News & Announcements

On January 1, 2026, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued a policy memorandum relating to vetting of benefit applications* filed by, or on behalf of, foreign nationals born in or citizens of,  39 designated “high-risk” countries, effective immediately. This new policy memorandum updates and expands upon the policy memorandum issued by USCIS on December 2, 2025.

Effective January 21, 2026, the U.S. Department of State will pause issuance of immigrant visas to nationals of 75 countries.* Please see the U.S. State Department website on this topic. The policy does not impact non-immigrant visas.

USCIS published a final rule in the Federal Register: 90 FR 60864 (December 29, 2025), modifying how H-1B work visa petitions will be selected for processing, as submitted by cap-subject employers. The rule will take effect February 27, 2026.

On January 9, 2026, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that Premium Processing Fees will increase, effective March 1, 2026.

On December 16, 2025, the White House released the Presidential Proclamation Restricting and Limiting The Entry of Foreign Nationals to Protect the Security of the United States.This Proclamation extends and modifies entry restrictions implemented by the June 4, 2025 Presidential Proclamation 10949, which affects nationals of 19 countries, and establishes restrictions on nationals of an additional 20 countries, as well as individuals with travel documents issued by the Palestinian Authority.

In recent days, U.S. Consulates in India informed H-1B and H-4 visa applicants that their visa interviews, originally scheduled for December 15, 2025 or later, had been rescheduled for March or April 2026, or later. U.S. Consulates are reducing the number of interviews scheduled each day to accommodate additional vetting of applicants.*

On December 2, 2025, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued an updated policy memorandum pertaining to 19 “high-risk” countries, effective immediately. As a result, USCIS is:   Placing a “hold” […]

On December 3, 2025, the U.S. Department of State announced that starting December 15, 2025, H-1B and H-4 visa applicants will be subject to a review of their online presence as part of their visa application process at U.S. Embassies/Consulates abroad.

On September 19, 2025, a Presidential Proclamation, Restriction on Entry of Certain Nonimmigrant Workers, instituted a $100,000 fee for certain H-1B petitions effective September 21, 2025. USCIS provided further clarification and guidance on October 20, 2025, and what we know to date is summarized below. Updates will continue to be posted for the MIT community when/if USCIS releases additional information.

On October 30, 2025, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services published an Interim Final Rule ending the automatic extension of certain employment authorization documents (EAD cards).

Effective immediately, this means that for certain application types, employment authorization (EAD) will not be automatically extended beyond the current EAD end date, while an application for extension is pending at USCIS.

If members of the U.S. Congress do not pass legislation to keep the U.S. government funded beyond Tuesday, September 30, 2025 at 11:59pm Eastern U.S. time, certain government agencies will be affected. In the past, units within some agencies that were fee-funded or considered “essential” continued operations. Others closed when the government shut down.

On September 6, 2025 the U.S. Department of State issued an announcement that directs nonimmigrant visa applicants to schedule their visa interview appointments at the U.S. Embassy or Consulate in their country of nationality or residence, with certain limited exceptions.