Short answer: Many nonimmigrants with an expired U.S. visa stamp can return from a trip of 30 days or less to Canada or Mexico using a valid I-94. This is called automatic revalidation, and it ends the moment you apply for a new visa during the trip.
Key...
A proposed rule published in the Federal Register on October 14, 2026 would repeal the regulation that directs USCIS to follow its own earlier approvals of Form I-129 extension petitions. DHS calls it Removing Deference to Prior USCIS Determinations of Eligibility (Docket No. USCIS-2026-0529). The provision at issue, 8 CFR 214.1(c)(5),...
On October 8, 2026, DHS published a proposed rule in the Federal Register that would attach a fee to Optional Practical Training for F-1 students. The notice proposes $70,000 for a student's initial OPT and $30,000 for any subsequent OPT. This is a proposal, not a rule in effect, and DHS...
A new legal opinion from the Department of Justice's Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) has significantly widened which state government offices are required to report individuals known to be unlawfully present in the United States to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The opinion, issued September 1, 2026 and announced publicly on...
USCIS is rolling out new editions of two of its most commonly filed forms, and this one comes with an unusually hard cutoff. Starting September 15, 2026, USCIS will only accept the 09/15/26 editions of Form I-539, Application to Extend/Change Nonimmigrant Status, and Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization. The current versions,...
The order requiring USCIS to keep adjudicating cases for nationals of the 39 previously affected countries remains firmly in place. On July 15, 2026, Chief Judge John McConnell of the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island denied the government's request to pause his own June 5 ruling while the...
When DHS finalized its rule replacing duration of status with fixed admission periods for F, J, and I nonimmigrants, most of the attention went to the individual timelines: the four-year cap, the shortened 30-day grace period for F-1 students, and the new requirement to file for an extension of stay directly with...
DHS, DOL, and the State Department released their 2026 regulatory agendas on July 6, giving employers an early look at what's still in the pipeline for the rest of the year and into 2027. The duration of status change and the public charge rescission we've already covered are now finalized. What follows...
Back in December 2025, USCIS tightened how long it can reuse an old photo on file, cutting the reuse window down to 36 months for most filings. At the time, that seemed like a fairly technical, back-office change. Months later, the real-world effect is becoming clear: applicants across a wide range of...
A federal court ordered USCIS to lift its holds on green card, work permit, naturalization, and asylum cases for nationals of 39 countries. That ruling came down on June 5, 2026. The government was supposed to start moving those cases immediately.
But for many applicants, nothing has changed. Cases...
