Immigration & benefits changes tracker
Rules in this space change constantly — fees move, programs restructure, court rulings flip state laws — and most of what circulates about those changes is secondhand. This page is our running log of changes we have verified against official sources, newest first, each linked to the source document and to our guide that already reflects it.
Follow this tracker: RSS feed · machine-readable JSON — both regenerate automatically with every verified change.
Last verified: 2026-09-08. Most recent change logged: Correction: USCIS DID act on Executive Order 14418 — we said it had published nothing, on 28 pages. Every entry cites its official source and links to our already-updated guide.
Scheduled changes — what's coming
July 1, 2026
Germany's 45+ pension-provision thresholds reset July 1 — updated figures not yet published
Germany's pension-adequacy figures for self-employment-visa applicants aged 45+ reset every July 1. As of July 1, 2026, Berlin's immigration office still publishes the 2025 figures (€1,612.53/month for at least 12 years, or €232,204 in assets) — updated amounts have not yet been posted. Verify the current figures before applying. Our guide →
September 15, 2026
Fixed-period admission replaces 'duration of status' for F, J, and I (effective date)
From this date, new F, J, and I admissions receive a fixed admit-until date instead of D/S. Current D/S holders keep status until their I-20/DS-2019 program end date or 4 years after this date, whichever comes first. Subject to congressional review — DHS will publish a Federal Register document if the date changes. Our guide →
September 15, 2026
New editions of Form I-765 and Form I-539 take effect — older editions rejected, no grace period
USCIS announced on August 14, 2026 that it will publish revised editions of Form I-765 (Application for Employment Authorization) and Form I-539 (Application to Extend/Change Nonimmigrant Status) on September 15, 2026, both carrying edition date 09/15/26. They replace the 08/21/25 edition of Form I-765 and the 08/28/24 edition of Form I-539. There is no grace period: USCIS will reject the older editions if they are postmarked or electronically submitted on or after September 15, 2026, and will not accept the new editions before that date. The trigger is the postmark or submission date, not the date USCIS receives the package. The revision follows the final rule setting fixed admission periods for F, J and I nonimmigrants, but the rejection rule applies to every I-765 filer — including DACA renewals, TPS registrations and asylum-based work permits, which are unrelated to that rule. Our guide →
September 18, 2026
The 2022 public-charge rule's rescission takes effect (case-by-case framework; revised Form I-485 required)
From this date, the 2022 public-charge rule's limits are gone and the Policy Manual guidance USCIS published August 18, 2026 governs (superseding the 1999 Interim Field Guidance): officers weigh five statutory factors case-by-case, and any means-tested benefit the applicant receives on or after September 18, 2026 — USCIS names cash assistance, housing assistance, food stamps, and college financial aid — can be considered; benefits received before this date are still judged under the 2022 rule's limits. Public-charge bonds (Form I-945) return, by USCIS invitation only. A revised Form I-485 (edition 09/18/26) is required — older editions filed on or after this date will be rejected. Our guide →
October 1, 2026
EOIR filing fees rise for FY2027 (immigration-court appeals, motions, cancellation)
A final rule published August 21, 2026 (91 FR 54211) applies OBBBA's annual inflation adjustment (CPI-U +3.4%) to EOIR fees for filings on or after October 1, 2026: EOIR-26 and EOIR-29 appeals $1,060; motions to reopen/reconsider before an Immigration Judge $1,095 and before the Board $1,060 ($950 when based on a fee-free relief application); EOIR-40 and EOIR-42A $730; EOIR-42B $1,690. DHS-form fees collected by EOIR are updated separately on EOIR's website. Our guide →
January 1, 2027
Delaware's new hospital charity-care minimums take effect (SS 1 for SB 13)
Signed July 20, 2026. From January 1, 2027 Delaware hospitals must give full financial assistance at or below 300% FPL, a 75% discount to 350%, and a 50% discount to 400%; remaining provisions follow on the earlier of the Diamond State Hospital Cost Review Board's final-regulations notice or July 1, 2027. Our guide →
Verified changes, newest first
September 8, 2026
Correction: USCIS DID act on Executive Order 14418 — we said it had published nothing, on 28 pages
Twenty-eight pages (14 EN + 14 ES) stated that USCIS, the Social Security Administration and the Justice Department "had published nothing as of September 5, 2026" about Executive Order 14418. That was false when we wrote it. DHS filed an interim final rule on September 4, 2026 at 4:15 pm EDT (FR doc 2026-18345, publishing September 9), and USCIS announced it the same day. The rule replaces "foreign diplomatic officer" with the broader "foreign government employee" — expressly covering embassy and consulate employees who are nationals of that country, which is our consulate audience — and lets such children register as lawful permanent residents. It is effective September 4, 2026 and applies only to children born on or after that date; it also updates Forms I-485 and G-325R. Critically, and this is the part that most protects readers: DHS states it will NOT implement the rule against members of the certified class in Casa Inc. v. Trump, No. 8:25-cv-00201 (D. Md.), while that preliminary injunction stands. All 28 pages now carry the rule, its effective date and scope, and the injunction carve-out. SSA and DOJ have still published nothing. Comments on the rule close about October 4, 2026.
September 8, 2026
Sudan and Ukraine TPS: USCIS is mailing notices that extend expired work permits to Oct. 19 — our pages implied they had lapsed
Our Sudan and Ukraine entries said only that "an EAD auto-extension ran through April 19, 2026; verify current EAD validity with the latest USCIS notice." A holder whose card expired after that date could read our page and conclude they had no work authorization. E-Verify guidance dated September 3, 2026 shows otherwise: USCIS is mailing individual notices extending expired TPS-based EADs to October 19, 2026, and for Form I-9 a qualifying A12 or C19 card plus that notice is valid List A proof through October 19, 2026. Qualifying card-expiry is on or after July 22, 2026 for Sudan and on or after April 20, 2026 for Ukraine. Both bulletins also state the designations are set to terminate October 19, 2026. This is the same omission we corrected for El Salvador; it is now fixed in tps_designations.json and tps_work_permits.json, EN and ES.
September 8, 2026
El Salvador TPS: E-Verify says it terminates Sept. 9, but no Federal Register notice exists — we now publish both halves
E-Verify guidance dated September 3, 2026 states that the El Salvador TPS designation "and related benefits are set to terminate on Sept. 9, 2026" and instructs employers to enter September 9, 2026 as the expiration date on Form I-9 and in E-Verify. At the same time, NO Federal Register notice exists — no extension, no redesignation and no termination — and nothing about El Salvador TPS sat on the FR public-inspection desk for the September 9 issue when we checked on September 8. That is a genuine gap, and the pages now report both halves instead of only one. The statutory backdrop: 8 U.S.C. 1254a(b)(3)(B) makes a termination effective no earlier than 60 days after a notice is published, and 1254a(b)(3)(C) extends a designation 6 months when the Secretary makes no timely determination (the deadline here fell about July 11, 2026). We can confirm nothing was PUBLISHED by then; we CANNOT confirm whether a determination was made, and the statute keys on the determination — so we assert no outcome and publish no computed end date. Two corrections to our earlier framing, both caught in cross-AI review: (1) the statute extends the DESIGNATION, while Lebanon's work permits were extended by the NOTICE itself ("Through this Federal Register notice, DHS automatically extends the validity of EADs") — so a statute alone is not what an employer enters into E-Verify, and the same gap reaches driver's-licence renewals and state benefits via SAVE; (2) the Lebanon analogy is weaker than it first appeared, because that notice was already on public inspection before its period ended ("FR Doc. 2026-10704 Filed 5-27-26; 11:15 am", printed May 29) whereas El Salvador's desk is empty. Reader guidance is now: plan around September 9, keep every document, do not quit on a rumor, do not tell an employer you are cleared to work past September 9, and get individual legal advice. Updated EN+ES: the El Salvador country page (rewritten section, callout, work FAQ and removal FAQ), the TPS-by-country hub, the TPS work-permit dataset page, and tps_designations.json.
