What changed, and when

DHS and USCIS published notices raising several Public Law 119-21 fees for fiscal year 2027, effective October 16, 2026. The ESTA fee rises from $40.27 to $40.62, the EVUS enrollment fee from $30.75 to $31.75, and the immigration parole fee from $1,020 to $1,050; the $24 Form I-94 fee does not change. USCIS fees for initial asylum, parole and TPS work permits rise from $560 to $570, the TPS (Form I-821) fee from $510 to $520, and the annual asylum fee from $102 to $105.

From October 1, 2026, the State Department’s online presence review also covers I (foreign media), TN and TD visa applicants, who are instructed to set all social media profiles to public. The review already applied to F, M, J, H-1B, H-3, H-4, K, Q, R and several other classifications.

DHS published a final rule setting EB-5 program fees under the EB-5 Reform and Integrity Act of 2022, effective November 30, 2026. Form I-526 rises to $7,615 and an initial Form I-526E to $7,850 (each including a $75 EB-5 technology fee), and the I-526E Integrity Fund fee rises from $1,000 to $1,100. Until then the court-reinstated $3,675 fee applies.

Proclamation 11069, signed September 18, 2026, extends the H-1B restriction of Proclamation 10973 for 12 months from 12:01 a.m. EDT on September 21, 2026. Entry of H-1B workers is restricted unless the petition is accompanied or supplemented by a $100,000 payment, subject to national-interest exceptions granted by the Secretary of Homeland Security. A companion executive order (EO 14431) directs interagency coordination on H-1B program integrity. A June 8, 2026 court order vacating USCIS's implementing guidance remains in effect (see that entry).

A DHS final rule effective September 18, 2026 rescinds the 2022 public charge regulations and restores broader officer discretion in deciding whether an applicant is likely to become a public charge. It applies to applications for admission made, and adjustment applications postmarked or submitted, on or after September 18, 2026; benefits received before that date are considered under the 2022 rule.

In Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration v. DHS (D. Mass.), the court postponed the DHS final rule on fixed admission periods for F, J and I nonimmigrants under 5 U.S.C. § 705, pending final resolution of the case. Students, exchange visitors and foreign media representatives continue to be admitted under the prior rules.

DHS proposed removing 8 CFR 214.1(l)(2), the discretionary grace period of up to 60 days after employment ends for workers in certain nonimmigrant classifications and their dependents. This is a proposal only; comments are due November 10, 2026, and the current grace period remains in the regulations until a final rule takes effect.

A DHS final rule effective September 9, 2026 requires covered employers to pay the 9-11 Response and Biometric Entry-Exit Fee (the Public Law 114-113 fee) on all extension-of-status petitions, including extensions with the same employer. The fee continues to apply to initial petitions. Per the USCIS fee schedule it is $4,000 for H-1B and $4,500 for L-1 petitioners with 50 or more U.S. employees, more than half of them in H-1B or L status.

The State Department paused Diversity Visa issuance in December 2025. Under the court’s order in Medani et al. v. Trump et al., that pause is no longer in effect as of August 28, 2026. The same day, the court temporarily vacated USCIS’s related hold on DV-based adjustment applications (PM-602-0193) pending further litigation, for a certified subclass of FY 2026 DV selectees and derivatives.

DHS proposed a $103,265 fee, payable at filing, for all H-1B cap-subject petitions, including master’s-cap petitions, on top of all other fees. The comment period closed September 24, 2026. This is a proposed rule only and is not in effect.

In accordance with the court’s order in CLINIC et al. v. Rubio et al., the January 2026 pause of immigrant visa issuance to nationals of 75 countries is no longer in effect as of August 21, 2026. Travel-restriction proclamations still apply separately.

The State Department announced a pilot under which consular officers may require certain immigrant visa applicants refused on public-charge grounds to apply for a public charge bond with USCIS. Officers set the bond amount case by case under 8 CFR 213.1(b); applicants who must post a bond are notified by the consular officer.

A State Department final rule effective August 3, 2026 finalizes the 2025 pilot and establishes a permanent visa bond program for B-1/B-2 applicants. Consular officers may require covered applicants to post a bond of up to $20,000 as a condition of visa issuance.

DHS published a final rule ending admission for “duration of status” for F, J and I nonimmigrants, with fixed admission periods (F and J: program end date, up to 4 years, plus 30 days) and USCIS extensions of stay. Its September 15, 2026 effective date was postponed by a federal court on September 14, 2026 (see that entry), so duration of status still applies.

