Rules explained
54 articles, newest first.
Parole in 2026: What the Statute Allows, What Was Terminated, What the Courts Restored, and What a Parolee Can Still Do
Parole is permission to be physically present without being admitted, granted case by case and revocable on notice. In 2025 the government ended every categorical parole program and terminated the parole of hundreds of thousands of people by email. Two of those terminations have since been blocked by federal courts and one was upheld. What the status still confers, what it now costs, and where each program stands in September 2026.
Consular Processing and 221(g) Refusals in 2026: The NVC Queue, the Interview at Home, the One-Year Clock, and the Waiver That Takes Two Years
An approved petition goes to the National Visa Center, then to a consulate that must now interview the applicant where they live. A refusal under 221(g) is temporary but counts, and the file dies if a year passes without an answer. The unlawful presence waiver filed before departure takes two years at the median; the 75-country immigrant visa pause was vacated on August 21, 2026 and the travel ban was not.
Preparing Your Family: The Caregiver Form for Your State, the Documents Folder, and the Numbers to Memorize
A plan settles who collects the children, pays the rent and calls the lawyer in the 48 hours after an arrest. The forms differ by state and some take weeks. What New York, California, Texas, Florida and Illinois provide, what goes in the folder, and what to tell the school.
Getting Out: Bond, Parole and Habeas Corpus in 2026
There are three doors out of ICE detention. Which ones are open depends on how the person entered the country, which federal circuit the facility sits in, and how long they have been held. A guide to the bond hearing, the parole request and the habeas petition, with the September 2026 map of where each works.
Appeals and Motions in 2026: The 30 Days That Survived, the $1,030 Fee, the Vacated Summary Dismissal Rule, and Where a Stay Actually Comes From
An appeal to the Board of Immigration Appeals now costs $1,030 and is decided by a 15-member Board on a 20-day simultaneous briefing schedule with no reply brief. The February 2026 rule that would have made summary dismissal the default and cut the deadline to 10 days was vacated in March. What is in force, what a motion to reopen costs and when it is allowed, and the three places a stay of removal can be obtained.
What ICE Is Looking For: Priorities, Places, Data, and Who Is Most Exposed in 2026
The official answer since January 2025 is that there are no priorities: anyone removable may be arrested. The practical answer is in the numbers, the places, and the databases. Where arrests happen, what records ICE reads, and who sits at the top of the list.
Finding and Helping a Detained Person: The Locator, the Officer, the Money, and the Oversight That No Longer Exists
The first task after an arrest is finding the person, and the government's own tool is exact-match, adult-only and hours behind. What the locator needs, how to reach the deportation officer, how money and calls work, and where to complain now that the detention ombudsman has been shut.
Special Immigrant Juvenile Status in 2026: The State Court Order, the 21st Birthday, the Visa Queue, and the End of Deferred Action
A child abused, neglected or abandoned by a parent can obtain a green card through a state court order and a petition filed before the 21st birthday. The petition is decided in 180 days; the visa behind it takes years. Since May 10, 2026 the wait comes with no deferred action and no work permit, and a denied request for either can now end in immigration court.
Stopped or Arrested by ICE: What to Say, What Never to Sign, and What Happens in the First 72 Hours
The right to remain silent belongs to everyone in the country and must be said out loud. There is no appointed lawyer. Three forms served in the first hours can end a case before it begins. A precise account of the encounter, the paperwork, and the two-year rule that now applies nationwide.
VAWA Self-Petitions and the I-360: Who Qualifies, What "Any Credible Evidence" Means, and a Backlog of 259,529
An abused spouse, child or parent of a U.S. citizen or permanent resident can petition for a green card without the abuser's knowledge, at no fee, and adjust despite entering without inspection. The petition is Form I-360, the standard is "battery or extreme cruelty," and the rule of evidence is unusually generous. What is not generous is the queue: 259,529 self-petitions were pending at the end of March 2026, and the first half of the fiscal year produced 911 approvals.
ICE at the Door: The Warrant That Lets Them In, the One That Does Not, and What to Say Through It
Agents may knock, speak and arrest without a judge. They may not enter a home without a judicial warrant or your consent, and ICE's own handbook says so. How to tell the two warrants apart through a closed door, what consent looks like, and what changed in 2025 and 2026.
