The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has reinstated officers' authority to deny immigration benefit requests if applicants submit incomplete applications or fail to provide necessary documentation. This new policy, effective immediately, reverses a previous rule that allowed a 12-week response period for requests for evidence, placing the burden squarely on applicants to prove eligibility at the time of filing.
The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is updating Form I-485 for permanent residence, effective September 18, 2026, with no grace period for older versions. This change, aligning with public-charge inadmissibility rules, significantly impacts Green Card applicants, particularly Indian nationals facing visa backlogs, who must use the correct form version to avoid rejection.
The Trump administration has reinstated and expanded the "public charge" rule, making it harder for immigrants seeking green cards if they have used public benefits like Medicaid, food stamps, or housing assistance. This policy change, effective September 18, will impact many applicants, including those from India, by broadening the criteria for inadmissibility.
Indian IT companies have significantly reduced their fresh H-1B visa applications for US FY27, a direct consequence of soaring fees imposed by the Trump administration and new lottery system changes that prioritise higher-salaried employees, leading to a seven-year low in registrations.
This could come as a setback to thousands of Indian engineers who have waited for years for their work visas to pave the way for the coveted Green Card.
The US government on Friday issued a new policy memo tightening rules for foreign nationals on temporary visas seeking permanent residency, stating that persons wanting a Green Card must return to their home country to apply, except in "extraordinary circumstances".
The US Department of Homeland Security has clarified that not all immigrants seeking green cards will be required to return to their home country to make such applications, partially walking back a previous announcement.
With the duration of stay capped at four years, the biggest impact of the new F-1 visa rules is likely to be on PhD scholars, students enrolled in longer professional programmes, those whose graduation gets delayed and students moving from one academic programme to another, highlight education experts.
The US Department of Homeland Security has proposed a nearly 75 per cent increase in the filing fee for Form N-400, the application for US citizenship through naturalisation, raising it from $760 to $1,330. The proposal also seeks to eliminate reduced-fee options and fee waivers, potentially impacting thousands of immigrants, including Indians.
The Trump administration is looking at plans to strip some naturalised Americans of their citizenship, the latest in a series of efforts undertaken by President Donald Trump to crack down on immigration.
As the Trump administration pushes denaturalisation targets, US citizenship trends show a decline in Indian naturalisations and longer scrutiny of immigrants.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott has directed state agencies and public universities to suspend new H-1B visa petitions through May 2027, a move likely to affect Indian professionals. The order comes amid ongoing debate over skilled immigration and potential impacts on academic research and innovation.
The Trump administration said it will conduct a "rigorous" re-examination of all Green Cards issued to immigrants from "every country of concern".
The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) in a 'H-1B FAQ' document, released on Sunday, said that the September 19 proclamation took an "important, initial, and incremental step" to reform the H-1B visa programme to curb abuses and protect American workers.
The US government will fight lawsuits aimed at blocking the USD 100,000 fee imposed on new H-1B visa petitions, asserting that the system was spammed with fraud and must be overhauled to prioritise American workers.
The US has expanded its review of social media and online presence to cover all H-1B speciality occupation workers and their H-4 dependents, the US embassy in India said on December 10.
India has raised concerns with the United States regarding the cancellation of scheduled H1B visa interviews for Indian applicants due to enhanced vetting measures. Both countries are engaged in discussions to address the disruptions caused by the delays.
The US has postponed thousands of H-1B visa interviews in India, citing enhanced vetting measures including scrutiny of social media profiles. The delays are impacting applicants who were scheduled for interviews from December 15 onwards, with new dates being pushed back by several months.
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According to the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), Amazon had 10,044 workers using H-1B visas as of June, 2025. Coming in at the second spot was TCS with 5,505 H-1B visas approved.
Indian-American executive Srini Gopalan has been appointed chief executive officer of telecom operator T-Mobile, amid ongoing debates over H-1B visa policies. Gopalan's appointment, effective from November 1, 2025, comes as US President Donald Trump signed a proclamation imposing a staggering $100,000 fee on new H-1B visas, triggering widespread panic, concern and fear among Indian professionals on work visa.
Companies such as TCS, Infosys, Wipro and HCLTech usually have big centres in cities to be in proximity with their clients.
Social media feeds and immigration forums lit up with questions from workers and families who feared they might be stranded abroad, unable to return to their jobs or reunite with loved ones.
As per the new rule, foreigners who file to renew their EAD on or after October 30, 2025, will no longer receive an automatic extension, the DHS said in a news release.
A deep dive into Trump's new policy and what it means for Indian professionals and companies.
The US Chamber of Commerce has filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration's decision to impose a USD 100,000 fee on new H-1B visa petitions, arguing it harms American innovation and competitiveness.
The Donald Trump administration has clarified that the new $100,000 fee for H-1B visas does not apply to current visa holders and is a one-time payment only for new petitions.
Amid mass layoffs in the tech sector, the federal agency for immigration services has said it is wrong to assume that sacked workers holding the much-sought-after H-1B visas have to leave the country within 60 days, asserting they have multiple options to stay in the US. The H-1B visa is a non-immigrant visa that allows US companies to employ foreign workers in speciality occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise. Technology companies depend on it to hire tens of thousands of employees each year from countries like India and China.
The Trump administration has announced a massive increase in H-1B visa fees, imposing a $100,000 annual charge that will fundamentally alter how American companies hire skilled foreign workers, particularly impacting Indian IT professionals who comprise the largest group of beneficiaries.
Nasscom on Monday said the US clarification that the H-1B visa fee hike will not affect current visa holders and will apply as a one-time fee only to fresh petitions has helped address the immediate ambiguity surrounding eligibility and timelines.
'USCIS has been making arbitrary rules for over eight years, it's our top priority to set things right.'
The magnitude of the new H-1B visa application fee for fresh petitions - math of which works out to USD 500 million in case of 5,000 filings - may nudge IT companies to expand offshore delivery or increase local hiring, according to Motilal Oswal Financial Services.
'You are a guest in the US. It's not your home, you're a guest. If they don't feel comfortable, you have to step out.'
Subir Chowdhury, chairman and CEO of ASI Consulting Group, LLC, has been named for the 'Outstanding American by Choice Award' by the USCIS (United States Citizenship and Immigration Services) in recognition of his work and contributions to the US.
The US has received enough petitions needed to reach the congressionally mandated 65,000 H-1B visa cap for the fiscal year 2022, a federal agency has announced. The H-1B visa is a non-immigrant visa that allows US companies to employ foreign workers in speciality occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise. Technology companies depend on it to hire tens of thousands of employees each year from countries like India and China.
Green card holders have the right to live permanently in the country, but only if they do not commit deportable offences.
The United States on Saturday announced that from April 3 it will temporarily suspend the 'premium processing' of H-1B visas that allowed some companies to jump the queue as part of its efforts to clear the backlog.
The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, the federal agency which receives and determines the successful applications for H-1B visas, said yesterday that it received 199,000 H-1B applications for the 2018 fiscal year.
Like last year, the agency will receive applications between April 1 and April 5. If the cap is not reached, it will continue to accept applications for five more days.
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