Keeping you informed on the latest immigration news.
Most FY 2025 Employment-Based Limits Could Be Reached in August or September, Visa Bulletin Says
The Department of State's (DOS) Visa Bulletin for September notes a "steady increase" in both U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and DOS demand patterns for employment-based green cards. As a result, the bulletin says that the Visa Office expects to reach...
USCIS Issues Policy Guidance to Prevent Trans Women From Competing in Women’s Sports in the United States
On August 4, 2025, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued a policy alert, effective immediately, to prevent trans women from entering the United States to participate in women's sports. The alert, which characterizes trans women as "male," clarifies...
Routine Visa Services Paused at U.S. Embassy in Zimbabwe as Part of Worldwide Review of Visa ‘Screening and Vetting Procedures’
Effective August 7, 2025, the U.S. Embassy in Harare, Zimbabwe, has temporarily paused all routine visa services. The Department of State said that this pause "includes applications for immigrant visas as well as nonimmigrant visas for tourists, business travelers,...
DOS Launches Visa Bond Pilot Program, Imposes Visa Bonds on Nationals of Malawi and Zambia
The Department of State (DOS) published a temporary final rule on August 5, 2025, announcing the start of a 12-month visa bond pilot program. Individuals applying for visas as temporary visitors for business or pleasure (B-1/B-2) who are nationals of countries...
DOS Proposes Rule to Increase Vetting and Combat Fraud in DV Program
On August 5, 2025, the Department of State (DOS) published a notice of proposed rulemaking to "improve the integrity and combat fraud" in the Diversity Visa (DV) Program. DOS proposes to require DV Program applicants "to provide valid, unexpired passport information...
DV-2025 Entrants From UK and Dependent Areas Need to Re-Check Their Selection, DOS Says
On August 8, 2025, the Department of State (DOS) announced that in reviewing the entry selection system for the DV-2025 Program, the agency has determined that for a "small number" of entrants from Great Britain (United Kingdom) and its dependent areas, "the selection...
285 South Quotes Steve Yale-Loehr: Self-Deportation Leads to Arrest
In An Augusta Man Decided to 'Self-Deport.' The Government Arrested Him Anyway, Steve noted that although U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) website says that people using the self-deportation app will be "deprioritized," there's nothing that actually...
Bloomberg News Quotes Steve Yale-Loehr: Columbia to Aid Trump Policing of Foreign Students
– In Columbia University to Aid Trump Policing of Foreign Students Under Deal, Steve said that for Columbia and other schools entertaining such concessions, "the devil is in the implementation details." But "no matter how this is implemented," he said, "it shows...
CBS News Quotes Steve Yale-Loehr: Judge Blocks Expedited Deportations
In Judge Blocks Expedited Deportations of Those Who Entered the U.S. Legally, Possibly Curtailing ICE Courthouse Arrests, Steve said the judge's order could mean that "several hundred thousand people will be temporarily spared from immediate removal under the...
Birthright Citizenship Update: Trump Restrictions Blocked, Implementation Plan Developed
In the ongoing battle over birthright citizenship, there have been several new developments, including a ruling in the Ninth Circuit and development of an implementation plan by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). Below are highlights: Ninth Circuit...
