December 2025 » ImmigrationUSA

DOL

H-1B Lottery Rules Changed

The H-1B lottery, a staple of the H-1B application process, will change its rules regarding who gets access first. The lottery will favor the highest paying applicants instead of giving every applicant an equal chance. Only eighty-five thousand new visas are offered by the government each yearly lottery. Over the

December 23, 2025

DHS

Immigration Court Detainment Prompts ‘No-Shows’ to Skyrocket

Recent analysis by NPR shows an increase of ‘no-shows’ at immigration court cases. This is mainly due to the increase in courthouse arrests by immigration authorities. However, the uptake in courthouse detainments doesn’t justify not attending immigration hearings. Since January 2025, immigration authorities have increased operations directly in immigration court.

December 23, 2025

Diversity Visa

Legal Residency Pathways Decrease

Over the course of 2025, the legal residency pathways have significantly decreased. This is due to the increase of government scrutiny towards most immigration processing and vetting procedures. These changes impact millions of individuals currently residing in the U.S. The following programs have been cancelled, suspended, or reduced in some

December 23, 2025

Uncategorized

VAWA Program Guidelines Updated

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services updated the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) program. Said change is effective immediately. The move is part of a greater effort to increase government oversight of the immigration vetting process and greater efforts to combat immigration fraud. The VAWA program gives survivors of domestic abuse

December 23, 2025

DHS

Diversity Visa Lottery Suspended

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) suspended the diversity visa (DV1) lottery. The move comes after the shooting at Brown University on December 13, 2025. According to the DHS, the perpetrator first entered the U.S. as a green card holder back in 2017.

December 22, 2025

Family-Based Visa

January 2026 Visa Bulletin

The U.S. Department of State has released the January 2026 visa bulletin. The Visa Bulletin provides an update on the availability of immigrant visas for both consular processing and adjustment of status applications for the month of December 2025. The bulletin includes both the Final Action Dates and the Dates for Filing for employment-based and

December 18, 2025

Noncitizen travel

Nonimmigrant Visa Holders: Refrain from Traveling Abroad

Until further notice, nonimmigrant visa holders shouldn’t travel abroad unless necessary. The current state of the U.S. immigration landscape is incredibly fluid, with policies changing overnight and without advance notice. As a result, recently nonimmigrant visa holders have reported difficulty when trying to re-enter the U.S. The U.S. government has

December 17, 2025

immigration policy

Immigration Restrictions Expanded for Several Countries

The government expanded immigration restrictions for foreign nationals from countries designated as “high-risk”. The move ends a temporary halt of immigration services for visa, green card, and citizenship applications from said countries. Additionally, immigration authorities placed restrictions on countries outside of the original high-risk designation after review. An executive order

December 17, 2025

Form I-485

USCIS Photo ID Policy Updated

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is issuing new photo id guidance limiting the age photos of foreign nationals can still be use for immigration documents. Once implemented, applicants cannot use photos older than three years on immigration forms. The policy change is effective immediately. Additionally, any photos not taken

December 16, 2025

family reunification parole process

Family Parole Program Terminated for Multiple Countries

he Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is terminating the Family Reunification Parole program (FRP). The government explained the move is part of a larger effort to end abuse and fraud in immigration programs. The FRP program will expire on January 14, 2026. Termination of the program impacts beneficiaries from the

December 16, 2025