On August 10, 2026, pursuant to a final rule establishing a fixed period of admission for exchange visitors (J-1 nonimmigrants), international students (F-1 nonimmigrants), and others, the Department of State (DOS) issued guidance for J exchange visitor sponsors with...
Topic: Immigration Articles
DOS Establishes New Birth Tourism Prevention Task Force
Pursuant to recent executive orders, the Department of State (DOS) announced on August 12, 2026, that it has established a Birth Tourism Prevention Task Force to “[review] the activities of visa holders worldwide to identify instances of birth tourism, take action to...
E-Verify Status Change Report Expands
On August 11, 2026, E-Verify announced that the E-Verify Status Change Report has expanded in scope. Previously, the report only identified parolee (category C11) Employment Authorization Documents (EADs) that were invalidated. It now identifies employees with asylum...
DHS Issues Interim Rule on Mandatory Electronic Filing
On August 10, 2026, the Department of Homeland Security announced an interim final rule, effective August 11, 2026, to allow U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to require mandatory electronic filing (e-filing) of certain benefit requests. The rule...
Overruling Precedent, BIA Now Says Leaving United States Temporarily Under Advance Parole Constitutes ‘Departure’
Overruling Matter of Arrabally and Yerrabelly—a 2012 precedent decision holding that a person who leaves the United States temporarily with a grant of advance parole does not thereby make a “departure” under the Immigration and Nationality Act and thus does not...
USCIS to Publish Revised Applications for Extension/Change of Nonimmigrant Status and Work Authorization
On August 14, 2026, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that it will publish revised editions of Form I-539, Application to Extend/Change Nonimmigrant Status, and Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization. USCIS said the forms “have...
DHS Considers Elimination of 60-Day Grace Period Following Termination of Sponsored Employment
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) plans to propose a new rule that would eliminate the 60-day grace period currently available to noncitizen workers following termination of sponsored employment. The 60-day grace period was added in 2017 and applies to H-1B,...
President Trump Signs New Executive Orders Limiting Birthright Citizenship
Following defeat in the Supreme Court on constitutional grounds of a presidential order limiting birthright citizenship, President Trump signed two new executive orders on August 6, 2026, to limit birthright citizenship for those he deems not to “fall within the rule...
August Visa Bulletin Shows Little Forward Movement
The Department of State’s Visa Bulletin for August shows little forward movement across several employment-based categories. The bulletin includes the following information: VISA AVAILABILITY IN THE EMPLOYMENT-BASED FIRST PREFERENCE (EB-1) FINAL ACTION DATE FOR INDIA...
USCIS Extends TPS-Based EAD Validity for Burma, Ethiopia, Somalia, and South Sudan; Use of Ankle Monitors Expands
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has released updated guidance on court-ordered extensions of work authorization under Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Burma, Ethiopia, Somalia, and South Sudan. As an example, the guidance for Ethiopia notes:...
