POLICY ALERTS

Immigration Policy Updates

Track policy changes, executive orders, fee updates, and USCIS announcements that affect your immigration timeline.

6 alerts
high impact
Mar 10, 2026

Executive Order: Expanded Travel Restrictions on IV Processing

New executive order restricts immigrant visa processing at consulates in approximately 90 countries across three tiers. AOS within the US is unaffected. Consular processing timelines may increase significantly for affected countries.

EB-1EB-2EB-3Consular ProcessingMultiple (90+ countries)
USCIS
medium impact
Feb 15, 2026

USCIS Fee Schedule Update — Effective April 2026

USCIS announced revised filing fees effective April 2026. I-485 fees increase by approximately 10%. I-140 premium processing remains at $2,805. New fee waiver categories added for certain employment-based petitions.

I-485I-140I-765Fees
USCIS
medium impact
Jan 22, 2026

H-1B Registration for FY2027 Opens March 1

USCIS confirmed the H-1B electronic registration period for FY2027 opens March 1–17, 2026. The registration fee increases to $215. Beneficiary-centric selection continues to prevent duplicate registrations.

H-1BRegistration
USCIS
high impact
Dec 18, 2025

EB-1 Retrogression: India and China Priority Dates Move Back

January 2026 Visa Bulletin shows EB-1 India final action date retrogressed to 2022-06-01, and EB-1 China to 2022-09-15. This follows the unprecedented EB-1 demand surge in FY2025-2026.

EB-1Visa BulletinIndiaChinaIndia
State Department
medium impact
Nov 30, 2025

AILA Practice Alert: Expedited RFE Response Window Now 30 Days

USCIS reduced the Response for Evidence (RFE) window from 87 days to 30 days for certain employment-based petitions. Applicants should be prepared to respond more quickly.

I-140I-485RFE
AILA
medium impact
Oct 1, 2025

FY2026 Visa Numbers Released — EB Allocation at 140,000

FY2026 employment-based visa allocation set at the base 140,000. Family-based utilization was near full in FY2025, meaning minimal FB→EB spillover expected. EB-1 vertical spillover to EB-2/EB-3 continues due to EB-1 demand collapse.

EB-2EB-3Visa NumbersSpillover
State Department

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Policy summaries are for informational purposes only. Always verify with official USCIS and State Department sources. Not legal advice.