
USCIS has transmitted a draft Form I-140G—the petition proposed for use under President Trump’s forthcoming Gold Card program—to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for mandatory federal review. OMB approval is a key prerequisite to meeting the December 18...
by James Pinedo | Nov 19, 2025 | Naturalization
Overview U.S. citizenship applicants must demonstrate Good Moral Character (GMC) for the statutory period—generally the five years immediately preceding the naturalization application, or three years for applicants filing under the INA §319(a)...
by Frank Alvarado | Nov 18, 2025 | Human Resources Services
DHS has issued a proposed rule that would rescind the public charge regulation in place since December 2022 and replace it with a significantly broader public charge framework implemented through policy guidance, rather than a formal regulation. The new approach would...
by James Pinedo | Nov 14, 2025 | Investor Visas
A major development in EB-5 this week: a federal court has reinstated the pre-April 2024 filing fees for the EB‑5 Immigrant Investor Program. As of today, the filing fee for Form I-526E is back to $3,675, plus the $1,000 Integrity Fund fee. USCIS has now updated is...