September 6, 2026
Correction: El Salvador TPS work permits — USCIS no longer lists the July 22, 2026 date; pending renewals get a notice extending the EAD to September 9, 2026
The status box on our El Salvador TPS page (EN + ES) said USCIS listed EADs expiring March 9, 2025 as valid through July 22, 2026. USCIS updated its El Salvador TPS page on September 3, 2026 and that date no longer appears anywhere on it. The page now lists EADs as auto-extended by Federal Register notice through March 9, 2026, and says that TPS holders whose renewal EAD (category A12 or C19) is still pending receive an individual USCIS notice extending the EAD to September 9, 2026; with that notice, cards with a Card Expires date of March 9, 2025, June 30, 2024, December 31, 2022, October 4, 2021, January 4, 2021, January 2, 2020, September 9, 2019 or March 9, 2018 remain proof of work authorization through September 9, 2026. Our status box now says exactly that, matching the page body and FAQ. USCIS has published nothing about the period after September 9, 2026.
September 5, 2026
Correction: the H.R.1 car-loan interest deduction has no SSN requirement — ITIN pages said all four new deductions required one
Six ITIN tax pages (EN + ES) stated that the four new H.R.1 deductions — tips, overtime, car-loan interest and the senior deduction — all require a Social Security number. Three do: 26 U.S.C. §§ 224(d), 225(d) and 151(d)(5) each contain an SSN rule. The car-loan interest deduction, 26 U.S.C. § 163(h)(4), contains none: it requires the vehicle identification number on the return and a loan taken out after December 31, 2024 that is secured by a first lien on a new (first-use) vehicle bought for personal use with final assembly in the United States; interest is capped at $10,000 a year and reduced above $100,000 of modified adjusted gross income ($200,000 joint). The IRS final regulations (2026-18219, Federal Register September 8, 2026) also contain no SSN rule. The pages now state the three-of-four rule and describe the car-loan exception.
September 5, 2026
Correction: LSC civil legal aid directories reconciled with LSC's current grantee roster (7 states)
The state directories were built from LSC's service-area map snapshot of May 27, 2026, whose 2018 reporting year predates several mergers. Checked page by page against LSC's own grantee roster (lsc.gov/about-lsc/our-grantees) on September 5, 2026: Wisconsin still listed Judicare Legal Aid, which merged into Legal Action of Wisconsin on January 1, 2026; Minnesota listed Legal Services of Northwest Minnesota, now part of Justice North, and omitted Anishinabe Legal Services; Michigan omitted Michigan Indian Legal Services and Oklahoma omitted Oklahoma Indian Legal Services (Native American Basic Field grantees that LSC's map feed does not carry); Arkansas and Pennsylvania counted dissolved or merged organizations as current grantees; Tennessee counted one grantee twice because it holds two service areas. Each page now lists only current grantees, states the number of distinct organizations, and keeps former grantees in a labeled note with their 2018 figures. No 2018 figures were invented for the added grantees: LSC publishes none, and the cells say so.
September 4, 2026
Court pauses a third USCIS hold memo: Diversity Visa adjustment applications (PM-602-0193) — Medani v. Trump
On August 28, 2026 the Northern District of California, in Medani v. Trump, No. 26-cv-6332, temporarily vacated PM-602-0193 — the memo holding adjustment-of-status applications of FY-2026 Diversity Visa selectees — pending further litigation, ordered USCIS to resume ordinary adjudication of the plaintiffs' pending applications for the rest of the DV fiscal year, and certified a subclass of FY-2026 DV selectees and derivative beneficiaries subject to the hold. USCIS's September 4, 2026 alert says it strongly disagrees but will comply pending possible further review. Added to the standing hold-policies case page (EN + ES) and the litigation tracker.
September 4, 2026
State Department publishes its Executive Order 14418 implementation plan: a sworn parental attestation for a child's passport when neither parent is a U.S. citizen
On September 4, 2026 the State Department posted a three-page proposed Implementation Plan for Executive Order 14418 (prospective only, effective on publication, subject to modification) and marked its EO 14160 page superseded. For a child's U.S. passport where neither parent is a U.S. citizen, an attestation from each parent, under penalty of perjury, about whether either parent meets any of the order's conditions must be submitted; if it is missing it is requested on review, and if the answers confirm no condition is met adjudication continues. State reads 'foreign government employee' to include locally hired embassy or consulate staff who are nationals of the sending country, and generally to exclude, case by case, third-country nationals, contractors, state-owned-enterprise employees and personal employees of officials. Trump v. Barbara is unchanged: a child born in the United States is a citizen at birth. USCIS, SSA and DOJ had published nothing as of September 5. Updated: the birthright case page, know-your-rights on U.S.-citizen children, and the 12 register-your-U.S.-born-child consulate pages (EN + ES).
September 1, 2026
Correction: EOIR pending caseload is 3,469,569 (FY 2026 Q3), not "3.7 million as of FY 2024"
All 104 immigration-court-by-state pages (EN + ES) stated that EOIR had approximately 3.7 million pending cases as of FY 2024 and an average wait of 1,200-1,500 days from the Notice to Appear to the first hearing. EOIR's own adjudication statistics (Pending Cases, New Cases, and Total Completions, data generated July 24, 2026) show 3,924,993 pending at the end of FY 2024 and 3,469,569 at the end of the third quarter of FY 2026; EOIR publishes no per-court NTA-to-hearing wait. The paragraph now renders from a dataset built from that PDF.
September 1, 2026
Correction: Form I-131 advance parole takes months longer than the "5-8 months" we stated, and a CBP parole fee applies at the port of entry
The 66 traveling-to-your-country pages (EN + ES) gave a 5-8 month processing time for Form I-131. USCIS's own processing-times system shows 23 months for advance parole and 16 months for re-entry permits (80% of cases adjudicated in the past six months); the pages now embed that live table. The same pages omitted that the USCIS fee schedule (Form G-1055, edition 05/29/26) attaches the Pub. L. 119-21 immigration parole fee, collected by CBP each time the holder seeks parole at a port of entry unless an exception applies.
September 1, 2026
Correction: the OpenSky Secured Visa requires US citizenship or permanent residence, so it is not an option for most ITIN-only applicants
Our 104 ITIN-banking-by-state pages listed the OpenSky Secured Visa as available to all ITIN holders. The card's own disclosure (Capital Bank, N.A.) requires the applicant to be a United States citizen or permanent resident and carries a $35 annual fee. The pages and the credit-building guide now say so; the Capital One Quicksilver Secured, which Capital One lists as ITIN-eligible, remains.
September 1, 2026
The government asks the Supreme Court to decide the interior-arrest bond split — a petition, not a grant (Rhoney v. Barbosa da Cunha, No. 26-104)
On July 23, 2026 the federal government filed a petition for a writ of certiorari asking the U.S. Supreme Court to review the Second Circuit's decision that immigrants arrested in the interior are detained under 8 U.S.C. § 1226(a) — where an immigration judge can set bond — rather than under § 1225(b)(2)(A) mandatory detention. It is docketed as Rhoney v. Barbosa da Cunha, No. 26-104, from Second Circuit No. 25-3141 (decided April 28, 2026), and the respondent's response was filed August 21, 2026. The Court has NOT granted certiorari: a petition is not a grant, the docket shows no conference date, and until the Court acts the detention rule in each circuit is unchanged. Three other things moved the split since our last review: the Eighth Circuit denied rehearing en banc and panel rehearing in Herrera Avila on June 17, 2026 and issued its mandate on June 25; the Tenth Circuit sided with the immigrants in Santillan Quiroz v. Mullin on June 30, 2026; and the Ninth Circuit did the same in Rodriguez Vazquez v. Bostock on July 30, 2026. The count is now five circuits for a bond hearing (2nd, 6th, 9th, 10th, 11th) against two for mandatory detention (5th, 8th), with the Seventh Circuit's decision failing to command a majority. One caveat on that count: the Eleventh Circuit withheld its mandate on May 13, 2026 and the government's petition for rehearing en banc, filed June 22, 2026, was still pending as of that docket's August 28, 2026 update — so its ruling is not final. Separately, the Supreme Court has set Genalo v. Black, No. 25-886, for oral argument on Tuesday, October 13, 2026 — that case is about prolonged detention under § 1226(c) and will not by itself resolve this split.
