USCIS
17 articles, newest first.
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.
Renewing or Replacing a Green Card in 2026: The 36-Month Extension, the 90-Day Window, and the Re-Reviews
The forms are the same ones this site described in 2021. What has changed is the length of the receipt-notice extension, the fees, and an agency that now re-examines green cards it has already granted. A current guide for ten-year cards, two-year cards and everything that can go wrong with either.
The Ruling That Ended the Hold: What the June 5 Decision Requires of USCIS, and What Two Million Applicants Should Expect
A federal judge in Rhode Island vacated the three memos that froze asylum decisions nationwide and every benefit for nationals of 39 countries. USCIS says it disagrees and is complying while it appeals. What the order does, what it does not, and why the backlog it leaves behind is the next problem.
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.
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.
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.
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 Asylum Hold: What USCIS Stopped After November 26, and What Pending Applicants Should Expect
On December 2, 2025, USCIS froze decisions on every pending asylum application in the country and on every benefit request from nationals of 19 countries, and ordered a re-review of green cards already granted. What the memo says, who it reaches, and what it does not do.
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.
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.
Deadline to Apply for Asylum
A one-year filing deadline rule is applied to every asylum seeker who enters the USA. It means immigrants have 360 days since their last arrival in the United States to apply for political asylum.
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).
Updated USCIS Fee Schedule (2020-2021)
From time to time the USCIS may adjust filling fees. It is always good to verify the form and the exact fee by using the Fee Calculator https://www.uscis.gov/feecalculator .