Immigration news and expert analysis

Asylum vs. the Calendar: What USCIS Won't Tell You About Wait Times

Federal regulation sets a 180-day target for adjudicating an asylum claim. In practice, applicants wait years — not months — for a final answer, and the gap between the rule and the reality shapes nearly every decision an applicant makes along the way. We walk through why the two tracks diverge so sharply, what actually happens between filing and decision, and where a parallel employment-based path may — for the right profile — offer a faster route to stability.

The FY 2027 H-1B Cap Is Full. Here Is What Still Works.

On July 17, 2026, USCIS announced that it has received enough petitions to exhaust both the 65,000 regular H-1B cap and the 20,000 advanced-degree exemption for fiscal year 2027. The door on new cap-subject filings is closed until next season. If your registration was selected and your petition filed, nothing about this changes your case. If it wasn’t — the lottery was never the only road. Here is the map

August 2026 Visa Bulletin: What Moved, and What It Means for You

The Department of State has published the Visa Bulletin for August 2026. Family-sponsored categories picked up meaningful ground this month — F2B alone jumped seven months — while most employment-based categories inched forward or held still. Below: which chart to follow in August, every cut-off date by category and country, and what the movement patterns suggest for your case.

Build Your Mobility Program for Volatility, Not Just Visibility

Every significant U.S. immigration change in 2026 has done the same thing: removed a fallback. A dashboard will tell you a case is stuck. It will not give you somewhere else to go. That distinction is now the whole game.

Who Can Renew A, G, and NATO Visas in the United States — and How?

A limited category of A, G, and NATO visa holders may renew their visas in the United States through the Department of State's Diplomatic Liaison Division. This article covers who is eligible, immediate family and overage dependent rules, which visa types cannot be renewed in the US, the important d

Eligible Is No Longer Enough: Inside the Adjustment of Status Memo

USCIS now instructs officers to treat adjustment of status as extraordinary relief rather than a routine step. The memo applies to every pending I-485 — but it says considerably less than the press release announcing it did, and that gap is where employer strategy lives.

Removal of Conditions on Permanent Residence: The I-751 Guide

If you received a green card based on a marriage that was less than two years old when you were admitted or adjusted status, you are a conditional permanent resident. Your green card is valid for two years — and within the 90-day window before it expires, you must file Form I-751 (Petition to Remove

Day 1 CPT in 2026: What It Actually Means, Why It Faces Scrutiny, and How to Protect Your F-1 Status

Day 1 CPT — Curricular Practical Training authorized from the first day of a graduate program — is one of the most discussed and most misunderstood topics for international students in the US. You may have heard warnings to avoid certain schools, seen online lists of universities described as risky, or been told the practice is illegal. None of those characterizations is quite accurate. This guide

The TPS Placeholder Dates Keep Moving. Here Is Where They Stand Today.

USCIS has changed TPS work authorization dates four times in four weeks. The July 17 deadline no longer exists — it was replaced by three separate country-specific dates, the earliest of which arrives on July 24.

The FY 2027 H-1B Cap Is Closed. There Is No Second Lottery.

USCIS has enough petitions in hand to fill all 85,000 slots. For employers whose candidates weren’t selected, the question is no longer whether another chance is coming this year — it isn’t — but which alternative pathway fits.