U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)

Rule Changes

Implemented the re-application bar and earlier 2026 asylum rules

A person denied asylum in the United States can no longer file a new application on the same claim. The rule took effect immediately, covering every new and pending asylum application.

Updated Sep 20

Rule Changes

Processes I-539 extension applications under the new rule

F-1 student visas used to stay valid as long as you kept studying, with no expiration date printed on your arrival record. As of September 15, 2026, that changed: U.S. Customs and Border Protection now prints a fixed 'admit until' date, usually the program end date capped at four years, plus a 30-day grace period.

Updated Sep 15

Rule Changes

Ended work authorization for Haitian TPS holders in August 2026

Harriett Cecilia Joseph built a life in Springfield, Ohio: a quality-control job, her own event-planning business. On a Monday in August, her work permit expired and her legal status vanished, the result of a Supreme Court ruling that let the Trump administration end Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haiti.

Updated Sep 15

Rule Changes

Implementing adjustment-of-status restriction requiring applicants to apply from abroad

The 75-country immigrant visa freeze took effect January 21, 2026, as planned. Two weeks later, a coalition of civil rights groups sued in federal court, arguing the ban violates immigration law and the Constitution. The case, CLINIC v. Rubio, is pending on cross-motions for partial summary judgment with no injunction issued as of May 2026.

Updated May 23

Rule Changes

Issuing and implementing the new policy

Since 1952, foreign nationals living legally in the United States could apply for a green card without leaving. On Friday, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services closed that route for most applicants.

Updated May 23

Rule Changes

Administering H-1B program; enforcing fraud crackdown

On December 29, 2025, the Department of Homeland Security published its final rule replacing the H-1B lottery with wage-weighted selection. It takes effect February 27, 2026.

Updated May 16

Rule Changes

Administered FRP intake and now unwinds cases and parole-linked benefits

DHS just turned a promised “legal pathway” into a ticking clock. A Federal Register notice published December 15, 2025 terminates every Family Reunification Parole program tied to seven countries—and tells people already here that their parole will end on January 14, 2026.

Updated May 15

Rule Changes

Not the decision-maker for visa stamps, but its approvals trigger consular stamping demand

The State Department is implementing social media screening for employment visas. Starting December 15, 2025, H-1B workers and H-4 spouses and kids applying for visa stamps abroad get an "online presence review" — and they're told to make their social profiles public so officers can look.

Updated May 15

Rule Changes

Processing gatekeeper; guidance defines scope of who pays

The Trump administration imposed a $100,000 fee on new H‑1B visa petitions. Now twenty states are suing to overturn that fee in federal court, calling it an illegal end-run around Congress.

Updated May 15