August 28, 2026
Second court blocks the USCIS asylum/benefits hold memos — N.D. California enjoins PM 602-0192 and PM 602-0194, certifies a class (Red Eagle Law v. Edlow)
A second court has now blocked the same policy memos. On August 24, 2026, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California issued an order in Red Eagle Law, L.C. v. Edlow, No. 26-cv-04850-CRB, enjoining PM 602-0192 and PM 602-0194 and ordering USCIS to adjudicate applications in the normal course. The court also certified a class: citizens or natives of the 39 countries listed in Proclamations 10949 or 10998 (or the Palestinian Authority) who have a pending asylum application (Form I-589) or another pending USCIS benefit application that was subject to the hold memos and had not received a final decision as of the certification date. USCIS updated its 'Court Order on Hold Policies' alert on August 28, 2026: it says it strongly disagrees with the order but will follow its terms pending possible further judicial review, and will issue updated instructions. USCIS has not said how this injunction interacts with the First Circuit's August 14 order reviving the Comprehensive Re-Review in the Dorcas appeal.
August 25, 2026
CBP establishes four Customs-Enforcement Areas at sea — South Florida, Gulf Coast of Texas, Central/Southern California and Puerto Rico
Effective August 25, 2026, the CBP Commissioner declared four Customs-Enforcement Areas under the Anti-Smuggling Act of 1935 (19 U.S.C. 1701), published as CBP Dec. No. 26-17 at 91 FR 54800. Each area sits on the high seas adjacent to but OUTSIDE US customs waters and runs out to 24 nautical miles from the baseline — it covers water further offshore, not more land, and does not change what agents may do at an inland checkpoint, on a bus, or at a home. Inside a CEA, customs officers may board any vessel, examine the vessel and any merchandise or person on board, bring them into port, and pursue, seize or arrest, and may enforce 18 U.S.C. 2237 against a master who fails to heave to or obstructs a boarding. The four areas cover the South Florida coast including the Florida Keys, the Texas Gulf Coast from the Sabine River to the Mexican maritime boundary, the California coast from Ano Nuevo Lighthouse south to the Mexican maritime boundary including eight offshore islands, and the waters encircling Puerto Rico including Mona, Desecheo, Vieques and Culebra. CBP wrote the areas to operate independently, so enjoining one leaves the others in force.
August 24, 2026
Correction: community health center pages no longer claim patient information is never shared with immigration authorities
All 52 state community-health-center (FQHC) pages carried the blanket reassurance that patient information is not shared with immigration authorities. That is an overclaim after the 2025 HHS/CMS–ICE Medicaid data-sharing agreement, which a federal court only partially blocked on December 29, 2025. The pages now explain the HIPAA protection, the Medicaid-enrollment caveat, and that sliding-fee payment creates no Medicaid record.
August 21, 2026
H.R.1 fees appeal: emergency stay motion withdrawn — First Circuit sets merits briefing, opening brief due September 30, 2026
In the H.R.1 immigration-fees appeal (Venezuelan Ass'n of Mass. v. USCIS, 1st Cir. No. 26-1893), the plaintiffs withdrew their renewed emergency stay motion on August 20, 2026, and on August 21 the court granted the withdrawal and set a merits briefing schedule with the appellants' opening brief due September 30, 2026. No emergency ruling will issue, so the one-year cap on TPS-based work permits keeps operating while the appeal is briefed.
August 20, 2026
Treasury/IRS propose restricting the refunded portion of the CTC, EITC, AOTC, and adoption credit to citizens and PRWORA qualified aliens
Proposed regulations published Aug. 20, 2026 (REG-119882-25, 91 FR 53812) would treat the refunded portion of the Child Tax Credit, Earned Income Tax Credit, American Opportunity Credit, and adoption credit as a federal public benefit under PRWORA. Only U.S. citizens, U.S. nationals, and PRWORA qualified aliens (lawful permanent residents, asylees, refugees, and certain other groups) could receive the refunded portion; on a joint return one qualifying spouse suffices, and the non-refundable portion that offsets tax owed is unaffected. This is a proposal, not current law — it would apply to tax years ending on or after the date final regulations publish. Comments are open through Oct. 5, 2026.
August 20, 2026
IRS launches a digitally authenticated Tax Compliance Report in Individual Online Account
On Aug. 20, 2026 the IRS announced a downloadable Tax Compliance Report (IR-2026-97), available through IRS Individual Online Account, for use when applying for a job, a loan, a government benefit, or another service that requires tax-compliance information. Each report carries an IRS-issued digital certificate so receiving organizations can verify its authenticity. It complements, not replaces, the five transcript types.
August 18, 2026
USCIS publishes the public-charge framework that replaces the 2022 rule on September 18
On Aug. 18, 2026 USCIS published Policy Manual guidance, effective Sept. 18, 2026, that supersedes the 1999 Interim Field Guidance and governs public-charge determinations for I-485s filed on or after that date. Officers weigh five statutory factors case-by-case. Means-tested benefits received before Sept. 18, 2026 are considered only if they were cash assistance or long-term institutionalization (the 2022-rule limits); benefits the applicant receives on or after that date can all be considered — USCIS names cash assistance, housing assistance, food stamps, and college financial aid. Public-charge bonds (Form I-945) return, by USCIS invitation in a Notice of Intent to Deny only.
August 18, 2026
Ethiopia TPS terminated — the last court stay is lifted
On Aug. 18, 2026 Judge Brian E. Murphy of the District of Massachusetts lifted the administrative stay in African Communities Together v. Noem (No. 1:26-cv-10278, ECF 103), dismissing Counts I-IV and VI-VIII, denying dismissal of Count V, denying the postponement motion as moot, and ordering a joint discovery and briefing schedule by Aug. 25, 2026. USCIS archived the Ethiopia TPS page the same day and E-Verify guidance issued Aug. 18 (superseding Aug. 6) states the designation is terminated, effective Aug. 18, 2026 — A12/C19 EADs are no longer valid and employers must reverify. Ethiopia's promised Form I-9 date was Aug. 19, so it was cut one day short. No TPS designation is court-stayed any more.
August 17, 2026
Overtime corrected for daily-overtime states: California, Alaska, Nevada, Colorado
Our state wage pages stated overtime as the federal 1.5x-over-40h/week rule everywhere. Four states guarantee more: California (1.5x after 8h/day or 40h/week; 2x after 12h/day — Labor Code §510), Alaska (1.5x after 8h/day or 40h/week — Alaska Stat. §23.10.060), Nevada (1.5x after 8h in a 24-hour period for workers earning under 1.5x the state minimum wage — NRS 608.018), and Colorado (1.5x after 40h/week, 12h/workday, or 12 consecutive hours — COMPS Order Rule 4.1.1). Those four pages now state the state rule.
August 16, 2026
El Salvador TPS: pending EAD renewals extended by USCIS notice to Sept. 9, 2026
USCIS's El Salvador TPS page confirms that beneficiaries whose A12/C19 EAD renewal is still pending receive a notice (mail + myUSCIS) extending the expired card to September 9, 2026; qualifying card front dates go back to March 9, 2018. Nothing is announced beyond Sept. 9, 2026. Our El Salvador TPS pages now carry the mechanism EN+ES.
