Category: H1B
$100,000 H-1B Fee Extended Through September 2027
On September 18, 2026, President Trump issued a new Presidential Proclamation extending the $100,000 H-1B payment requirement for another 12 months, through September 21, 2027. The $100,000 payment requirement was originally imposed in September 2025 and generally applies to certain new H-1B petitions for beneficiaries outside the United States who will need to enter the…
New H-1B Executive Order Puts Employer Layoffs Under Scrutiny
A new Executive Order directs federal agencies to consider recent and planned employer layoffs when reviewing H-1B filings, visas, and admission.
New USCIS Adjustment of Status Memo: What Employment-Based and Family-Based Applicants Should Know
On May 21, 2026, USCIS issued a new policy memorandum emphasizing that Adjustment of Status (“AOS” or Form I-485) is an “extraordinary” discretionary benefit and not something intended to routinely replace normal immigrant visa processing abroad. The memo has understandably generated significant concern, and our office has been flooded with questions over the past several…
USCIS Announces FY 2027 H-1B Registration Dates and New Wage-Weighted Lottery Rule
USCIS has announced the registration window for the Fiscal Year 2027 H-1B cap season and confirmed that this year will be the first time the agency implements the new wage-weighted lottery system. Together, these updates represent one of the most significant changes to the H-1B process in years and will directly affect employer strategy, budgeting,…
DOL Launches First-Ever H-1B Compliance Investigations
From Reactive to Proactive Enforcement On September 19, 2025, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) announced Project Firewall, a new enforcement initiative under which the agency will actively investigate employers for compliance with H-1B program requirements. Historically, H-1B investigations were generally reactive — meaning the DOL typically opened reviews only after a worker filed a…
Update: $100,000 H-1B Proclamation – Effective September 21, 2025
On September 21, 2025, a presidential proclamation introduced a $100,000 supplemental payment requirement for certain new H-1B filings and restricted entry for some H-1B nonimmigrants. USCIS has now issued guidance clarifying how the rule applies in practice. Below is a summary focusing on which H-1B cases are affected and which are not. What the Rule…
USCIS H-1B RFEs Citing “Adverse Information” – What Employers Should Know
Our office has observed a trend in H-1B petition adjudications: USCIS is issuing Requests for Evidence (RFEs) that vaguely reference “adverse information” related to the foreign national employee—without specifying what that information is. In several recent cases, these RFEs have included standard requests such as updated addresses or other basic documentation. At the same time,…
H-1B Processing Time 2025
As we enter 2025, we continue to track processing times for H-1B petitions filed under regular (non-premium) processing. While wait times remain a significant factor for employers and employees, recent sample cases handled by our firm show a general range of 5 to 10 months, depending on the service center. H-4s filed together with H-1Bs…
New Rules for Certain EAD Holders and Cap-Gap Beneficiaries
In December 2024, USCIS published new rules introducing significant changes to Employment Authorization Document (EAD) extensions and the H-1B program. These updates aim to address processing delays and improve continuity for impacted workers and their employers. Key Changes to EAD Extension Periods The automatic extension period for certain EADs has been permanently increased from 180…
Update: H-1B processing time
H-1B Processing Update