On January 14, 2026, the State Department announced that, effective January 21, 2026, the issuance of immigrant visas will be indefinitely paused for applicants from 75 countries while the agency reassesses procedures for determining whether applicants are likely to become financially dependent on the U.S. government.
On January 9, 2026, the Department of Homeland Security announced an increase to USCIS Premium Processing fees, effective March 1, 2026. This adjustment follows the biennial Premium Processing fee review under the USCIS Stabilization Act and reflects inflationary changes.
The updated Premium Processing fees are as follows:
On December 12, 2025, USCIS issued a Policy Alert announcing new guidance governing the submission and reuse of photographs for immigration benefit requests. It is no longer accepting self-submitted photos and is limiting when USCIS-taken photos may be reused in benefit requests. Only photos taken by USCIS, at an Application Support Center (ASC) for a Biometrics Services Appointment (BSA), or other authorized entities will be allowed.
On December 16, 2025, President Trump issued a new Presidential Proclamation titled: Restricting and Limiting the Entry of Foreign Nationals to Protect the Security of the United States. This proclamation will take effect at 12:01 a.m.
On December 4, 2025, USCIS announced that it will reduce the maximum validity period for Employment Authorization Documents (EAD) for several application categories, including Adjustment of Status applicants, from five years to 18 months. This change affects EAD applications that are approved after December 5, 2025. It does NOT affect the validity of EADs that were previously approved and does not apply to all EAD categories.
On December 3, 2025, the U.S. Department of State (DOS) announced that, effective December 15, 2025, it will require that an "online presence review be conducted" for all H-1B visa sticker applicants and their dependents applying for an H-4 visa sticker.
On November 27, 2025, USCIS issued new policy guidance, directing officers to consider "relevant country-specific facts and circumstances such as those outlined in [Presidential Proclamation (PP)] 10949," during adjudications of benefit requests.
In a notice published on September 3, 2025, DHS is requesting approval to significantly expand the data collected through Form I-17, Petition for Approval of School for Attendance by Nonimmigrant Student, and Form I-20, Certificate of Eligibility for Nonimmigrant (F–1 and M-1) Student Status.