August 14, 2026
New I-539 and I-765 form editions Sept. 15 -- older editions rejected, no grace period
USCIS announced that revised 09/15/26 editions of Form I-539 (extend/change status) and Form I-765 (work permit) publish September 15, 2026, aligned with the fixed-period-of-admission rule. No grace period: older editions postmarked or submitted on or after September 15 are rejected; the new editions are accepted only on or after that date.
August 14, 2026
Appeals court lets USCIS resume re-review of approved cases (39-country litigation)
On August 14, 2026 the First Circuit partially stayed the Rhode Island ruling in Dorcas International v. USCIS: while the appeal proceeds, USCIS may resume re-reviewing already-approved benefit requests of people from the designated countries who entered the U.S. on or after January 20, 2021. The asylum and benefits holds remain vacated.
August 14, 2026
Somalia TPS terminated effective Aug. 14, 2026 — court lifts the stay and E-Verify says A12/C19 EADs are no longer valid
On the day Somalia's Aug. 14 Form I-9 date came due, the District of Massachusetts granted the government's motion and lifted the administrative stay in African Communities Together v. Noem (No. 26-cv-11201); the plaintiffs filed a notice of appeal the same day. E-Verify guidance issued Aug. 14, 2026 (superseding Aug. 12) states the Somalia designation is terminated, effective Aug. 14, 2026: Form I-766 EADs with category A12 or C19 are no longer valid and employers must reverify. Ethiopia's stay survived a same-day motion to lift (No. 26-cv-10278) and it is now the only designation still court-stayed, with a Form I-9 date of Aug. 19, 2026. The USCIS Somalia page had not yet been archived as of Aug. 15, 2026.
August 13, 2026
BIA: leaving on advance parole is now a "departure" — Matter of Arrabally overruled
In Matter of Delcarmen-Lara, 29 I&N Dec. 830 (BIA 2026, decided Aug. 13), the Board of Immigration Appeals overruled Matter of Arrabally and Yerrabelly (2012) and held that a departure under a grant of advance parole is a "departure" under INA §212(a)(9)(B)(i)(II). Advance-parole travel is no longer a safe harbor from the unlawful-presence bars, and the Board applied the rule to a trip already taken. Our I-131 and DACA travel pages now carry the new rule.
August 12, 2026
E-Verify moves the TPS Somalia Form I-9 date again: Aug. 12 to Aug. 14, 2026
On the day Somalia's Aug. 12 Form I-9 date came due, E-Verify posted superseding Somalia guidance replacing the Aug. 10 release. The EADs remain extended per court order under African Communities Together v. Noem (No. 26-cv-11201, D. Mass.), and employers now enter Aug. 14, 2026 on Form I-9 and in E-Verify. This is the second consecutive two-day step, and the third release in a row posted on the very day the prior date came due. Somalia remains the earlier of the two designations still court-stayed, ahead of Ethiopia (Aug. 19, 2026). The USCIS Somalia TPS page is still live, not archived (checked Aug. 14, 2026).
August 11, 2026
DOJ has filed 123 civil denaturalization complaints since Jan. 20, 2025 — a record — USCIS announces 25 more
USCIS announced that the Justice Department filed denaturalization actions against 25 individuals since July 2026 — described as the largest denaturalization effort yet — and that 123 civil denaturalization complaints have been filed since Jan. 20, 2025, the most in recorded history. In June 2026 news outlets had reported a DOJ goal of at least 250 cases by the end of fiscal year 2026. These are individual civil suits under 8 U.S.C. § 1451(a); each is decided on its own record. Denaturalization does not affect people who are U.S. citizens by birth.
August 11, 2026
New executive order on citizenship documents — birthright citizenship itself is unchanged
Executive Order 14418, signed August 6 and published August 11, 2026 (91 FR 51991), does not reopen Trump v. Barbara: a child born in the United States to undocumented parents is still a U.S. citizen at birth. The order directs federal agencies not to issue — or accept state and local documents recognizing — U.S. citizenship for a person when neither parent is a U.S. citizen and one of four categories applies: a parent is a designated Foreign Terrorist Organization member or Specially Designated Global Terrorist; a parent is a foreign government employee (defined to include embassy or consulate employees who are nationals of that country); the parents engaged in a commercial transaction for birth tourism or U.S. surrogacy, or committed citizenship fraud; or the birth occurred in a U.S. territory where citizenship is not conferred by federal statute. The foreign-government-employee category is broader than the long-standing accredited-diplomat exception. Agencies must publish implementation guidance within 30 days, i.e. by September 5, 2026.
August 11, 2026
USCIS gains authority to require e-filing — new Form I-936 waiver ($25); nothing is mandated yet
An interim final rule effective on publication (91 FR 51924, Aug. 11, 2026) lets USCIS mandate electronic filing of a benefit request that has been available for e-filing at least 180 days (8 CFR 103.2(a)(1)(ii)), after publishing notice on uscis.gov with at least 60 days of advance notice. It mandates nothing on its own: DHS states the rule will have no practical effect until Form I-936 is approved by OMB and USCIS issues such a notice. New Form I-936, Request for Waiver of E-Filing Requirement, is filed before a paper filing and costs $25 (8 CFR 106.2(a)(64)), with a fee waiver available on Form I-912 (8 CFR 106.3). The standard is undue hardship at USCIS's discretion, weighing geographic location, socioeconomic conditions and the availability of public technology resources; DHS says lacking home internet is not by itself enough — the requestor must explain why libraries, community centers, friends or family are not an option. Comments close Oct. 13, 2026 (DHS Docket USCIS-2026-0232, RIN 1615-AD19).
August 10, 2026
Court declines to pause the TPS work-permit one-year cap during the H.R.1 fees appeal
On August 10, 2026 Judge Gorton denied the plaintiffs' emergency motion to stay the TPS work-authorization terminations pending appeal in Venezuelan Ass'n of Mass. v. USCIS, so the one-year cap on TPS-based EADs keeps operating. The plaintiffs' emergency stay motion at the First Circuit (No. 26-1893) was fully briefed August 14 and awaits a ruling.
August 10, 2026
E-Verify moves the TPS Somalia Form I-9 date again: Aug. 10 to Aug. 12, 2026
On the day Somalia's Aug. 10 Form I-9 date came due, E-Verify posted superseding Somalia guidance replacing the Aug. 5 release. The EADs remain extended per court order under African Communities Together v. Noem (No. 26-cv-11201, D. Mass.), and employers now enter Aug. 12, 2026 on Form I-9 and in E-Verify. The two-day step makes Somalia the earlier of the two designations still court-stayed, ahead of Ethiopia (Aug. 19, 2026). The USCIS Somalia TPS page is still live, not archived (checked Aug. 11, 2026). The release title is not the signal: Burma’s Aug. 7 termination was also posted as “Update on Termination” — only the text distinguishes an extension from a cut.
August 7, 2026
Burma (Myanmar) and South Sudan TPS terminated, effective Aug. 7, 2026 — A12/C19 work permits no longer valid
On Aug. 7, 2026 USCIS archived the Burma (Myanmar) and South Sudan TPS country pages, and E-Verify guidance issued the same day states both designations are terminated, effective Aug. 7, 2026 (Burma: 90 FR 53378; South Sudan: 90 FR 50484). Form I-766 EADs with category A12 or C19 issued under them are no longer valid, and employers must reverify those employees. South Sudan was terminated three days before the Aug. 10 Form I-9 date its Aug. 6 guidance had promised. Two designations remain court-stayed with EADs extended per court order: Somalia (I-9 date Aug. 10, 2026) and Ethiopia (Aug. 19, 2026).
