First of all, I wanted to thank all the members of this forum for their insight and support. This road did not feel as lonely as we all traveled it together.
Here is a question from our community:
My husband and I have our N400 petition pending for almost 18 months. We passed our interview in July 2007 and had our 2nd fingerprinting 2 weeks ago. We were also informed that we have been cleared from background check. We have to leave for an international assignment in December and would like to understand the steps we need to take so it does not impact/disrupt our naturalization process, in case we do not get called for oath by then.
Release Date
12/23/2025
WASHINGTON – The Department of Homeland Security is amending regulations governing the H-1B work visa selection process to prioritize the allocation of visas to higher-skilled and higher-paid aliens to better protect the wages, working conditions, and job opportunities for American workers. The new rule replaces the random lottery for selecting visa recipients with a process that gives greater weight to those with higher skills.
Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization
08/21/2025 09:29 AM EDT
Edition Date: 08/21/25. Starting March 5, 2026, USCIS will accept only the 08/21/25 edition. Until then, you can also use the 01/20/25 edition. You can find the edition date at the bottom of the page on the form and instructions.
For more information, please visit the Forms Updates page.
Published by: Financial Express - January 8, 2026
https://www.financialexpress.com/business/investing-abroad-my-h-1b-approved-but-stuck-in-a-34-month-queue-attorney-shares-legal-fixes-for-missing-form-i-824-4100306/
Quotes and Excerpts from Rajiv in the article:
Rajiv S. Khanna, US Immigration attorney, provides free immigration help by hosting a free community conference call for US immigration-related questions every Thursday. You can post questions for the call if you are a member of our US Immigration forums. Membership is immediate and lifelong. Walk-ins are also permitted.
USCIS recently updated the following form:
Form G-1055, Fee Schedule
01/01/2026 09:54 AM EST
Edition Date: 01/01/26. You can find the edition date at the bottom of the page of Form G-1055, Fee Schedule.
For more information, please visit the Forms Updates page.
Although precise dates and processes for this year are not yet clear, we recommend planning and initiating the H-1B lottery registration now to ensure it is ready to submit when registrations open in March 2026.
Release Date
01/09/2026
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is publishing a final rule that will increase USCIS fees for premium processing to reflect the amount of inflation from June 2023 through June 2025.