A temporary final rule, in effect from July 1 to December 31, 2026, creates an optional $750 fee that lets B-1/B-2 applicants at selected posts secure an interview appointment within ten business days. It is offered in limited quantities and is added on top of the standard $185 application fee.

In State of California v. Mullin (D. Mass.), the district court on June 8, 2026 vacated agency guidance implementing the $100,000 payment requirement for certain H-1B petitions. On July 24, 2026, the First Circuit denied the government’s motion to stay the order. USCIS says it will comply while DHS considers next steps and still plans to collect the payment if the order is later lifted.

In Dorcas International Institute of Rhode Island v. USCIS (D.R.I.), the court on June 5, 2026 vacated policy memoranda PM-602-0192 and PM-602-0194 and policy alert PA 2025-26, with final judgment entered June 11, 2026. Those memos had placed on hold benefit requests from nationals of the 39 countries named in Proclamations 10949 and 10998. On August 24, 2026, a separate court (Red Eagle Law v. Edlow, N.D. Cal.) also enjoined the two memos and ordered normal adjudication.

From March 30, 2026, the State Department’s online presence review covers A-3, C-3 domestic workers, G-5, H-3, H-4 dependents of H-3, K-1, K-2, K-3, Q, R-1, R-2, S, T and U applicants. This adds to H-1B/H-4 and F, M and J applicants, who were already covered. Applicants in these classes are instructed to set all social media profiles to public.

A DHS final rule raised premium processing fees for requests postmarked on or after March 1, 2026, reflecting inflation from June 2023 to June 2025. Most I-129 classifications and all I-140 classifications went from $2,805 to $2,965, H-2B and R-1 petitions and OPT/STEM OPT I-765s from $1,685 to $1,780, and I-539 requests for F, J and M status from $1,965 to $2,075.

A DHS final rule published December 29, 2025 and effective February 27, 2026 replaces the purely random H-1B registration lottery with a weighted selection process that generally favors higher-paid, higher-skilled beneficiaries. Registrations at all wage levels can still be selected. It took effect in time for the FY 2027 registration season.

Effective January 21, 2026, the State Department paused immigrant visa issuance to nationals of 75 listed countries, citing public-benefits concerns. Applicants could still apply and attend interviews; nonimmigrant visas were not affected. The pause ended on August 21, 2026 under the court’s order in CLINIC v. Rubio.

Proclamation 10998, signed December 16, 2025 and effective 12:01 a.m. EST January 1, 2026, keeps the June 2025 restrictions and adds full suspensions for nationals of Burkina Faso, Laos, Mali, Niger, Sierra Leone, South Sudan and Syria, plus holders of Palestinian Authority travel documents. It adds partial restrictions for 15 more countries, including Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania and Zimbabwe. These generally suspend immigrant visas and B, F, M and J visas. It also ends the broad exception for immigrant visas for family members.

USCIS policy memorandum PM-602-0192 (December 2, 2025) placed on hold pending asylum applications and benefit applications from nationals of countries named in Proclamation 10949. PM-602-0194 (January 1, 2026) extended the hold to the additional countries in Proclamation 10998, and PM-602-0193 held Diversity Visa adjustment applications. Courts later vacated or enjoined these memos (June 5, August 24 and August 28, 2026).

In Moody v. Noem (D. Colo.), the court stayed EB-5 fees set by the 2024 USCIS fee rule, finding that the EB-5 Reform and Integrity Act of 2022 precluded the change. USCIS reinstated the pre-April 2024 fees, including $3,675 for Forms I-526 and I-526E (down from $11,160) and $3,750 for Form I-829.

Since November 1, 2025, the National Visa Center has scheduled immigrant visa interviews in the applicant’s country of residence or, on request, nationality, with rare exceptions. Nonimmigrant applicants are likewise instructed to apply in their country of nationality or residence. Nationals of countries without routine visa operations apply at designated posts.

A DHS interim final rule effective October 30, 2025 ends the automatic extension of employment authorization documents for people who timely file to renew in eligible categories. EADs automatically extended before October 30, 2025, or extended by law or Federal Register notice, are not affected.

From September 30, 2025, CBP began collecting Public Law 119-21 fees. The ESTA fee rose from $21 to $40, a $24 fee was added to the existing $6 for a land-border Form I-94 (total $30), and a $30 EVUS enrollment fee began. The amounts were inflation-adjusted on January 1, 2026: ESTA to $40.27 and EVUS to $30.75.

