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News
Aug 17, 2026
The staff of the International Center would like to express our sympathy and concern for U-M international students, scholars, and employees affected by the recent earthquake in Indonesia. Our thoughts are with you, your families, and friends.
Aug 12, 2026
On August 5th, 2026, USCIS announced a new policy intended to reduce frivolous immigration benefits requests. Under this new policy, USCIS adjudicators can now deny a petition or application without first issuing a Request for Evidence (RFE) or a Notice of Intent to Deny (NOID) if all required evidence is not included or if a benefit requestor fails to demonstrate eligibility for a benefit.
Aug 4, 2026
An overview and an FAQ for F-1 Students regarding the new DHS rule eliminating Duration of Status are now available on the International Center website.
Jul 27, 2026
June 8, 2026: A federal judge blocked the $100,000 fee for H-1B visa applications imposed by the Trump administration, determining that the administration exceeded its authority, and that the fee usurped Congress’s power to set immigration policy and taxes.
Jul 20, 2026
Effective August 1, 2026, the Department of State will transfer routine visa services from Antananarivo, Abuja, Asmara, Bamako, Banjul, Brazzaville, Bujumbura, Conakry, Cotonou, Durban, Freetown, Gaborone, Harare, Juba, Libreville, Lilongwe, Lusaka, Maputo, Maseru, Mbabane, N’Djamena, Niamey, Nouakchott, Ouagadougou, and Windhoek to regional visa hubs.
Jul 17, 2026
On Friday, July 17, 2026, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) published the final rule in the Federal Register to end “duration of status” (D/S) for F and J nonimmigrants.
Jun 25, 2026
The Office of Management and Budget’s Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs has completed its review of the proposed rule on Duration of Status. The rule is now designated as “consistent with change”, meaning that some changes were made during the review.
Jun 5, 2026
On June 5, 2026, the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island ruled that USCIS’s Benefits Hold Policy, the Global Asylum Hold Policy, the Comprehensive Re-Review Policy, and the Country-Specific Factors Policy are unlawful, discriminatory, and beyond USCIS’s authority.
Jun 1, 2026
On March 27, 2026, the Department of Labor’s Office of Foreign Labor Certification (OFLC) published a proposed rule, titled Improving Wage Protections for the Temporary and Permanent Employment of Certain Foreign Nationals in the United States, that would change how prevailing wages are calculated for H-1B, H-1B1, E-3, and PERM-based green card applications.