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Talk to an attorneyUSCIS Policy Updates
Immigration rules are changing fast, and the headlines can be scary. This page keeps track of the changes that matter, tells you what each one actually means, and links to the official source. USCIS is U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, the government agency that decides most immigration applications.
Last reviewed July 2026 · This is general information, not legal advice. Read our note
A new government rule takes effect on July 10, 2026. It lets USCIS, the agency that decides immigration applications, deny an application with a missing or invalid signature instead of simply mailing it back to you. If that happens, the filing fee is kept, not returned. The fix is simple: check every signature carefully before you file, or have someone review your forms first.
USCIS opened a new asylum office in Atlanta on July 8, 2026. It handles affirmative asylum interviews, which are the interviews for people who ask for protection while already living in the U.S., at three locations in the area. For families in the Southeast, this could mean shorter travel and, over time, shorter waits for an interview.
On July 2, 2026, the government published a proposed rule for the EB-5 program, the green card path for people who invest in U.S. businesses that create jobs. The rule would put a 2022 law, the EB-5 Reform and Integrity Act, into everyday practice. It is only a proposal for now, and anyone may send the government comments about it until August 31, 2026.
The Visa Bulletin is the government's monthly chart showing whose turn it is to get a green card. In July 2026, two work-based categories for people born in India, EB-2 and the unreserved part of EB-5, are unavailable for the rest of the government's fiscal year, which ends September 30. There is good news too: the F2A category, for spouses and young children of green card holders, is current for filing, so those families can submit their paperwork now.
The government has proposed raising the fee for Form N-400, the application to become a U.S. citizen. Paper filing would go from $760 to $1,330, and online filing from $710 to $1,280. The reduced fee for lower-income filers would also end. None of this is final yet, and the public can comment until August 24, 2026. If you are already eligible, filing before any increase takes effect could save you money.
In a case called Dorcas International Institute v. USCIS, a federal court in Rhode Island struck down policy memos that had frozen green card, work permit (EAD), and asylum processing for people from dozens of countries. The court ordered USCIS to start processing those cases again. One important point: the order requires processing, not approval. Each case will still be decided on its own facts.
On June 8, 2026, a federal court in Massachusetts ruled that the $100,000 fee placed on H-1B visas, the visas for skilled workers, was really a tax the White House had no power to create. The ruling was later paused, or "stayed," while the government appeals, so the question is not settled yet. Employers and workers should plan carefully until the appeal is decided.
Temporary Protected Status, or TPS, lets people from certain countries stay and work in the U.S. legally when it is not safe to return home. The government automatically extended TPS for Lebanon by six months, from May 28 through November 27, 2026. If you already have TPS from Lebanon, your protection and your work permit continue during this window. The extension happens on its own under the official notice; no new application is needed for it.
In May 2026, USCIS said that finishing a green card without leaving the U.S., a step called adjustment of status, is not automatic. Officers will now treat it as a special allowance saved for "extraordinary circumstances." More applicants may be told to finish the process at a U.S. embassy in their home country instead, which is called consular processing. If your case is pending, this does not mean it is denied, but the path may change.
Most policy changes come with options, deadlines, and exceptions that never make the headlines. Talk with us before you make a decision based on the news. We will look at your situation, explain it in plain words, and tell you what your real choices are.
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