Proclamation 10973 (signed September 19, 2025) restricted entry of H-1B workers unless the petition is accompanied by a $100,000 payment, for petitions filed at or after 12:01 a.m. EDT on September 21, 2025. USCIS guidance applies it mainly to beneficiaries outside the U.S. without a valid H-1B visa, or to petitions requesting consular or port-of-entry notification. It does not apply to previously issued visas or to approved in-country changes or extensions of status. Payment is made on pay.gov before filing. That implementing guidance was vacated by a court on June 8, 2026 (see that entry).

Executive Order 14351 directs Commerce, State and DHS to create a “Gold Card” program in which an unrestricted gift to the Department of Commerce ($1 million from an individual, or $2 million from a corporation on an individual’s behalf) is treated as evidence of EB-1 or EB-2 eligibility. USCIS later published Form I-140G, filed online only after registering on trumpcard.gov, with a $15,000 filing fee per person.

A State Department final rule effective September 16, 2025 establishes a $1 fee, collected at the time of electronic registration, for the Diversity Visa lottery. Selected applicants still pay the $330 DV application fee.

Effective September 2, 2025, almost all nonimmigrant visa applicants, including those under 14 and over 79, generally need an in-person interview. Exceptions are diplomatic and official applicants and certain renewals of full-validity B-1/B-2 visas or Border Crossing Cards within 12 months of expiry by applicants who were at least 18 when the prior visa was issued. An update effective October 1, 2025 added H-2A renewals on the same terms. Applicants must apply in their country of nationality or residence and have no prior refusal.

A temporary final rule launched a 12-month visa bond pilot from August 20, 2025. Consular officers could require B-1/B-2 applicants from designated countries to post a bond of up to $15,000. Malawi and Zambia were the first countries designated, from August 20, 2025.

USCIS announced new Public Law 119-21 fees for requests postmarked on or after July 22, 2025, including a $100 asylum application fee, a $100 annual fee while asylum is pending, and a $550 fee for initial asylum-applicant, parole and TPS work permits. In most cases these fees cannot be waived or reduced. The notice said the $250 Visa Integrity Fee requires cross-agency coordination and would be implemented in a future publication.

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (H.R. 1), signed July 4, 2025, created a Visa Integrity Fee of at least $250 per nonimmigrant visa issued (Sec. 100007), raised the ESTA fee to $40, and added a $24 Form I-94 fee and an EVUS fee. It also created a $1,000 parole fee and new asylum, TPS and work-permit fees, with amounts adjusted for inflation. Each fee took effect only when the relevant agency implemented it; as of October 1, 2026 the Visa Integrity Fee is not listed on the State Department’s visa fee page.

Proclamation 10949, effective 12:01 a.m. EDT on June 9, 2025, fully suspended entry of nationals of Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. It partially restricted nationals of Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela. It applies to those outside the U.S. without a valid visa on the effective date, subject to listed exceptions.

A DHS final rule effective January 17, 2025 modernizes H-1B requirements, including the specialty-occupation definition and cap exemptions, and changes F-1 cap-gap work-authorization extensions. It also makes changes affecting H-2, H-3, L-1, O, P, Q-1, R-1, E-3 and TN workers.

The USCIS fee rule published January 31, 2024 took effect April 1, 2024, adjusting most filing fees and adding a $600 Asylum Program Fee on employer I-129 and I-140 filings ($300 for employers with 25 or fewer full-time-equivalent employees, $0 for nonprofits). It also introduced a $50 discount for most forms filed online and reduced I-129 fees for small employers and nonprofits.

A DHS final rule effective March 4, 2024 changed H-1B registration selection so that each unique beneficiary is entered once, however many employers register for them. It also added start-date flexibility for certain cap-subject petitions and further registration integrity measures.

DHS designated Israel for the Visa Waiver Program effective September 26, 2023, and the designation was implemented on November 30, 2023. Eligible travelers may visit for up to 90 days for business or pleasure with an approved ESTA instead of a visa. Qatar was later designated on September 24, 2024 and implemented December 1, 2024.

A State Department rule effective June 17, 2023 (after a delay from May 30) raised application fees. Non-petition visas such as B, F, J and M and Border Crossing Cards (age 15+) went from $160 to $185, H/L/O/P/Q/R visas from $190 to $205, and E visas from $205 to $315; the K fee stayed at $265.