Executive briefings, policy analysis, and actionable guidance written for general counsel, HR directors, and founders, not for lawyers. Every piece carries its primary sources and the date it was accurate.
On September 15, 2026, DHS replaces duration of status for F, J and I nonimmigrants with fixed admission periods. Status and work authorization stop moving together, and there is no premium processing for the extension of stay that now sits between an EAD and a lawful start date.
Daniel Lopez, Esq.Accurate as of September 11, 2026The 50/50 fee reached same-employer extensions on September 9: $4,000 per H-1B renewal and $4,500 per L-1 for covered employers. The window to file ahead of it has closed.
Daniel Lopez, Esq.Accurate as of September 11, 2026Proclamation 10973's $100,000 H-1B fee is not being collected and expires September 20, 2026. DHS has proposed a broader replacement: $103,265 payable at filing on every cap-subject petition.
Daniel Lopez, Esq.Accurate as of September 2, 2026EB-2 India is marked unavailable in the September 2026 Visa Bulletin, closed for the remainder of FY2026. Annual limits reset October 1, but a fiscal-year reset does not fix a structural backlog.
Daniel Lopez, Esq.Accurate as of September 2, 2026ICE moved roughly fifteen categories of I-9 error from technical to substantive on March 16, 2026 by editing a web page. Each one is now immediately fineable at $288 to $2,861 per form.
Maeve Healy, Esq.Accurate as of September 2, 2026USCIS restored officers’ full discretion to deny petitions outright on August 5, 2026, without first issuing an RFE. The twelve-week response period is gone, and the change applies to everything already pending.
Lidice D. Samper, Esq.Accurate as of September 2, 2026DHS eliminated the automatic EAD extension on October 30, 2025 and cut maximum validity to eighteen months. Against a 10.2-month I-765 backlog, green card applicants will stop being able to work.
Daniel Lopez, Esq.Accurate as of September 2, 2026Project Firewall lets the Secretary of Labor personally certify reasonable cause and open an H-1B investigation with no complaint at all. By November 2025, DOL indicated at least 175 were underway.
Maeve Healy, Esq.Accurate as of September 2, 2026Nearly every nonimmigrant visa applicant must now appear in person, including children under 14 and applicants over 79. H-1B, L-1 and O-1 renewals that qualified for dropbox a year ago no longer do.
Prarup Ghimire, Esq.Accurate as of September 2, 2026The EB-5 minimum investment adjusts for inflation on January 1, 2027, the first adjustment since the 2022 Reform and Integrity Act. The statutory trigger is the date your petition is filed.
Prarup Ghimire, Esq.Accurate as of September 2, 2026Most delay suits against USCIS lose. The ones that win share identifiable features, and TRAC factor four, the line-jumping argument, is now doing almost all of the work in federal court.
Maeve Healy, Esq.Accurate as of September 2, 2026This article is provided for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice, nor does it create an attorney-client relationship. Immigration law and agency policy change frequently; the analysis above reflects our understanding as of the date noted. Readers should consult counsel regarding their specific circumstances.