DHS proposes a $103,265 fee on every cap-subject H-1B petition
The proposed fee is more than one hundred times the current base filing fee, is not based on the cost of adjudicating an H-1B, and is not in effect.
Policy & rulemaking
Court rulings
Where the $100,000 H-1B proclamation fee actually stands
A federal court vacated the guidance implementing it in June. The First Circuit declined to stay that ruling. The proclamation itself expires on September 21 unless extended.
Visas & green cards
Duration of status ends September 15 for F and J holders
A DHS final rule replaces open-ended admission with a fixed Admit Until Date on the I-94. Four years is the maximum for a single admission, not a lifetime cap.
Visas & green cards
The F-1 grace period drops to 30 days, but not for everyone at once
The post-completion grace period halves under the new admission rule. Transition provisions mean current students keep 60 days until they travel or file an extension.
Policy & rulemaking
Executive Order 14419 targets birth tourism, and leaves the details to the agencies
The order signed August 6 defines birth tourism and directs State and DHS to act on it. The State Department has since announced a task force. The operative guidance has not been published.
Visas & green cards
Fiscal year 2026 closes September 30. Here is what ‘unavailable’ would mean.
The September bulletin warns that several employment categories may retrogress or go unavailable before the fiscal year ends. A short guide to what the terms mean.
Visas & green cards
The August 2026 visa bulletin: F2A leaps nineteen months, employment barely moves
The family-sponsored chart carried almost all the movement, led by an F2A jump of more than eighteen months. The employment chart inched.