Keeping you informed on the latest immigration news.
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...
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.
