H-1B and L-1 Extension Fees Rise: $4,000–$4,500 Surcharges and a New Form I-129

By C. Matthew Schulz

The Trump Administration has expanded a substantial charge on certain American employers: effective September 9, 2026, covered companies must pay an additional $4,000 for H-1B extension petitions or $4,500 for L-1 extension petitions, including when an employee continues working for the same company. These charges come on top of otherwise applicable filing fees.

DHS Proposes $103,265 Fee for Cap-Subject H-1B Petitions: Who Would Pay and Is It Lawful?

By C. Matthew Schulz

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has proposed a new $103,265 filing fee for every cap-subject H-1B petition, including petitions selected under the U.S. advanced-degree allocation. The fee is not yet in effect, and employers do not owe it unless DHS completes notice-and-comment rulemaking and publishes a final rule.

Birthright Citizenship After the Supreme Court: President Trump Tries Again

By C. Matthew Schulz

President Donald Trump issued new executive actions on August 6, 2026, addressing birth tourism and birthright citizenship only weeks after the Supreme Court rejected his Administration’s earlier attempt to deny citizenship to certain children born in the United States.

DHS Ends "Duration of Status" for F, J, and I Visa Holders: What the New Rule Means for Students, Universities, Employers, and the U.S. Economy

By C. Matthew Schulz

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued a sweeping final rule that fundamentally changes how foreign academic students (F visas), exchange visitors (J visas), and foreign media representatives (I visas) are admitted and allowed to remain in the United States.

USCIS Publishes Federal Register Notice for Gold Card Immigrant Petition Form I-140G

By C. Matthew Schulz

USCIS appears to be moving forward with an employment-based immigrant petition mechanism for the Trump Gold Card program, using a dedicated Form I-140G rather than the standard Form I-140.

USCIS’s New Adjustment of Status Memo: Discretion, “Administrative Grace,” and the Limits of Agency Power

By C. Matthew Schulz

USCIS has issued a new policy memorandum that affects one of the most important benefits in U.S. immigration law: adjustment of status, the process that allows eligible applicants already in the United States to become lawful permanent residents without leaving the country for immigrant visa processing at a U.S. consulate.

EB-5 Dates to Watch: September 30, 2026, January 1, 2027, and September 30, 2027

By C. Matthew Schulz

Three dates are now especially important for anyone considering or already in EB-5 immigrant investor immigration. 

September 30, 2026, is the statutory “protection from expired legislation” date for certain regional center cases filed on or before that date. 

January 1, 2027, is when EB-5 minimum investment amounts are scheduled to adjust automatically for inflation. 

ICE Narrowed the I-9 Cure Window — and Employers Now Face Immediate Fines for Common Paperwork Errors

By C. Matthew Schulz

ICE changed enforcement rules for employers by reclassifying many common Form I-9 mistakes from “technical or procedural” failures into “substantive” violations. 

That distinction matters. 

The agency has long had a cure period to allow employers to correct technical and procedural mistakes and avoid penalties. That cure period applies only to technical or procedural failures. 

USCIS Strengthens Screening and Vetting of Foreign Nationals: What Changed on March 30, 2026

By C. Matthew Schulz

On March 30, 2026, USCIS announced that it has strengthened screening and vetting for foreign nationals seeking entry or immigration benefits. USCIS said it has spent the past several months revising its screening and vetting procedures and is now building a more layered vetting plan that uses both classified and unclassified information along with expanded criminal-history review. 

Labor Department Major Wage Rule Proposal Would Harm the U.S. 

By C. Matthew Schulz

U.S. employers should take notice: a newly proposed Department of Labor rule could significantly raise wage requirements across key immigration programs—making it harder, more expensive, and more uncertain to recruit and retain highly skilled foreign professionals.