Visas
7 articles, newest first.
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.
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.
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 Expanded Travel Ban: 39 Countries, Two Tiers, and the Exceptions That Disappeared
Proclamation 10998 took effect at 12:01 a.m. on January 1, 2026, doubling the June 2025 travel ban to 39 countries and removing the exceptions for spouses, children, parents and adoptees. Who it reaches, who is exempt, and why the USCIS hold that came with it matters as much as the ban itself.
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.
In-person Interviews Are Temporarily Waived For Immigrant Visa Applicants
After March 13, 2020, when then-President Donald Trump declared a national health emergency to curb the spread of Coronavirus in the U.S., immigrant visa applicants from certain countries were not allowed to enter anymore.
H-2B Visa Cap
On May 21, 2021, the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Labor made available an extra 22,000 H-2B visas for 2021 for nonagricultural workers.