Department

H-1B Fee Reinstated Pending Appeal

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.

District Court Sets Aside USCIS Adjudication Pause

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.

University of Michigan Comment on Proposed Prevailing Wage Rule

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. These changes would generally increase the wages required for those petitions.

USCIS announces it will grant Adjustment of Status only in extraordinary circumstances

On 5/22/2026 USCIS announced a new Policy Memorandum related to the final step of the green card application process.

Public Health Travel Restrictions to Prevent the Introduction of Ebola Disease into the United States

On May 18, 2026, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced targeted travel restrictions “to protect the health of the United States from the serious risk posed by the introduction of Ebola disease into the United States by covered aliens based on the emergent outbreak of Ebola disease caused by the Bundibugyo virus strain confirmed present in Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda.” The travel restrictions apply for a period of 30

Country-Specific Restrictions Quick Reference Tool

Over the past year, the U.S. government has put a number of restrictions in place. To use this tool to identify which restrictions apply to a particular country, select a country from the dropdown menu to see the restrictions currently in effect for that country, including the travel ban, the USCIS Pause, the 75 Country IV Pause, F, J, and H Visa Limits, and B Visa Bond requirements.

Support and Resources for U-M Community Members Impacted by the Current Middle East Conflict

The International Center would like to express our concern for those who have been impacted by the recent events in the Middle East, or are facing uncertainty as a result of them, and remind the U-M international community of the following support resources:

USCIS increases Premium Processing fees effective 3/1/2026

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:

USCIS Pauses Final Adjudication of Benefits for Citizens of Additional Countries

On January 1, 2026, USCIS issued new policy guidance to place a hold on final adjudication of immigration benefits for individuals with a nationality or country of birth that is covered by the December 16, 2025 Presidential Proclamation titled: Restricting and Limiting the Entry of Foreign Nationals to Protect the Security of the United States.

Final Rule on H-1B Weighted Lottery Selection Released

On December 23, 2025, the Department of Homeland Security - US Citizenship and Immigration Services (DHS/USCIS) released the text of the Final Rule regarding the “Weighted Selection Process for Registrants and Petitioners Seeking to File Cap-Subject H-1B Petitions,” to be published on December 29, 2025.

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