August 6, 2026
The alien registration rule is now final and the appeal is over — DHS issued a final rule effective June 29, 2026 and the D.C. Circuit dismissed the challenge on August 6, 2026
Two changes closed out the Form G-325R registration fight. On June 29, 2026 DHS published the final rule “Alien Registration Form and Evidence of Registration” (91 FR 39248, RIN 1615-AC96), effective the same day. It adopts the March 2025 interim final rule as final and, in DHS's words, adopts the amendments to 8 CFR 264.1(a) and (b) “without change” — Form G-325R remains the general registration form and the USCIS Proof of Alien G-325R Registration remains the evidence of registration. The changes it does make are administrative: it updates which documents count as registration or as proof of registration (adding Forms I-94A/I-94W, DSP-150 in place of the old Canadian and Mexican border crossing cards, I-860, I-871, and NEXUS/SENTRI/FAST/Global Entry documents; dropping obsolete Forms I-67, I-691 and I-700), restructures the fingerprinting waivers in 8 CFR 264.1(e) — edits DHS calls “non-substantive and clarifying” — and makes technical corrections to 8 CFR 264.1(g), 264.5(h) and 264.6. DHS decided not to impose a biometric services fee “at this time,” while saying it may impose an application or biometric services fee in the future. Then, on August 6, 2026, the D.C. Circuit (Judges Millett, Katsas and Childs) discharged its July 27 order to show cause — which had asked why the consolidated appeals (Nos. 25-5152, 25-5233, 25-5247) should not be dismissed as moot in light of the new final rule — and ordered the clerk to note that the case is dismissed, stating that no mandate will issue. The court did not rule on whether the registration rule is lawful. The duty to register, the duty of registered noncitizens 18 and over to carry proof, and the criminal penalties for willful noncompliance are statutory (INA sections 262, 264(e) and 266) and did not change. The district court case (D.D.C. 1:25-cv-00943) remains stayed. DHS separately asked for comments on possible future changes to the registration regulations; that comment period closed August 28, 2026.
August 6, 2026
E-Verify moves two more TPS Form I-9 dates: Ethiopia to Aug. 19, South Sudan to Aug. 10, 2026
E-Verify posted superseding guidance for Ethiopia and South Sudan on Aug. 6, 2026 — the day their shared Form I-9 date came due — each replacing a July 30, 2026 release. Employment Authorization Documents under both designations remain extended per court order — African Communities Together v. Noem (Ethiopia: No. 26-cv-10278-BEM; South Sudan: No. 25-cv-13939-PBS, both D. Mass.) — and the guidance still describes the extension as limited relief until the lower courts align with Mullin v. Doe. South Sudan's Section 2 date moves from Aug. 6 to Aug. 10, 2026, the same day as Somalia; Ethiopia's moves from Aug. 6 to Aug. 19, 2026, a 13-day step that makes it the furthest out of the four court-stayed designations. Section 1 still reads 'as per court order'. Neither USCIS country page has been moved to the archive, the step that put the Haiti, Syria and Yemen terminations into force on July 27, 2026.
August 5, 2026
Court splits the H.R.1 ruling: asylum-fee rejection and removal stay blocked; the TPS work-permit cap stands
On Aug. 5, 2026, the federal court in Venezuelan Ass’n of Mass. v. USCIS (No. 26-cv-13038, D. Mass.) replaced its July 21 administrative stay with a longer-term ruling. Stayed nationwide while the case proceeds: the rule provisions letting USCIS reject a pending Form I-589 or initiate removal solely for non-payment of the Annual Asylum Fee. Denied: the challenge to H.R.1’s one-year cap on TPS-based work permits — previously-extended TPS EADs no longer keep their prior expiration dates. The fee itself remains payable, and published summaries of the order do not list work-authorization termination among the stayed provisions — verify current USCIS guidance on that point. The plaintiffs appealed to the First Circuit on Aug. 6, 2026.
August 5, 2026
E-Verify moves the TPS Somalia Form I-9 date again: Aug. 5 to Aug. 10, 2026
E-Verify posted superseding Somalia guidance on Aug. 5, 2026, replacing its Aug. 3, 2026 release. Employment Authorization Documents issued under the Somalia designation remain extended per court order -- African Communities Together v. Noem, No. 26-cv-11201 (D. Mass.) -- and the guidance still describes the extension as limited relief until the lower courts align with Mullin v. Doe. The Form I-9 Section 2 date employers enter moves from Aug. 5, 2026 to Aug. 10, 2026; Section 1 still reads 'as per court order'. The five-day step makes Somalia the last of the four court-stayed designations to come due rather than the first -- Ethiopia and South Sudan (Aug. 6, 2026) and Burma (Aug. 7, 2026) now fall before it. The USCIS Somalia country page remains live; it has not been moved to the archive, the step that put the Haiti, Syria and Yemen terminations into force on July 27, 2026.
August 5, 2026
USCIS restores full discretion to deny without first sending an RFE or NOID
USCIS Policy Alert PA-2026-05, issued Aug. 5, 2026 and effective immediately, updates Policy Manual Volume 1 so officers have full discretion to deny a benefit request without first issuing a Request for Evidence or a Notice of Intent to Deny when the initial evidence required by the form instructions is missing, or when the record does not establish eligibility. It applies to requests pending or filed on or after Aug. 5, 2026. The previous policy instructed officers to send an RFE or NOID first. The alert also drops the standard 12-week RFE response period: 8 CFR 103.2(b)(8)(iv) sets 12 weeks as the maximum, not the norm, and officers may now give less, so an RFE deadline can be considerably shorter than the 60-87 days previously typical. A NOID response stays capped at 30 days, mailed notices still add 3 days under 8 CFR 103.8(b), extra time cannot be granted, and the additional 14 days USCIS used to give for notices mailed outside the United States has been eliminated. Refugee and asylum applications are governed by separate regulations and are not covered.
August 3, 2026
E-Verify moves the TPS Form I-9 dates again: Somalia to Aug. 5, Burma to Aug. 7, 2026
E-Verify posted superseding guidance for Burma (replacing its July 27, 2026 release) and Somalia (replacing July 29, 2026) on the same day. Employment Authorization Documents issued under both designations remain extended per court order -- Aung Doe v. Noem, No. 25-cv-15483 (N.D. Ill.) for Burma and African Communities Together v. Noem, No. 26-cv-11201 (D. Mass.) for Somalia -- and both guidance releases still describe the extension as limited relief until the lower courts align with Mullin v. Doe. The Form I-9 Section 2 date employers enter moves from Aug. 3, 2026 to Aug. 5, 2026 for Somalia and to Aug. 7, 2026 for Burma; Section 1 still reads 'as per court order'. With Ethiopia and South Sudan at Aug. 6, 2026, each of the four court-stayed designations now carries a different date. Both USCIS country pages remain live -- neither has been moved to the archive, the step that put the Haiti, Syria and Yemen terminations into force on July 27, 2026.
August 3, 2026
DOL publishes updated H-2A Adverse Effect Wage Rates -- effective Aug. 3, 2026 (Aug. 17 for Kansas v. DOL entities)
The Department of Labor's Employment and Training Administration published updated Adverse Effect Wage Rates for H-2A agricultural workers under the OEWS-based methodology of the October 2025 interim final rule (FR Doc. 2026-15673). The updated rates are effective August 3, 2026, except for entities and states subject to the court order in Kansas et al. v. U.S. Department of Labor, 749 F. Supp. 3d 1363 (S.D. Ga. 2024), where they take effect August 17, 2026. When an AEWR update takes effect during a work contract, the employer must pay at least the updated rate from its effective date if it is higher than the applicable required wage.
