U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced the establishment of a new USCIS Vetting Center, a centralized unit designed to expand the agency’s screening and fraud-detection capabilities across the immigration system. The new center will be headquartered in Atlanta and will serve as a dedicated hub for enhanced national security and public safety reviews. […]
The $100K H-1B Fee and the Value of Joining the U.S. Chamber of Commerce As previously reported, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce is currently seeking to enjoin the Administration’s illegal H-1B $100,000 fee. For clients and others impacted by the illegal H-1B fee who are not currently members of the Chamber, we believe it is […]
Heightened National Security Screening Measures Implemented Across Federal Immigration Agencies In the wake of recent national security concerns—including the tragic shooting of two National Guard members in Washington, D.C.—the federal government has issued sweeping new immigration restrictions and expanded vetting procedures that will significantly impact both immigrants and U.S. employers. Multiple agencies, including the Department […]
USCIS Significantly Reduces EAD Validity Periods: What Employers Need to Know USCIS has announced major changes to Employment Authorization Document (EAD) validity periods, rolling back many categories to much shorter approval durations. These changes, combined with the recently published rule eliminating the 540-day automatic extension for most EAD categories, represent a substantial tightening of the […]
A Department of State (DOS) cable titled “Properly Implementing INA 212(a)(4) Public Charge Ineligibility” recently became available to the public. Although the cable has not been officially released by DOS, it provides immediate operational guidance to consular officers on applying the public charge ground of inadmissibility, which requires that foreign nationals seeking admission to the […]
USCIS began collecting a new $1000 parole fee on October 16, 2025, as authorized by the Big Beautiful Bill Act. However, the fee does not apply to all individuals who have parole, or even parole authorization. With the implementation of the new fee, USCIS is sending notices to all individuals who have been granted parole […]
Overview/The Issue The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), through U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), has proposed a major update to its rules governing biometric data collection for immigration purposes. The Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM), published on November 3, 2025, describes a proposed system that reflects technological advances in identity verification, with a stated […]
Meltzer Hellrung is always ready to use every legal tool to pursue our clients’ interests, up to and including Federal litigation. We recently got a positive outcome in getting USCIS to accept an unreceipted 2024 H-1B cap petition by challenging the USCIS in Federal court. Led by our attorneys, Stephanie Wedel and Kellen Powell, Meltzer […]
Effective Date: October 30, 2025 The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has issued an Interim Final Rule (IFR) eliminating the 540-day automatic extension period for Employment Authorization Document (EAD) renewals. This marks a significant shift from the temporary relief measure introduced by USCIS to address its chronic processing delays. As of October 30, 2025, foreign […]