Several Department of Homeland Security agencies have announced changes in fees: S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that, effective October 16, 2026, fees will increase for several benefits. Any request postmarked on or after that date without...
Topic: Customs and Border Protection
Senate Passes Immigration Enforcement Funding Bill
Early on June 5, 2026, the Senate passed (52-47) a $70 billion bill to fund the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Customs and Border Protection agencies for three years, under the Department of Homeland Security. The bill now heads to the House of...
CBP Issues 30-Day Request for Comments on Arrival/Departure Record and Electronic System for Travel Authorization
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) seeks comments on the Arrival/Departure Record (Form I-94) and the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA). Comments are due by May 30, 2024, using the method described in the notice, which also provides contact...
CBP Publishes Interim Final Rule Requiring Electronic Travel Authorization Before Traveling to Guam or CNMI and Establishing a New Travel Authorization Program
A new U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) interim final rule, effective September 30, 2024, requires persons intending to travel to Guam or the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) under the Guam-CNMI Visa Waiver Program (G-CNMI VWP) to submit Form...
CBP Updates Website, Provides Trusted Traveler Processing Times
In an effort to reduce unscheduled visits to Trusted Traveler Program (TTP) Enrollment Centers, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has expanded the TTP-related topics on its public website portal to include the ability to select the option "update documents in my...
Three Important Cases Pending Before U.S. Supreme Court
Three important cases are pending before the U.S. Supreme Court. According to observers, at stake are the legitimacy of the current U.S. immigration court system and the longstanding precedent decision, Chevron v. Natural Resources Defense Council, and its standard...
White House Announces Plans to Increase Border Enforcement and Accelerate Work Authorization
On September 20, 2023, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced a series of actions to increase enforcement along the U.S.-Mexico border and accelerate work authorization processing. Regarding the southern border, DHS outlined several enforcement changes,...
State Dept. Conducting Proof of Concept Testing for Digital Visa Authorization
On September 8, 2023, the U.S. Department of State’s (DOS) Bureau of Consular Affairs announced it is developing and testing a digital visa authorization (DVA) capability instead of the traditional process of printed visas placed in applicants’ passports. The U.S....
CBP Mobile App Facilitates More Than 170,000 Appointments in Six Months
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced on August 3, 2023, that the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) mobile app, CBP One, has facilitated more than 170,000 appointments in six months. The CBP One app is free and available to migrants in Central...
DHS Reduces Brunei ESTA Validity Period
Effective July 6, 2023, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), in consultation with the Department of State, has reduced from two years to one year the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) validity period for travel by citizens and nationals of Brunei...