July 30, 2026
Ethiopia and South Sudan TPS work-permit dates move to Aug. 6: E-Verify supersedes the July 17 guidance
On July 30, 2026 E-Verify posted superseding TPS guidance for Ethiopia and South Sudan, whose terminations remain stayed by the District of Massachusetts (African Communities Together v. Noem — Ethiopia No. 26-cv-10278, South Sudan No. 25-cv-13939). EADs issued under both designations remain extended per court order, and the Form I-9 / E-Verify expiration date employers enter moves from July 30 to Aug. 6, 2026. The guidance covers Ethiopia EADs with original expiration dates of June 12, 2024 and December 12, 2025, and South Sudan EADs with original expiration dates of November 3, 2023, May 3, 2025 and November 3, 2025, and describes each extension as limited relief until the lower courts align with Mullin v. Doe. All four court-stayed designations now carry an Aug. 3, 2026 (Burma, Somalia) or Aug. 6, 2026 (Ethiopia, South Sudan) date.
July 29, 2026
E-Verify supersedes TPS guidance for four countries the same day: Somalia's Form I-9 date moves to Aug. 3, and Haiti, Syria and Yemen EADs are declared no longer valid
On July 29, 2026 E-Verify posted superseding TPS guidance for four countries on the same day. For Somalia — whose termination remains stayed by the District of Massachusetts (African Communities Together v. Noem, No. 26-cv-11201) — the guidance supersedes the July 24 release and moves the Form I-9 / E-Verify expiration date from July 29 to Aug. 3, 2026, matching Burma; it describes the extension as limited relief until the lower courts align with Mullin v. Doe, and covers EADs with original expiration dates of March 17, 2023, September 17, 2024 and March 17, 2026. For Haiti, Syria and Yemen — archived by USCIS on July 27 — the guidance states that Form I-766 EADs with category A12 or C19 issued under those designations are no longer valid, and that employers must reverify those employees and cannot continue employing anyone who does not provide proof of current employment authorization. Yemen's guidance now gives the same July 20, 2026 effective date as the archived USCIS page, resolving the conflict with its July 17 guidance (July 24) that we had been citing both ways. No Federal Register notice accompanied any of the four.
July 27, 2026
Plaintiffs ask the full D.C. Circuit to rehear the nationwide expedited-removal ruling — en banc petition filed, still pending
Our case page said an en banc or Supreme Court petition was "possible but not confirmed filed." It has been filed. On July 27, 2026 Make the Road New York petitioned the D.C. Circuit for rehearing en banc in Make the Road New York v. Mullin, No. 25-5320, asking the full court to rehear the June 23, 2026 panel decision that vacated the district court's block on the January 2025 nationwide expedited-removal expansion. The government filed its response on August 17, 2026. As of September 1, 2026 the D.C. Circuit had not ruled on the petition and had not issued its mandate. The expansion stays in effect while the petition is pending: on July 17, 2026 the court granted the government's motion to stay the district court's order pending appeal, and denied its request to issue the mandate early.
July 27, 2026
TPS terminated for Haiti, Syria and Yemen — USCIS archived all three country pages
On July 27, 2026 USCIS moved the Haiti, Syria and Yemen TPS country pages into its archive. The archived pages state each designation is terminated — Haiti and Syria effective July 27, 2026 (90 FR 54733; 90 FR 45398), Yemen effective July 20, 2026 (91 FR 10402) — and the court-order EAD extension language that had protected work permits is gone. Roughly 334,595 Haitian and Syrian TPS holders are affected. As of that date their last E-Verify guidance had not been superseded (July 24, 2026 for Haiti and Syria, setting a July 27 Form I-9 date; July 17 for Yemen, setting July 24 — USCIS and E-Verify gave different Yemen dates, so we cited both). E-Verify posted superseding guidance for all three on July 29, 2026. Four designations remain court-stayed with EADs extended per court order: Burma, whose July 27, 2026 E-Verify guidance moved the Form I-9 date to Aug. 3, 2026; Somalia (July 29); and Ethiopia and South Sudan (July 30). No new Federal Register notice was issued — this implements the existing termination notices after Mullin v. Doe (June 25, 2026).
July 27, 2026
Correction: 41 states including DC have adopted Medicaid expansion — Puerto Rico cannot adopt it
Our Medicaid pages previously said "41 states + DC + Puerto Rico have adopted ACA Medicaid expansion." That double-counted DC (KFF's 41 already includes it) and wrongly listed Puerto Rico, which as a territory runs a separate capped Medicaid program outside the expansion framework and cannot adopt the expansion. Corrected against KFF tracking on July 27, 2026: 41 states including DC have adopted; 10 states have not. The Puerto Rico page now explains the territory's separate program.
July 27, 2026
USCIS can now refer affirmative asylum cases to immigration court without an interview
On July 27, 2026, DHS filed an interim final rule (Federal Register doc. 2026-15190, effective on publication, scheduled July 28) allowing a USCIS asylum officer to refer an affirmative asylum application to an immigration judge without conducting an interview, based on a review of the record, where the officer concludes the applicant is barred from applying, barred from a grant, does not merit a favorable exercise of discretion, or is not eligible on the merits. An interview still precedes any USCIS grant or denial. Referral letters no longer need to include a credibility assessment. Public comments are open for 60 days after publication (Docket USCIS-2026-0199).
July 24, 2026
Illinois in-state tuition for undocumented students struck down — no appeal; aid blocked too
On July 24, 2026 a federal court (S.D. Ill., USA v. Illinois, 3:25-cv-01691) ruled the Illinois laws granting in-state tuition to students not lawfully present unconstitutional and also blocked RISE Act state financial aid (including MAP grants) and the Illinois DREAM Fund. The court delayed its order 14 days; the state did not appeal, so nonresident rates apply from August 2026. Illinois becomes the sixth jurisdiction to lose access since June 2025 and the fifth by court order. Separately, DOJ has now sued 17 states over tuition-equity laws, adding New York, Connecticut, and Vermont on Aug. 10, 2026.
July 24, 2026
TPS work-permit I-9 dates move again: Haiti and Syria to July 27, Somalia to July 29
On July 24, 2026, USCIS/E-Verify posted superseding guidance for three of the seven court-stayed TPS countries: employers now enter July 27, 2026 on Form I-9/E-Verify for Haiti (replacing the July 10 guidance) and Syria (replacing July 17), and July 29, 2026 for Somalia (replacing July 17). EADs remain extended per court order. Burma (July 27), Ethiopia and South Sudan (July 30) and Yemen (July 24) keep their July 17 guidance dates. These extensions are 'limited relief' until the lower courts align with the June 25 Supreme Court ruling — check your country's USCIS page daily.
July 23, 2026
Court pauses asylum-fee enforcement — but the fee itself still has to be paid
On July 21, 2026, a federal court in Massachusetts (Venez. Ass'n of Mass. v. USCIS, 26-cv-13038, D. Mass.) administratively stayed four applications of H.R.1: rejecting a Form I-589 for non-payment of the Annual Asylum Fee, terminating work authorization for non-payment, starting removal solely for non-payment, and applying H.R.1 to previously-extended TPS-based EAD expiration dates. Fee collection continues — anyone USCIS sent a notice must still pay it — and all other H.R.1 fees and requirements remain in effect. A hearing is set for July 30, 2026.
July 22, 2026
DC and Oregon raised their minimum wage on July 1 — our pages were still showing the old rates
The District of Columbia's minimum wage rose from $17.95 to $18.40 and Oregon's standard rate from $15.05 to $15.55 (Portland metro $16.30 to $16.80; non-urban $14.05 to $14.55), both effective July 1, 2026. We corrected both state pages in English and Spanish. Note that the Department of Labor's consolidated table lists a single rate per state and for Oregon that rate is the Portland metro figure, not the statewide standard — the rate that applies to you is the one for the place you actually work.
