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...
Topic: Immigration Updates
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...
State Department Puts a Price Tag on the Diversity Visa Lottery—One Dollar
The State Department has instituted a new rule for the Diversity Visa (DV) lottery: a $1 registration fee. Starting September 16, 2025, every hopeful entrant must pay the token charge at the time of registration. Why the change? Officials say it’s about...
Court Reinstates Venezuela’s 2023 TPS Designation
In a major ruling for hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans living in the U.S., the Ninth Circuit has upheld a district court decision restoring Venezuela’s 2023 Temporary Protected Status (TPS) designation. The court found that DHS Secretary Kristi Noem’s February...
Trump Administration Unveils Gold & Platinum Immigration Plans
On September 19, 2025, the Trump Administration announced a plan for three new immigration pathways: the Trump Gold Card, the Trump Corporate Gold Card, and the forthcoming Trump Platinum Card. These programs represent a departure from the traditional job-creating...
New $100,000 Fee on H-1B Entries by Presidential Proclamation, USCIS Clarifies
On September 19, 2025, President Trump issued a Presidential Proclamation requiring a $100,000 fee for certain H-1B petitions where the worker is outside the United States. Effective September 21, 2025, U.S. entry will be restricted unless the petition is accompanied...
Steve Yale-Loehr, of Miller Mayer, Publishes an Op-Ed in Slate
Steve Yale-Loehr authored an op-ed in Slate titled Trump’s Invisible Border Wall, examining the administration’s immigration policies and their lasting impact. Read the article.
Supreme Court Says Government Can Continue to Detain People in Los Angeles Area for Now; Justice Sotomayor Dissents
On September 8, 2025, the Supreme Court granted, without explanation, an application for stay of a district court's injunction in Noem v. Perdomo, a case that challenged immigration officers' practice of detaining individuals in the Los Angeles area based on...
Annual Cap Reached for EB-1 Immigrant Visas; October Visa Bulletin Released; Religious Workers Category to Expire
On September 8, 2025, the Department of State (DOS) announced that all immigrant visas in the Employment-Based First Preference (EB-1) category for Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 have been issued. As a result, U.S. embassies and consulates cannot issue additional immigrant...
DOS Ends Third-Country Nonimmigrant Visa Appointments
On September 6, 2025, the Department of State (DOS) announced that nonimmigrant visa (NIV) applicants generally must schedule their appointments at the U.S. embassy or consulate in their country of nationality or residence. Third-country visa appointment scheduling is...