U Visas and T Visas in 2026: The Certification, the Bona Fide Determination, the 10,000 Cap and the 5,000 Cap
A crime victim who helps the police can petition for a U visa, and a trafficking victim for a T visa, at no fee at any stage. The U visa cap of 10,000 has been met every year since 2010, so the real product for most petitioners is the bona fide determination, a four-year work permit and deferred action that USCIS reached in a median 18.5 months this year. Since May, deferred action is officially "extraordinary.
Cancellation of Removal Explained: Ten Years, Seven Years, the Stop-Time Rule, the 4,000 Cap and a $1,640 Fee
Cancellation of removal is the relief most people in immigration court actually qualify to request. The permanent resident version needs five years with a green card and seven of residence; the other needs ten years of presence and hardship to a citizen or resident relative that the Board now polices closely. The clock stops with a valid Notice to Appear, Congress allows 4,000 grants a year, and since February the application costs $1,640.
Naturalization in 2026: The N-400 Arithmetic, the $760 Fee That May Become $1,330, and What a Denial Now Triggers
The N-400 still costs $760 on paper and $710 online, with a $380 reduced fee and a full waiver for those who qualify. A rule proposed in June would take it to $1,330 and abolish both. The residence and presence arithmetic has not moved, but the median wait has risen to 7.1 months, neighborhood investigations are now in the Policy Manual, and a denial can end in immigration court.
Public Charge in 2026: The Rescission That Takes Effect September 18, Which Benefits Count From That Day, and Who Is Exempt
On September 18, 2026 DHS's rescission of the 2022 public charge rule takes effect, USCIS's new Policy Manual guidance replaces it, and a new I-485 edition becomes mandatory with no grace period. Applications filed before that date are decided under the old test, which counted only cash assistance and long-term care. What is in force, what is only guidance, what the consulates are doing, and who the statute exempts.
Marriage-Based Green Cards in 2026: Concurrent Filing, the Bona Fides File, the Separate Interview, and the Two-Year Card
A spouse of a citizen files the petition and the green card application together and pays $2,115 before a work permit. A spouse of a resident can file now under September's chart. What USCIS demands as proof of a real marriage since October 2025, what the separate interview is, what a fraud finding costs, and what a marriage under two years old at approval means for the next two years.
USCIS Processing Times Explained: The 80 Percent Figure, the Case Inquiry Date, and the Four Ways to Move a Case That Has Stopped
The number on the USCIS processing-times page is the time it took to finish 80 percent of cases in the last six months, and the date on which you may ask about your case is computed from a different figure, the 93rd percentile. What each number means, what an e-Request, an expedite, a congressional inquiry and the Ombudsman can and cannot do, and when a $405 federal complaint becomes the only lever left.
The Visa Bulletin Explained: Two Charts, One Country of Birth, and What Happens to a Green Card Application When the Date Moves Backwards
The September 2026 bulletin put the spouse-of-resident category at August 2026 for final action and made it current for filing everywhere, while EB-2 India sits at "unavailable" and the State Department warns of retrogression before October 1. How the two charts work, which one USCIS accepts each month, why a spouse's birthplace can move a case years, and what a pending application does while the number is gone.
Asylum Referral Without an Interview: The July 28 Rule, Who It Reaches, and Why the Written Application Is Now the Whole Case
Since July 28, 2026, an asylum officer may send an affirmative application straight to immigration court on the paper record alone. DHS estimates 130,000 referrals a year, most of them on the one-year deadline. What the rule strikes from the regulations, who is exposed, and how to file as if no one will ever ask you a question.
The $100,000 H-1B Payment No Longer Applies: How the Courts Got There, and What DHS Plans Next
Ten months after the proclamation, a federal court vacated the guidance implementing the $100,000 H-1B payment and the First Circuit refused to stay that ruling. As of July 24, 2026, the payment applies to no one. DHS says it disagrees, will comply, and intends to collect if the ruling is reversed. Where employers stand for the next cap season.
The D.C. Circuit Sides With Fast-Track Deportation: What the June 23 Ruling Changes, and What It Has Not Changed Yet
A divided appeals court has vacated the order that blocked nationwide expedited removal for ten months. The policy is not yet back in force, because the court's mandate has not issued. When it does, anyone inside the country who cannot prove two years of presence is exposed. The evidence to prepare, and the words to say.
