DHS Terminates Designation of South Sudan for Temporary Protected Status

DHS today posted a Federal Register notice announcing the termination of South Sudan's designation for Temporary Protected Status. The termination will be effective Jan. 5, 2026. 

At least 60 days before a TPS designation expires, the secretary of homeland security, after consultation with appropriate U.S. government agencies, must review the conditions in a country designated for TPS to determine whether the conditions supporting the designation continue to be met and, if so, how long to extend the designa

USCIS Enhances Voter Verification Systems

States can now use last four digits of Social Security numbers to verify citizenship

WASHINGTON— U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has continued its upgrades of the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) program to enable states to verify that only U.S. citizens are voting in federal elections. States can now use SAVE to verify the citizenship of voters and voting registrants using the last four digits of the individual's Social Security number rather than requiring the full nine digits.

"USCIS remains dedicated to eliminating barriers to securing the nation's electoral process," said USCIS spokesman Matthew Tragesser. "By allowing states to efficiently verify voter eligibility, we are reinforcing the principle that America's elections are reserved exclusively for American citizens. We encourage all

DHS Ends Automatic Extension of Employment Authorization

New rule prioritizes vetting, screening to protect public safety, national security

WASHINGTON – The Department of Homeland Security has announced an interim final rule ending the practice of automatically extending employment authorization documents for aliens filing renewal applications in certain employment authorization categories. With this rule, DHS prioritizes the proper screening and vetting of aliens before extending the validity of their employment authorizations.

Aliens who file to renew their EAD on or after Oct. 30, 2025, will no longer receive an automatic extension of their EAD. There are limited exceptions to this rule, including

USCIS to Mandate Electronic Payments for Applications

WASHINGTON— As previously announced, on Oct. 28, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services will only accept electronic payments for paper-filed forms. Payments may be made either via credit card or debit card using Form G-1450, Authorization for Credit Card Transactions, or ACH debit transactions from a U.S. bank account using <a target='_blank' href="https://www.uscis.gov/g-1650" data-entity-type="node" data-entity-uuid="292a6ce6-90d8-47a0-8254-f99d06de

Visa Bulletin January 2026 Predictions

For official December 2025 Visa Bulletin & Analysis, please click here: https://www.mygcvisa.com/visa-bulletin/2025/visa-bulletin-december-2025.aspx

Please see January 2026 Visa Bulletin Predictions below (for both Family Based and Employment Based categories for all countries):

Family Based:

Final Action Dates

Dates For Filing Applications

"Final Action Date" is the date when when USCIS/DOS may render their final decision on submitted applications. Your priority date should be before this date.

Family- Sponsored	All Chargeability Areas Except Those Listed	CHINA-mainland born	INDIA	MEXICO	PHILIPPINES
F1	08DEC16	08DEC16	08DEC16	15APR06	22FEB13
F2A	08APR24	08APR24	08APR24	01APR23	08APR24
F2B	15DEC16	15DEC16	15DEC16	15AUG08	08NOV12
F3	15OCT11	15OCT11	15OCT11	15MAY01	08JAN05
F4	22JAN08	22JAN08	22NOV06	01MAY01	01OCT06

"Date for Filing Application" is the date when you can submit I-485/NVC applications to USCIS/DOS. Your priority date should be before this date.

Family- Sponsored	All Chargeability Areas Except Those Listed	CHINA-mainland born	INDIA	MEXICO	PHILIPPINES
F1	01NOV17	01NOV17	01NOV17	15APR07	08JUN15
F2A	C	C	C	C	C
F2B	22APR17	22APR17	22APR17	08AUG09	08NOV13
F3	08AUG12	08AUG12	08AUG12	08JUL01	22DEC05
F4	01APR09	01APR09	01JAN07	22MAY01	01FEB08

Presidential Proclamation on Restriction on Entry of Certain Nonimmigrant Workers

On September 19, 2025, the President issued a Proclamation, Restriction on Entry of Certain Nonimmigrant Workers, an important initial step to reform the H-1B nonimmigrant visa program. Under the Proclamation, new H-1B petitions filed at or after 12:01 a.m. eastern daylight time on September 21, 2025 must be accompanied by an additional $100,000 payment as a condition of eligibility.

In accordance with section 1(c) of the Proclamation, for H-1B petitions subject to the Proclamation, petitioners must submit a copy of the proof of the payment from pay.gov or evidence of an exception from the fee from the Secretary of Homeland Security at the time of filing the H-1B petition. Petitions subject to the $100,000 payment that are filed without evidence of payment or the grant of an exception will be denied.

For additional information on the requirements of the Proclamati

USCIS Implements New Immigration Parole Fee Required by H.R. 1

The Department of Homeland Security is publishing a Federal Register notice to implement a new immigration parole fee required by the H.R. 1 Reconciliation Bill. The fee is $1,000 for FY 2025 and is subject to annual adjustments for inflation. You must pay this fee when you are paroled into the United States, unless you qualify for an exception.

