Business Immigration Insights

The Trump Gold Card announced by Executive Order in September 2025 is now available.  The Gold Card is touted as fast-track to lawful permanent residence compared to the normal employment- or family-based permanent residence process. 

The State Department announced that as of December 15, 2025, applicants for H-1B and H-4 (dependent) visas at US consular posts will undergo advanced screening of their online presence.  This expanded screening is already in place for those applying for F, M, and J nonimmigrant visas as of June 2025.  

On December 2, 2025, in response to the shooting of 2 national guardsman in Washington, DC by an Afghan national, USCIS issued a national security policy memo suspending the adjudication of petitions and applications for immigration-related benefits for those from 19 “high-risk” countries, as well as re-reviewing previously-approved benefits for individuals from those countries (Afghanistan, Burma (Myanmar), Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen, Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela). 

The State Department has published the December Visa Bulletin.  While all categories stalled in November, December will see all priority dates progressing modestly, from 1 week to 2 months.  

Join us for an in-depth examination of the current and future business immigration landscape as we analyze trends from 2025 and look towards 2026. This webinar will provide participants critical insight into executive orders, USCIS trends, and compliance strategies, enabling businesses and professionals to prepare for the upcoming year.

Congress was unable to avert the first government shutdown in six years as the clock struck midnight last night raising questions from companies and individuals about the impact on US immigration operations.

On September 24, 2025, DHS issued a proposed regulation to change the annual H-1B visa lottery from a random lottery of registrants to a weighted system favoring those offered higher salaries by US employers. 

In a rapidly evolving situation broadly impacting the business immigration community, the White House issued a proclamation on Friday, September 19, 2025, implementing significant restrictions on H-1B entry and introducing a $100,000 fee requirement. The situation has been marked by initial confusion followed by crucial clarifications.

The State Department has published the October Visa Bulletin, the first issue of Fiscal Year 2026. Priority dates in most employment-based categories make modest gains, ranging from 1 week to 7 months. All categories benefit from USCIS accepting the Dates for Filing chart in October—the first time the agency has done so since January of this year—allowing from 5 to 15.5 months of additional filing time, depending on nationality and category.

On August 15, 2025, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued a significant policy memorandum that changes how immigration officers evaluate the “good moral character” requirement for naturalization applicants. This new guidance represents a substantial shift from previous practices and will likely impact how citizenship applications are adjudicated going forward.