Adjustment of Status as "Administrative Grace": The May 2026 Memo That Points Applicants Abroad
A USCIS memo dated May 21, 2026 tells officers to weigh the availability of consular processing against anyone applying for a green card from inside the United States, and to demand "unusual or even outstanding equities" from applicants with any adverse factor. Who is exposed, what it does not say, and why leaving to apply abroad can be worse than waiting.
Detention Without Bond: The Yajure Hurtado Rule, the Circuit Split, and What a Family Can Do
Since September 2025 the government's position has been that anyone who entered without inspection is ineligible for a bond hearing, however long they have lived here. Federal appeals courts are split down the middle on whether that is the law. Whether a detained person can ask a judge for release now depends on the state they are held in.
Notices to Appear from USCIS: What a Denial Now Triggers
A February 2025 policy memorandum removed the case-by-case exemption that kept most denied applicants out of immigration court. Since then the ordinary consequence of a denial that leaves a person without lawful status is a charging document, and the address on it decides whether they ever learn of the hearing.
Advance Parole, Refugee Travel Documents and Reentry Permits in 2026: Which One, What It Costs, and Why Approval Is Not Admission
Every travel document for a non-citizen is requested on the same form and none of them guarantees you will be let back in. An update of this site's 2021 guide, with the 2026 fees, the processing times, and the travel ban that now decides who should not leave at all.
Family Petitions in 2026: Who Can Sponsor Whom, What It Costs, and How Long It Takes
The categories have not changed since this site first laid them out in 2021. The fees, the waiting lines and the scrutiny have. A current account of family-based immigration, from the citizen petitioning for a spouse to the asylee petitioning for a child.
Immigration Court in 2026: Checking Your Hearing, Missing One, and What Changed in the Courthouse
The immigration courts are carrying more than three million cases with a quarter fewer judges than a year ago, and since May 2025 the courthouse itself has become a place of arrest. How to check a hearing, what an in absentia order does, and how to undo one.
The One-Year Asylum Deadline in 2026: The Exceptions Still Recognized, and the Fees That Complicate Them
An asylum application must be filed within a year of your last arrival. The exceptions have not changed since this site first explained them in 2021. What has changed is everything around them: a filing fee, an annual fee, and an agency far readier to refer a late case to court.
Alien Registration and Form G-325R: Who Must Register, Who Already Has, and What It Costs You
A 1940 duty to register with the government, dormant for decades, has been enforced since April 11, 2025. Most people with any immigration paperwork are already registered without knowing it. The ones who are not face a decision with real consequences either way.
The Return of Neighborhood Investigations: What USCIS Is Now Asking Your Neighbors
A practice the immigration service abandoned around 1991 is back. Under an August 2025 memo, USCIS may investigate a naturalization applicant's residence and workplace for the five years before filing, and by January 2026 officers were visiting homes unannounced. What the law requires, and how to make the visit unnecessary.
Work Permits in 2026: The End of the 540-Day Bridge and What to Do When the Card Expires
For three years a receipt notice kept people employed while USCIS processed a renewal, and since October 30, 2025 it does not. USCIS has separately cut most of these cards to 18 months or one year, which means the same person now renews more often with no cushion at all.
Expedited Removal: The Fight Over Fast-Track Deportation, and How to Prove Two Years
In January 2025 DHS extended expedited removal to anyone inside the country who cannot prove two years of continuous presence. A federal court stayed the policy in August; the D.C. Circuit refused to lift the stay in November and heard the appeal in December. What the policy would do, what protects you, and what to carry.
The 2026 Fee Schedule: What the Inflation Adjustment Changes on January 1
H.R. 1 indexes its immigration fees to inflation every fiscal year. Three Federal Register notices in November 2025 set the 2026 amounts. Most rise by $5 to $20, a few stay flat, and a filing postmarked on or after January 1 without the new amount is rejected.
The End of the Automatic Work Permit Extension: File Early or Stop Working
Since October 30, 2025, filing a work permit renewal no longer extends the expiring card. The 540-day bridge that kept hundreds of thousands of people employed while USCIS caught up is gone. Who is affected, the timing, and what to do.
