On November 18, 2025, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced adjustments to certain EB-5-related fees under a district court order in Moody v. Noem, issued November 12. The order stayed certain fees codified by the Department of Homeland Security...
Topic: Immigration Articles
USCIS Now Accepting Only Electronic Payments for Benefit Requests, With Exceptions
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) released a reminder that as of October 28, 2025, it is accepting payments only through Pay.gov for benefit requests filed electronically, with some exceptions. For benefit requests mailed to USCIS, it will only accept...
USCIS, CBP, ICE Announce New ‘Inflationary Adjustments’ for Certain Fees
On November 21, 2025, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced increases in fees for certain benefits as mandated by the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act" (H.R....
Visa Bulletin for December Notes Extension of ‘Certain Religious Workers’ Category
The Department of State's Visa Bulletin for December 2025 includes the following update: H.R. 5371, signed on November 12, 2025, extends the Employment Fourth Preference Certain Religious Workers (SR) category until January 30, 2026. No SR visas may be issued...
DOS Expands Public Charge Exclusions, Encourages Visa Officers to Speculate
According to reports, the Department of State sent a cable to diplomatic and consular posts that greatly expands the public charge reasons for excluding visa applicants beyond the current requirements of a medical exam, required vaccines, and screening procedures....
Shutdown Aftermath: Visa Services Resume, Delays Expected
According to reports, routine visa services have resumed after the federal government shutdown ended on November 12, 2025, after a record 43 days. Federal funding has been extended until January 30, 2026, but delays and backlogs remain. Although funding through fees...
DOS Signals Upcoming Changes to DV Program, Postpones Launch of DV-2027
The Department of State (DOS) announced on November 5, 2025, that it is implementing "certain changes" to the Diversity Visa (DV) entry process and has postponed the start date for the launch of DV-2027. "We will announce the start date for the DV-2027 registration...
DHS Terminates South Sudan TPS Designation
On November 5, 2025, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced that it has published a Federal Register notice terminating South Sudan's designation for Temporary Protected Status (TPS), effective January 5, 2026. The Systematic Alien Verification for...
Annual Asylum Fees Paused in Response to Court Order
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced on November 7, 2025, that in accordance with an October 30, 2025, court order, it has paused the issuance of Annual Asylum Fee (AAF) notices. "Any applicant who has received a notice from USCIS instructing...
USCIS Receives ‘Overwhelming’ Number of Applications for New ‘Homeland Defender’ Positions
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced on November 6, 2025, that since starting its hiring campaign for "Homeland Defenders" on September 30, the agency "has received an overwhelming 35,000-plus applications—the most for any position in agency...
