News

On 2/18/2025, the US Department of State announced changes to the eligibility criteria for nonimmigrant interview waivers, also known as "drop box appointments." If you qualify for a visa interview waiver, you can apply for a visa without an in-person interview at a U.S. embassy or consulate.

FSIS is closely tracking any developments in immigration policy and will continue to share updates through our usual communication channels. While the new Administration has announced several executive orders, none of them directly affect employment-based immigration (e.g. H-1B). However, some of these orders may impact processing times at USCIS or U.S. consulates abroad, and they could lay the groundwork for potential future restrictions, such as travel bans. 

On 12/18/2024, USCIS issued its Final Rule titled "Modernizing H-1B Requirements, Providing Flexibility in the F–1 Program, and Program Improvements Affecting Other Nonimmigrant Workers," which is scheduled to take effect on 1/17/25.

On 12/10/2024, the US Department of Homeland Security announced that it is permanently extending the automatic extension period for certain EAD applicants from 180 to 540 days.

On 12/6/2024, the US Department of State announced that, effective 12/9/2024, it is changing the J-1 "skills list." If a country is removed from the skills list, the two-year home residency obligation is retroactively removed for individuals from that country as long as they are not also subject on a different basis, e.g. government funding or J-1 program category (Alien Physician).

On 9/24/2024, the Department of Homeland Security and Department of State announced that "[starting] no later than [12/1/2024], the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) online application and mobile app will be updated to allow citizens and nationals of Qatar to apply to travel to the United States for tourism or business purposes for up to 90 d

Effective 9/10/2024, USCIS began automatically extending the validity of green cards to 36 months from the expiration date on the face of the current Green Card for individuals who file Form I-90 to renew an expiring or expired Green Card. USCIS is in the process of sending out amended receipt notices for individuals with a pending Form I-90.

On 4/8/2024, USCIS published a new temporary final rule extending the automatic extension period for certain EAD applicants from 180 to 540 days. This rule will be effective from 4/8/2024 until 9/20/2027 and will affect extension requests filed between 10/27/2023 and 9/30/2025.

Effective 4/1/2024, USCIS will change its fee schedule for many petition and application types as well as its Premium Processing adjudication timeline. The Premium Processing timeline will change from calendar days to federal business days. In effect, for an H-1B petition, the Premium Processing timeline will change from approximately 2 weeks to approximately 3 weeks.

On 12/28/2023, USCIS announced that it will change its Premium Processing fees. Effective 2/26/2024, the Premium Processing fees for H-1B petitions as well as most Immigrant Petitions will increase from $2,500 to $2,805.