The $100,000 H-1B Payment: Who Pays, Who Is Exempt, and Where the Lawsuits Stand
Proclamation 10973 attached a $100,000 payment to new H-1B petitions for workers outside the United States. The USCIS guidance of October 20 narrowed it considerably. A precise account of the trigger, the exemptions, and the two lawsuits.
Good Moral Character, Redefined: How USCIS Now Evaluates Naturalization Applicants
An August 2025 policy memo replaced the checklist approach to good moral character with a "holistic" review of the whole person, reaching conduct outside the statutory period and technically legal behavior. What officers now weigh, and how to prepare.
The 2025 Civics Test: 128 Questions, 20 Asked, 12 to Pass
USCIS has reinstated the harder 2020 version of the naturalization civics test for anyone filing Form N-400 on or after October 20, 2025. What changed, who is affected, and the exemptions that survive.
The New USCIS Fees Under H.R. 1: What Asylum Applicants and Parolees Now Pay
Since July 22, 2025, asylum, work permits, TPS and Special Immigrant Juvenile filings carry a second, non-waivable fee on top of the usual USCIS charge. Here is the full schedule, who pays, and what happens if you don't.
What are the Broadstrokes of Biden’s Immigration Policy?
As President of the United States, Joe Biden has made immigration reform a top priority of his administration.
What are the steps to going from illegal immigrant to green card?
There are several steps that an individual who is living in the United States without legal immigration status (also known as an “undocumented immigrant”) may be able to take in order to obtain a green card, which is a document that allows a person to live and work in the United States permanently.
What is the legal argument for granting asylum for immigrants to the US?
Asylum is a form of protection that is granted to individuals who have fled their home country due to persecution, fear of violence, or other serious harm.
Can Mexican Immigrants to the US apply for Asylum?
Yes, Mexican nationals can apply for asylum in the United States.
What are the differences between Obama, Trump, and Biden’s immigration policies?
The immigration policies of the United States have undergone significant changes under the administrations of Presidents Barack Obama, Donald Trump, and Joe Biden.
What is Title 42?
Title 42 is a previously little-known section of US health law that allows the US government to temporarily block noncitizens from entering the US “when doing so is required in the interest of public health.” During the…
Title 42 Lifting Blocked
Federal judge District Judge Robert R. Summerhays, a Trump appointee in Lafayette, Louisiana blocked the Biden administration from lifting a public health order that immigration officers have used to quickly expel migrants at the southwest border, including asylum-seekers.
Will the Remain in Mexico Policy Be Reinstated?
On August 24, 2021, the Supreme Court virtually reinstated the Trump-era Migrants Protection Protocols Program (MPP), or, as it more commonly called, “Remain in Mexico policy”, which made asylum seekers from Central America to…
Central American Minors (CAM) Program Explained
The Central American Minors Program (also known as CAM) was created to allow eligible minors from El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras (the Northern Triangle countries) to join their parents or other close relatives who live in the United States with legal status.
Advance Parole, Refugee Travel Document, and Reentry Permit
An individual, who is not a US citizen, may be required to obtain additional documents prior to travel abroad, even if the individual has a lawful resident card (green card).
Remain in Mexico Policy Explained (May 2021 update)
In January 2019, in attempts to reduce the number of foreign nationals exploiting the U.S. immigration system and to discourage false asylum claims, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) introduced a new policy called…
DAPA Ruling Explained
DAPA, or Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents allows certain eligible categories of illegal aliens, namely parents of Americans, to apply for a temporary deportation deferral and for a three-year employment authorization.
DACA Ruling Explained
BACKGROUND On June 15, 2012, President Barack Obama signed a proclamation initiating the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, also known as DACA, allowing undocumented immigrants who were brought to the U.S. as children, to legally stay and work in the country.
Extraordinary Abilities for Non-Immigrant Visa
If an individual possesses extraordinary abilities, then they may qualify for the 0-1 non-immigrant visa. Extraordinary abilities are defined as having above average skills in the arts, athletics, business, education, or sciences.
New Rules for Asylum Seekers for Employment Authorization
Asylum seekers face new rules to apply for an Employment Authorization Document since August 25, 2020.
The Public Charge Rule
The simple explanation of the Public Charge Rule is that immigrants who have a chance of becoming a public charge, or in other words, having the state take care of them because they are unable to take care of themselves, are excluded or denied from entry into the United States.