On Friday, January 9th, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced they would publish a final rule, “Adjustment to Premium Processing Fees” in the Federal Register. This new rule will increase USCIS fees for premium processing to reflect the amount of inflation from June 2023 through June 2025.
REMINDER: This new rule and fee increase takes effect on Sunday, March 1, 2026!
For more details, please review the USCIS News Alert, “USCIS to Increase Premium Processing Fees“.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced on Friday, January 30, 2026, that the initial electronic registration period for the fiscal year (FY) 2027 H-1B Cap opens at noon Eastern Time on March 4, 2026, and closes at noon Eastern Time on March 19, 2026.
For all the details, please review the USCIS News Alert, “FY 2027 H-1B Cap Initial Registration Period Opens on March 4“!
Source of Information:
You can now check USCIS processing times online at the USCIS web site. All you need to enter is your form number, and the office processing your case. USCIS has made processing times easier to understand and provide a more realistic date range.
The processing time range is how long it is taking for USCIS to process your type of case from the date they received it. USCIS processes cases in the order they receive them, and they normally update this information monthly. The estimated time range displayed is based on data captured over the last two months. Frequently Asked Questions About Processing Times
List of some of the Top News Stories related to “5 year-old, Liam Conejo Ramos”:
ABC News (abcnews.go.com), 1/31/26, News Video and Article:
5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos, father ordered released from immigration detention center
The USCIS Forms Updates web page lists their most recently updated forms. The list includes forms as they publish them and includes a brief explanation for the update.
The updated form listed below is their most recent addition to the list, dated January 30, 2026!
MVP Law Group, P.A. makes available the information and materials in this forum for informational purposes only. The information is general in nature and does not constitute legal advice or any contractual obligations. Further, the use of this site, and the sending or receipt of this information, does not create an attorney-client relationship between us. Therefore, your communication with us through this forum will not be considered as privileged or confidential.
These responses are found on the USCIS website under the Naturalization materials. When an eligible applicant applies for Naturalization, they will be tested on U.S. history and government (civics) at their Interview, and they must study for the civics test. The USCIS provides 128 civics questions along with the answers to assist individuals in preparing for the civics test.
The Administrative Appeals Office (AAO) provides an updated ‘processing times’ in table form, with information on FY2026 first quarterly completions; October 2025 to December 2025. These figures indicate the time that it takes from the date the case is received at AAO coming from the Service Center or District Office to completion.
AAO Processing Times were released with processing dates as of 1/16/26. If you filed an appeal, please review the link below to determine the applicable processing time associated with your particular case.
Note: Starting with the January 2017 Administrative Appeals Office (AAO) Processing Times Report, the AAO has changed how it presents processing time data. The AAO will now provide, by form type, the total number of case completions for the fiscal year quarter and the percentage completed within 180 days, cases completed divided by their projected case goal.
On Friday, January 9th, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced they would publish a final rule, “Adjustment to Premium Processing Fees” in the Federal Register. This new rule will increase USCIS fees for premium processing to reflect the amount of inflation from June 2023 through June 2025.
For more details, please review the USCIS News Alert, “USCIS to Increase Premium Processing Fees“.
Background:
The Department of State has released its latest Visa Bulletin.
Click the link to view the February 2026 Visa Bulletin
We wanted to find a new way to engage our reader base. Every other Friday, we will post the ten (10) best/most frequently asked questions received during the week from our h1bvisalawyerblog, Facebook, and Twitter readers. We will answer those questions and provide the Q&A on our H-1B Visa Lawyer Blog.
If you have a burning question, are seeking assistance with a difficult immigration related case, wish to discuss your views on Comprehensive Immigration Reform, DREAMers, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, priority dates, the monthly visa bulletin, adjustment applications, etc., please contact us by submitting your question/comment/viewpoint in our comment box provided on our H-1B Visa Lawyer Blog.
Our next “Q & A Forum” will take place this Friday, January 30, 2026. Act now and submit your questions!
H1B Visa Lawyer Blog