The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has introduced sweeping updates to marriage-based green card policies—effective August 1, 2025—mandating in-person interviews in nearly all spousal visa cases and sharply increasing evidentiary requirements to detect fraudulent petitions. What’s Changed? 1. Mandatory In-Person Interviews for Nearly All Cases USCIS now requires face-to-face interviews in essentially all marriage-based […]
By Mary Campbell A controversial new travel fee—dubbed the “visa integrity fee”—was enacted as part of the One Big Beautiful Bill, signed into law on July 4, 2025. It imposes a $250 charge on top of existing visa application fees for most non‑immigrant visa holders, including tourist (B‑1/B‑2), student (F/M), work (H‑1B/H‑4), and exchange (J‑1/J‑2) categories. When […]
By:David L. Di Maria | Theconversation.com In early April 2025, the Trump administration terminated the immigration statuses of thousands of international students listed in a government database, meaning they no longer had legal permission to be in the country. Some students self-deported instead of facing deportation. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security recently announced that it would reverse […]
By Janet Howard | Editorial credit: Alexandros Michailidis / Shutterstock.com President Donald Trump’s Executive orders have reignited discussions about similar policies, drawing parallels to post-9/11 actions. Introduction The September 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center profoundly impacted U.S. policies, particularly concerning the treatment and perception of Muslim communities. In the aftermath, the government […]
By Brian Figeroux, Esq. For individuals who are not eligible for a Social Security Number (SSN) but need to file a U.S. tax return, obtaining a Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN), specifically an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN), is essential. This process is particularly significant for non-residents, immigrants, and undocumented individuals, but it raises important questions […]
By Brian Figeroux, Esq. | Editorial Credit: Piotr Swat / shuttertsock.com The United States Visa Waiver Program (VWP) facilitates streamlined travel for citizens of designated countries, promoting tourism and business engagements. However, the program faces challenges, notably individuals who overstay their authorized period and become undocumented residents. This comprehensive analysis examines the VWP’s structure, estimates […]