Our critical work does not stop during the Democrats' government shutdown. We remain steadfast in protecting our homeland by upholding lawful immigration.

The Federal Register notice explains when the immigration parole fee takes effect, exceptions to the fee, and consequences if you do not pay.

USCIS will collect the immigration parole fee if you are physically

December 2025 Visa Bulletin

For November 2025 Visa Bulletin, please click here: https://www.mygcvisa.com/visa-bulletin/2025/visa-bulletin-november-2025.aspx

For analysis of December 2025 Visa Bulletin, please click here: https://www.mygcvisa.com/visa-bulletin/2025/visa-bulletin-analysis-december-2025.aspx

December 2025 Visa Bulletin has been officially released (valid from December 1 to December 31 only). Please see below for more details.

Family Based:

Final Action Dates

Dates For Filing Applications

"Final Action Date" is the date when when USCIS/DOS may render their final decision on submitted applications. Your priority date should be before this date.

Family- Sponsored	All Chargeability  Areas Except Those Listed	CHINA-mainland  born	INDIA	MEXICO	PHILIPPINES
F1	08NOV16	08NOV16	08NOV16	01MAR06	22JAN13
F2A	01FEB24	01FEB24	01FEB24	01FEB23	01FEB24
F2B	01DEC16	01DEC16	01DEC16	15MAY08	08OCT12
F3	08SEP11	08SEP11	08SEP11	01MAY01	01NOV04
F4	08JAN08	08JAN08	01NOV06	08APR01	15JUL06

"Date for Filing Application" is the date when you can submit I-485/NVC applications to USCIS/DOS. Your priority date should be before this date.

Family- Sponsored	All Chargeability  Areas Except Those Listed	CHINA- mainland  born	INDIA	MEXICO	PHILIPPINES
F1	01SEP17	01SEP17	01SEP17	01MAR07	22APR15
F2A	22NOV25	22NOV25	22NOV25	22NOV25	22NOV25
F2B	08MAR17	08MAR17	08MAR17	15MAY09	01OCT13
F3	22JUL12	22JUL12	22JUL12	01JUL01	01NOV05
F4	01MAR09	01MAR09	15DEC06	30APR01	01JAN08

December 2025 Visa Bulletin Analysis

For December 2025 Visa Bulletin, please click here: https://www.mygcvisa.com/visa-bulletin/2025/visa-bulletin-december-2025.aspx

Please see below analysis of December 2025 Visa Bulletin:

Family Based:

Final Action Dates

Dates For Filing Applications

"Final Action Date" is the date when when USCIS/DOS may render their final decision on submitted applications. Your priority date should be before this date.

Family- Sponsored	All Chargeability Areas Except Those Listed	CHINA-mainland born	INDIA	MEXICO	PHILIPPINES
F1	No Change	No Change	No Change	+3 Months 9 Days	No Change
F2A	No Change	No Change	No Change	No Change	No Change
F2B	No Change	No Change	No Change	+5 Months	+7 Days
F3	No Change	No Change	No Change	No Change	+1 Month 9 Days
F4	No Change	No Change	No Change	No Change	+3 Months 24 Days

"Date for Filing Application" is the date when you can submit I-485/NVC applications to USCIS/DOS. Your priority date should be before this date.

Family- Sponsored	All Chargeability Areas Except Those Listed	CHINA-mainland born	INDIA	MEXICO	PHILIPPINES
F1	No Change	No Change	No Change	No Change	No Change
F2A	+1 Month	+1 Month	+1 Month	+1 Month	+1 Month
F2B	No Change	No Change	No Change	No Change	No Change
F3	No Change	No Change	No Change	No Change	No Change
F4	No Change	No Change	No Change	No Change	No Change

DHS Streamlines the Filing Process for Certain Agricultural Workers

DHS, DOL modernize and streamline the H-2A process for agricultural employers

WASHINGTON— The Department of Homeland Security is announcing a final rule, effective Oct. 2, 2025, to streamline the filing process for certain temporary agricultural worker petitions.

The new rule allows U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to begin processing petitions for H-2A temporary agricultural workers while the Department of Labor reviews the requested employment to ensure it would not harm American workers.

"This change allows USCIS to support American farmers in their critical work for our nation while also ensuring that they hire thoroughly screened

USCIS Updates Guidance on Military Naturalization

We are issuing guidance to explain that uncharacterized discharges that occurred on or after Aug. 1, 2024, do not meet the requirement of a separation "under honorable conditions" for former alien service members to naturalize under Sections 328 and 329 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA).

We also announced we will no longer coordinate with U.S. Customs and Border Protection to perform naturalization interviews and oath ceremonies at ports of entry. Instead, alien veterans living outside the U.S. must seek visas or parole to enter the country for a naturalization interview.

We are updating guidance on uncharacterized discharges consistent with changes to the Department of Defense Instructions (DODI) and in alignment with Sections 328 and 329 of the INA. On Aug. 1, 2024, the U.S. Department of War amended the DODI 1332.14 Enlisted Administrative Separations to remo