H1B Visa Lawyer Blog

September 26, 2025

DHS Terminates TPS for Syria!

On Friday, September 19th, Secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem announced the termination of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Syria. The TPS designation for Syria is set to expire September 30, 2025, and will terminate 60 days later on November 21, 2025! The Secretary has decided that they do not qualify for TPS, and she will terminate it.

For more information, please review the USCIS News Release, “Secretary Noem Announces the Termination of Temporary Protected Status for Syria“!

Background:

September 25, 2025

USCIS is doing away with Paper Payments as of October 28th!

by Kellie N. Lego

On Friday, August 29, 2025, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) published a News Release, “USCIS to Modernize Fee Payments with Electronic Funds“! This News Release announced an update to its fee payment process and that USCIS will phase out paper checks and money orders by October 28, 2025. You can only use forms G-1650 and G-1450 after October 28, no more personal checks, corporate checks, no money orders, no cashier’s checks, only ACH bank accounts and credit cards will be accepted!

Summary:

Right now, USCIS allows fee payments via electronic debit from U.S. bank accounts using Form G-1650.

September 24, 2025

What We Know about the H-1B Presidential Proclamation!

by Kellie N. Lego

What We Know about the H-1B Presidential Proclamation:

Current H-1B workers in the U.S. should not be impacted by the Proclamation.
The $100,000 fee applies only to new petitions filed on or after September 21, 2025.

September 23, 2025

Fiscal Year 2026 H-2B Cap Count – 9/12/25 – Reached First Half

by Kellie N. Lego

The H-2B non-agricultural temporary worker program allows U.S. employers to bring foreign nationals to the United States to fill temporary non-agricultural jobs. There is a cap limit of 33,000 for the first half of the fiscal year and 33,000 for the second half for a total of 66,000 per year. If the cap is not reached during the first half of the fiscal year, the extra numbers are then made available for the second half.

The H-2B cap limit for first half of FY 2026 (October 1 – March 31) is 33,000. As of the last count (8/12/25). – USCIS Reaches H-2B Cap for First Half of FY 2026

The H-2B cap limit for second half of FY 2026 (April 1 – September 30) is 33,000. As of the last count (8/26/25); 0 beneficiaries have been approved and 0 are pending for a total of 0.

September 19, 2025

MVP “Immigration Q & A Forum” – 9/19/25

by Kellie N. Lego

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.

Would you be able to tell me what the priority date is for an Employment Based applicant who filed in EB3 from India is for next month? I believe the Visa Bulletin for October 2025 was published this week and the internet has a lot of conflicting information.

Yes, the October 2025 Visa Bulletin was published on Monday, September 15, 2025. As October 1^st begins a new Fiscal Year, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) has published notice that eligible applicants are to follow the Dates for Filing Chart for Employment Based visa applications. As a result, eligible applicants from India who have filed under the Employment Based 3^rd preference category are eligible to file their I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status with the USCIS if their priority date falls on or before August 15, 2014. The window to file is not until October 1^st, 2025. Do not file the I-485 application until October 1^st, 2025. Our firm would recommend that you file early within the month of October as it is not guaranteed the USCIS will publish notice to once again follow the Dates for Filing Chart for the November 2025 Visa Bulletin.

September 18, 2025

USCIS Reaches H-2B Cap for First Half of Fiscal Year 2026

by Kellie N. Lego

On Tuesday, September 16, 2025, USCIS announced that it has reached the H-2B cap for the first half of fiscal year 2026. September 12, 2025 is now the “final receipt date” for cap-subject H-2B worker requesting employment start dates before April 1, 2026. The “final receipt date” is the date on which USCIS determined that it has received enough cap-subject petitions to reach the limit of H-2B workers for the first half FY2026. USCIS continues to accept petitions that are exempt from the congressionally mandated H-2B cap.

For more detailed information about this subject please review the USCIS News Alert, “USCIS Reaches H-2B Cap for First Half of FY 2026“.

Source of Information:

September 17, 2025

Immigration News – Top News Stories – Hyundai Raid

by Kellie N. Lego

List of some of the Top News Stories related to “Hyundai Raid”:

The Guardian (theguardian.com), 9/10/25, News Article:

Leaked Ice document shows worker detained in Hyundai raid had valid visa

September 16, 2025

Visa Bulletin – October 2025

by Kellie N. Lego

The Department of State has released its latest Visa Bulletin.

Click the link to view the October 2025 Visa Bulletin

The monthly Visa Bulletin has changed. The bulletin now summarizes the availability of immigrant numbers during the reported month for: “Application Final Action Dates” (consistent with prior Visa Bulletins) and “Dates for Filing Applications,” indicating when immigrant visa applicants should be notified to assemble and submit required documentation to the National Visa Center using Consular Processing (outside of the US) or file on their own with USCIS Form I-485 (within the US).

September 15, 2025

MVP “Immigration Q & A Forum” – This Friday, September 19, 2025

by Kellie N. Lego

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, September 19, 2025. Act now and submit your questions!

September 12, 2025

Immigrants in each State (fact sheets): Arkansas, California and Colorado – Update

by Kellie N. Lego

UPDATE: Explore American Immigration Council’ interactive map to get more comprehensive information on U.S. immigration data and its impact!

The American Immigration Council (AIC) has released all fifty states and the District of Columbia, for a total of fifty-one updated state-by-state fact sheets highlighting immigration data and facts. These fact sheets highlight the demographic and economic impact of Immigrants in each state.

With national immigration policy being discussed, we thought that it would be a good time to provide some statistics on the Immigrant population in the United States as provided by this AIC research. Once a week we will be posting a blog with information on three states at a time. This week we will highlight; Arkansas, California and Colorado!