July 21, 2026
ICE detention is up 9.0% since April — and all of the growth is interior arrests
ICE released a new Detention Management snapshot on July 20, 2026 (data as of July 11). It counts 65,765 people in detention, up 5,454 (9.0%) from the 60,311 held on April 4. The entire net increase is interior enforcement: ICE-arrested detainees rose by 6,803 while CBP-arrested detainees fell by 1,349, moving the ICE share from 85.3% to 88.5%. The share with no criminal conviction barely moved, 70.8% to 70.6% (46,436 people). ICE publishes only the current snapshot and overwrites the file every ~2 weeks, so we now bank each release and publish the change between them.
July 21, 2026
USCIS restores the 30-day deadline to decide asylum-based work permits — and ties them to the Annual Asylum Fee
A correcting amendment published July 21, 2026 (91 FR 45637) puts back the 30-day timeframe for USCIS to grant or deny an initial (c)(8) work-permit application, which the April 29, 2026 H.R.1 fee rule had inadvertently deleted from 8 CFR 208.7(a)(1). It is applicable as of May 29, 2026, so DHS's position is that no gap took effect. No EAD may still be issued before day 180 after the asylum application was filed. The correction also adds 'rejected' to the rule, so a (c)(8) work permit is rejected or denied when the asylum application is rejected — the route by which not paying the Annual Asylum Fee, which causes the Form I-589 to be rejected, also costs the applicant the work permit.
July 20, 2026
The challenge to Tennessee's HB 1704 is alive again — plaintiffs filed a new case, Lucy v. Skrmetti, No. 3:26-cv-00998
Our case page said the plaintiffs "may refile or appeal" after the June 26, 2026 dismissal for lack of standing. They refiled. A new class-action complaint challenging Section 1 of H.B. 1704 was filed July 17, 2026 in the Middle District of Tennessee and docketed as Lucy v. Skrmetti, No. 3:26-cv-00998; no notice of appeal appears on the first case's docket. On July 20, 2026 Judge Eli Richardson denied the plaintiffs' motions to set aside the judgment and for reconsideration in the closed first case as moot, “in light of Plaintiffs filing a new action challenging Section 1 of H.B. 1704”. The plaintiffs moved for a preliminary injunction and class certification on July 20, 2026; as of September 1, 2026 the court had not ruled on either, so Section 1 — a Class A misdemeanor for intentionally remaining in Tennessee more than 90 days after a final removal order under the 8 U.S.C. § 1227(a) grounds — stays enforceable in the meantime.
July 20, 2026
Delaware enacts the country's highest statewide free-hospital-care threshold: free care at or below 300% FPL (SS 1 for SB 13, signed July 20, 2026)
Governor Meyer signed Senate Substitute 1 for Senate Bill 13 on July 20, 2026, setting statewide minimum hospital financial assistance: full financial assistance for Delaware residents at or below 300% of the federal poverty level, a 75% discount above 300% through 350%, a 50% discount above 350% through 400%, and a medical-hardship policy giving at least a 50% discount with an income ceiling of at least 500% FPL. It is NOT yet in effect: the minimum financial-assistance standards under 16 Del. C. 9962(a) and (b) take effect January 1, 2027, and the remaining provisions take effect on the earlier of a Diamond State Hospital Cost Review Board notice in the Register of Regulations that final implementing regulations have been adopted, or July 1, 2027. Until then Delaware's existing charity-care rule (16 Del. C. 9311, Certificate of Public Review, 350% FPL) still governs.
July 17, 2026
TPS work-permit I-9 dates move again — now July 24, 27, or 30, 2026 depending on country
On July 17, 2026, USCIS/E-Verify posted superseding guidance for Burma, Ethiopia, Somalia, South Sudan, Syria and Yemen: TPS EADs remain extended per court order, and the date employers enter on Form I-9/E-Verify moved from July 17, 2026 to July 24 (Somalia, Syria, Yemen), July 27 (Burma), or July 30 (Ethiopia, South Sudan). Haiti's guidance is unchanged — its I-9 date remains July 24, 2026. The extensions remain 'limited relief' until each lower court aligns with the June 25 Supreme Court ruling.
July 17, 2026
Final rule ends 'duration of status' for F-1, J-1, and I — effective September 15, 2026
DHS published the final rule (FR doc 2026-14439) replacing open-ended 'duration of status' admission with a fixed admission period for F, J, and I nonimmigrants — for F-1, up to 4 years or the program end date, whichever is shorter, with a 30-day grace period and an extension-of-stay application for more time. It takes effect September 15, 2026 (a major rule subject to congressional review — DHS will publish a notice if the date changes). Those already in the U.S. on D/S keep their status until their I-20/DS-2019 program end date or 4 years after the effective date, whichever comes first, and receive a dated I-94 if they travel and re-enter.
July 16, 2026
DHS finalizes rescission of the 2022 public-charge rule — effective September 18, 2026
DHS issued a final rule (FR doc 2026-14539, published in the Federal Register July 20, 2026 at 91 FR 45324) rescinding the 2022 public-charge regulation. Nothing changes before September 18, 2026: the rescission applies to admissions and to Form I-485 filings postmarked or submitted electronically on or after that date, and the rule states that benefits received before it will still be considered under the 2022 rule. From September 18, USCIS officers will assess all pertinent facts case-by-case, and a revised Form I-485 will be required — older editions filed on or after that date will not be accepted.
July 10, 2026
Correction: I-90 replacement processing time is 6.5 months, not 7
Our Form I-90 page carried a 7-month figure for the "Initial issuance or replacement" category, taken from a 2026-05-26 snapshot of the USCIS processing-times system. Re-verified live against egov.uscis.gov on 2026-07-10, USCIS now publishes 6.5 months for that category; the 10-year renewal figure is unchanged at 10.5 months. Both pages (EN + ES) and the underlying dataset were corrected, and the page now also explains the Case Inquiry Date, which governs when USCIS will actually accept a question about a pending case.
July 10, 2026
USCIS signature rule took effect July 10, 2026: invalid signature found after acceptance can mean denial with the fee kept
DHS interim final rule (Federal Register 2026-09289, amending 8 CFR 103.2(a)(7)) applies to benefit requests submitted on or after July 10, 2026. If USCIS accepts a filing and later finds an invalid signature, it may reject it (fee refunded, filing date lost) or deny it and keep the filing fee — with no opportunity to correct the signature. Valid means handwritten (signature, thumbprint, or X); scanned/faxed/photocopied wet-ink originals stay acceptable; myUSCIS e-filing uses its secure electronic signature.
July 10, 2026
TPS work-permit I-9 dates move — July 17, 2026 for six litigation countries, July 24, 2026 for Haiti
On July 10, 2026, USCIS/E-Verify issued superseding guidance for the seven TPS designations extended per court order (Burma, Ethiopia, Haiti, Somalia, South Sudan, Syria, Yemen). EADs remain extended as 'limited relief,' but the date employers enter on Form I-9 Section 2 and in E-Verify moves from July 10, 2026 to July 17, 2026 — and to July 24, 2026 for Haiti.
July 3, 2026
TPS work permits for all 7 countries in litigation extended per court order — employers enter July 10, 2026 on Form I-9 (July 1 USCIS/E-Verify guidance)
On July 1, 2026, USCIS and E-Verify issued updated per-country guidance for Burma, Ethiopia, Haiti, Somalia, South Sudan, Syria, and Yemen: TPS EADs remain extended per court order — including Haiti (Miot v. Trump, D.D.C.) and Syria (Dahlia Doe v. Noem, S.D.N.Y.), whose permits had been set to lapse July 1 after the June 25 Supreme Court ruling (Mullin v. Doe). Employers enter 'as per court order' in I-9 Section 1 and July 10, 2026 in Section 2/E-Verify. The guidance calls this 'limited relief' until each lower court aligns with the ruling. This CORRECTS our July 1 snapshot, which said Haiti and Syria EADs expired that day.
