The October 2025 Visa Bulletin has been released, marking the start of a new fiscal year and a reset of annual visa limits. USCIS has announced that applicants should use Chart B (Dates for Filing) this month for both employment-based and family-sponsored categories....
Topic: Immigration Articles
USCIS NTAs During the H-1B 60-Day Grace Period
AILA reports an increase in Notices to Appear (NTAs) issued when an employer withdraws an H-1B petition, even when a change-of-employer (COE) or change-of-status (COS) petition has been timely filed within the grace period. The 60-day grace period was intended as a...
AVITS Now Features Real-Time DS-160 Validation
AILA recently issued a practice alert highlighting a new feature in the Department of State’s AVITS visa scheduling system: real-time DS-160 validation. Rolled out in collaboration with DOS, the tool instantly cross-checks applicants’ DS-160 number, passport, and date...
A Field of Dreams for California Immigrants
In this New York Times article, read about the rolling acres of Sonoma County, where pinot noir and chardonnay vines stretch toward the horizon, there lies a baseball diamond—carved not by the major leagues, but by the calloused hands of vineyard workers. For more...
Korean Worker Detentions Revive Questions Over B-1 Visa Use
The detention and swift removal of hundreds of South Korean workers at a Georgia electric vehicle battery plant this month has reignited debate over the use of short-term business visas for activities that edge into unauthorized employment. The workers, many of whom...
State Department Expands Visa Interview Waiver Eligibility; DHS Restores Hungary’s ESTA Eligibility
On September 18, 2025, the U.S. Department of State (DOS) announced an update to its interview waiver policy for nonimmigrant visa applicants, effective October 1, 2025. The policy expands consular officers’ authority to waive in-person interviews for certain low-risk...
EB-5 Unreserved Visa Cap Reached for FY 2025: New Applications on Hold Until October
The U.S. Department of State has announced that the unreserved category of EB-5 immigrant investor visas has reached its annual limit for fiscal year 2025, effective as of mid-September. As a result, no new EB-5 unreserved visas will be issued by U.S. consulates or...
Egypt Reaches Diversity Visa Cap for FY 2025
The U.S. Department of State (DOS) announced that Egypt has reached its annual limit under the Diversity Visa (DV) Program for fiscal year 2025. As of September 15, no further DV-2025 visas will be issued to Egyptian nationals. By law, no single country can receive...
USCIS Announces First-Half FY 2026 H-2B Visa Cap Reached
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced that the quota for H-2B non-agricultural worker visas for the first half of fiscal year 2026 has been reached on September 12, 2025. Employers seeking to hire H-2B workers for start dates between October...
USCIS Unveils New Naturalization Civics Test
USCIS has announced the first changes in a planned multi-step overhaul of the naturalization process, reintroducing a revised civics test that will apply to applicants filing on or after October 20, 2025. Known as the 2025 Naturalization Civics Test, the update is a...
