The US Department of State announced it will expand social media and online screening to include additional nonimmigrant visa applicant categories, effective March 30. H-1B applicants and dependents, as well as F, M, and J...more
4/1/2026
/ Disclosure Requirements ,
Employer Responsibilities ,
Foreign Nationals ,
Government Agencies ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Non-Immigrant Visas ,
Policy Updates ,
Social Media ,
Social Networks ,
US State Departments ,
Vetting ,
Visa Applications ,
Visas
The U.S. Department of State (DOS) published a final rule amending Diversity Immigrant Visa Program (DV Program) requirements for enhanced vetting.
What is the Diversity Visa Lottery Program?...more
On December 5, 2025, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced the establishment of a specialized center to centralize and enhance the screening and vetting of foreign nationals within the U.S. immigration...more
In the wake of the shooting of two members of the National Guard in Washington D.C. on November 28, 2025, the Trump Administration has announced a number of significant changes to the processing of certain immigration cases...more
12/3/2025
/ Asylum ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
Foreign Nationals ,
Immigration Enforcement ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Refugees ,
Travel Ban ,
Trump Administration ,
USCIS ,
Visas
Following a 30-day comment period, on November 27, 2025, Department Homeland Security (DHS) regulations were amended to provide that DHS may require all foreign nationals to be photographed when entering or exiting the United...more
12/3/2025
/ Biometric Information ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Customs and Border Protection ,
Data Collection ,
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
Final Rules ,
Foreign Nationals ,
Immigration Procedures ,
National Security ,
New Regulations ,
Photographs ,
Tracking Systems ,
Visas
On October 29, 2025 the Department Homeland Security (DHS) announced an interim final rule to end the practice of automatically extending employment authorization documents (EAD) for certain employment authorization...more
On September 19, 2025, the President issued the Proclamation Restriction on Entry of Certain Nonimmigrant Workers which imposes a new $100,000 payment requirement for certain H-1B petitions filed on or after September 21,...more
10/24/2025
/ Business Immigration ,
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
Effective Date ,
Filing Fees ,
H-1B ,
New Regulations ,
Non-Immigrant Visas ,
Presidential Proclamations ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Trump Administration ,
USCIS
As of October 1, 2025 at 12:00AM EST, the United States Government has shut down. Congressional Democrats have stated that they will withhold support for any spending bill that does not extend existing health insurance...more
10/3/2025
/ Affordable Care Act ,
Business Immigration ,
Customs and Border Protection ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
E-3 ,
E-Verify ,
Government Shutdown ,
H-1B ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Popular ,
Subsidies ,
Sunset Provisions ,
US Department of State ,
USCIS
U.S. Consulates abroad have begun directing certain visa applicants to adjust privacy settings on all social media profiles to “public” in steps taken to comply with Department of State’s earlier directive that F-1, M and J...more
Due to the changing political situation in the United States and throughout the world there is a moderate level of risk with return to the U.S. following international travel at this time. We strongly advise all nonimmigrant...more
8/8/2025
/ Consulate ,
Customs and Border Protection ,
Electronic Devices ,
Foreign Nationals ,
Immigration Reform ,
International Travel ,
Non-Immigrant Visas ,
Required Documentation ,
Travelers ,
U.S. Embassies ,
Visa Applications ,
Visa Waiver Program
United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has reached the Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 H-1B cap.
On July 18, 2025, USCIS announced that it received enough petitions to reach the mandated 65,000 H-1B visa regular...more
7/22/2025
/ Employer Liability Issues ,
Foreign Nationals ,
Foreign Workers ,
H-1B ,
Highly-Skilled Workers Visa ,
Immigrants ,
Immigration ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Immigration Reform ,
USCIS ,
Visa Caps ,
Visas
On June 27, 2025, the Supreme Court issued a ruling to limit the ability of federal district judges to issue broad nationwide injunctions. This decision was issued in connection with several legal challenges to prevent the...more
7/8/2025
/ Constitutional Challenges ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Responsibilities ,
Executive Orders ,
Fourteenth Amendment ,
Immigrants ,
Immigration Enforcement ,
Injunctions ,
Judicial Authority ,
Popular ,
SCOTUS ,
Trump Administration ,
Trump v CASA
On June 4, 2025, President Trump issued a new proclamation significantly restricting the entry of foreign nationals from 12 countries and partially limiting entry from an additional 7 countries, citing national security and...more
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced a final rule to permanently increase the automatic extension period for employment authorization and Employment Authorization Documents for certain applicants. The final...more
12/16/2024
/ Applicants ,
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
Eligibility ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Authorization Documents (EAD) ,
Final Rules ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Immigration Reform ,
Registration Requirement ,
Renewal Options ,
USCIS ,
Visa Applications ,
Visas
United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has reached the Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 H-1B cap.
USCIS conducted its initial H-1B cap lottery in March 2024, and employers with selected registrations had a...more
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has designated Qatar for inclusion in the Visa Waiver Program (VWP). Qatar will be the first Gulf State to join the VWP program which allows for streamlined travel and entry to...more
With the second round of the H-1B cap lottery just completed, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) has now released statistics for this year’s H-1B cap selections as well as statistics on H-1B...more
9/5/2024
/ EB-2 ,
H-1B ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Lottery ,
Physician National Interest Waiver (PNIW) ,
Popular ,
Registration Requirement ,
STEM ,
USCIS ,
Visa Applications ,
Visa Caps ,
Visas
USCIS provided updated guidance in the USCIS Policy Manual with regard to the F-1 and M visa classifications utilized by international students for vocational, graduate and post-graduate study at U.S. academic institutions....more
USCIS announced on August 6, 2024 that it completed the second H-1B cap lottery for fiscal year (FY) 2025 H-1B cap. All employers with selected registrations have been notified. Employers with selected registrations from the...more
8/9/2024
/ Employer Liability Issues ,
Fees ,
Filing Deadlines ,
Form I-129 ,
Form I-907 ,
H-1B ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Registration Requirement ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
USCIS ,
Visa Caps ,
Visas
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) previously announced a new spousal protection policy in keeping with the Biden-Harris administration’s commitment to keep families together....more
Gibney attorneys and American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) members have been monitoring nationwide issues with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) processing related to erroneous rejections and delays...more
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) will solicit public input on expanding its list of Schedule A occupations eligible for streamlined immigration processing to include designated jobs in Science, Technology, Engineering, and...more
11/27/2023
/ Biden Administration ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Executive Orders ,
Highly-Skilled Workers Visa ,
Immigrants ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Immigration Reform ,
Popular ,
STEM ,
USCIS
Summer travel is expected to reach record high this year as pandemic-era restrictions are lifted. International travelers should expect busy consulates and U.S. Ports of Entry. Although U.S. consulates have reduced visa...more
The holiday season is here and travel is reaching pre-pandemic levels. International travelers should expect busy consulates and U.S. Ports of Entry. Although U.S. Consulates have committed additional resources to address...more
11/21/2022
/ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Foreign Nationals ,
Holidays ,
I-94 Cards ,
Immigration Procedures ,
International Travel ,
Passports ,
Travel ,
Travelers ,
Vaccinations ,
Visas
Effective December 6, 2021, all international travelers must take a COVID-19 viral test, regardless of vaccination status or citizenship, no more than 1 day before travel by air into the United States. Travelers must show a...more