July 2, 2026
Tennessee now requires citizenship or 'qualified alien' status for professional licenses (Public Chapter 955, in effect since May 7, 2026)
Public Chapter 955 (HB 1709, signed May 7, 2026) makes US citizenship or 'qualified alien' status (Tenn. Code Ann. § 4-58-102 — the 8 U.S.C. § 1641(b) categories plus lawful nonimmigrants under § 1621(a)) a condition of eligibility for professional and commercial licenses across dozens of Tennessee boards — health professions, educators, insurance, banking, trades, alcohol permits — for new applications AND renewals. It repealed the prior rule accepting any SAVE-verified federal work authorization, so an EAD by itself (for example, DACA-based) no longer establishes eligibility. Exceptions: physicians with a pending work-visa application; J-1/F-1 students for alcohol permits. The automatic-revocation provision scheduled for July 1, 2026 never took effect (its companion bill HB 1711/SB 2108 died in committee).
July 1, 2026
Correction: 104 driver's-license pages verified against federal sources — EDL eligibility, I-9 framing, fee figures
Three template claims on our 52-jurisdiction driver's-license pages failed primary-source verification and were corrected in English and Spanish: (1) Enhanced Driver's Licenses were described as available to green-card holders — DHS confirms EDLs prove U.S. citizenship and are for U.S. citizens only (issued by MI, MN, NY, VT, WA; valid at land/sea entry from Canada, Mexico, or the Caribbean — not Bermuda); (2) the Form I-9 note was garbled — a state license is a List B identity document by itself, and a separate List C work-authorization document (such as an unrestricted Social Security card) is what must accompany it; (3) generic fee ranges like "$20-$80" were removed and every fee cell now links to that state's official fee page. The CDL Social Security-number requirement citation was corrected to 49 CFR 383.153(e)(1).
July 1, 2026
Correction: Illinois driver's-license page updated — the TVDL was eliminated July 1, 2024
Our Illinois driver's-license guide still described the Temporary Visitor Driver's License (TVDL) as the path for undocumented residents. Illinois eliminated the TVDL on July 1, 2024: undocumented and no-SSN residents now receive the standard Illinois license (marked Federal Limits Apply) — $30, with a passport or approved consular card, one year of Illinois residency, and proof of insurance; existing TVDL holders can switch for $5. The page and every site mention have been corrected against the Illinois Secretary of State.
July 1, 2026
Tennessee's state crime for remaining after a final removal order takes effect (HB 1704 / Public Chapter 771)
Section 1 of Tennessee's HB 1704 (Public Chapter 771) is in effect as of July 1, 2026: a Class A misdemeanor (up to 11 months and 29 days in jail and a $2,500 fine) for a noncitizen 18 or older who has an outstanding final removal order under the 8 U.S.C. § 1227(a) deportability grounds and intentionally remains in Tennessee more than 90 days after that order. The federal challenge (Lucy v. Skrmetti) was dismissed without prejudice on June 26, 2026, so no court order blocks the law; the plaintiffs may refile or appeal.
July 1, 2026
Maine hospitals must now give free care to patients at or below 200% FPL — 22 M.R.S. §1716-A takes effect
Maine's amended hospital charity-care law (P.L. 2025, ch. 488) is in effect as of July 1, 2026: hospitals must give free medically necessary care when family income is at or below 200% of the federal poverty level (up from 150% under the prior rule), offer payment plans capped at 4% of monthly income for patients up to 400% FPL, and provide written notice and appeal rights.
July 1, 2026
Indiana hospitals must now offer payment-assistance applications before sending bills to collections — HEA 1271 (P.L. 88-2026) takes effect
Indiana's HEA 1271, enacted as Public Law 88-2026, is in effect as of July 1, 2026: every hospital must notify patients about payment assistance and offer an application before referring any bill to collections. Nonprofit hospitals must keep charity-care criteria indexed to the federal poverty guidelines; each hospital sets its own thresholds.
July 1, 2026
Haiti and Syria TPS work permits expire — 334,595 lose work authorization after the June 25 Supreme Court ruling
June 30, 2026
Supreme Court upholds birthright citizenship; Executive Order 14160 struck down (6–3)
June 26, 2026
Supreme Court clears the way to end TPS for Haiti and Syria; work permits expire July 1, 2026
June 26, 2026
USCIS publishes notice for clients of former immigration attorney Alexandra Lozano
Alexandra Lozano resigned from the Washington State Bar in lieu of discipline (May 26, 2026), closed her firm (June 10, 2026), and was suspended from practice before DHS, the immigration courts, and the BIA (June 18, 2026). USCIS lists steps for her clients: update your mailing address (special VAWA/T/U procedure if it applies), request your file through FOIA, and call 800-375-5283 if you do not know which office has your case.
June 25, 2026
Legal-aid groups sue USCIS over DACA renewal delays (East Bay Sanctuary Covenant v. USCIS)
East Bay Sanctuary Covenant and the Immigration Institute of the Bay Area (Justice Action Center as counsel) filed suit in the Northern District of California, No. 3:26-cv-06367, over severe DACA renewal delays that leave timely filers without work authorization. Active; no order has changed the renewal procedure. Our I-821D renewal pages carry the case and the day-150 filing guidance.
June 24, 2026
DACA renewal processing times have risen in 2026
USCIS data reported by CNN in May 2026 showed the median DACA (Form I-821D) renewal taking about 70 days from October 2025 through February 2026, up from roughly 15 days a year earlier, amid expanded background vetting introduced in April 2026 and higher filing volumes. There is no premium processing for I-821D — only a discretionary expedite request. Renewals continue nationwide and first-time applications remain frozen. The practical advice on our renewal guide is unchanged but more urgent: file at the front of the 120–150-day window.
June 23, 2026
Supreme Court narrows returning green-card holders' rights at the border (Blanche v. Lau, 6–3)
June 15, 2026
ICE detention facility directory verified against the official ICE list
Every facility page's street address was checked against the current official ICE detention-facility list (151 facilities). Two active facilities that were missing — Dakota County Sheriff Office in Dakota City, Nebraska and Woodbury County Jail in Sioux City, Iowa — were added with verified address and phone, bringing coverage to all 151. The visitation-hours guidance was also corrected across the directory to send families to the facility and the official ICE page for current hours.
June 15, 2026
State demographic figures refreshed to the 2024 Census ACS 5-year estimates
Across every state guide, the foreign-born, total-population, and Hispanic/Latino figures were refreshed from the 2023 to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates (the latest available), pulled directly from the US Census Bureau API. Puerto Rico stays on the 2023 vintage because the 2024 release suppresses its foreign-born figure.
June 15, 2026
IRS Free File income limit for the 2026 filing season is $89,000
The IRS Free File guided-software income cap is $89,000 in adjusted gross income (up from $79,000) for the 2026 filing season. We updated the figure across every state's free-tax-help guide and the tax-software comparison; your ITIN is accepted, and the free return covers your federal taxes (some partners also include a free state return).
June 12, 2026
Correction: Mexico consulate directory — official county-level jurisdictions added; Anchorage page removed (closed since 2015)
We added Mexico's official consular jurisdictions (SRE master list cross-checked against each consulate's own circunscripción page) — 53 offices, county-by-county for split states. Three errors fixed in the process: our Anchorage page described a consulate that closed in November 2015 (Alaska belongs to Seattle); the New Brunswick consulate's address is 390 George Street, Suite 100 (not 100 Bayard Street); and the directory counted 55 offices when the network is 52 (51 consulates plus the embassy's consular section, including Oklahoma City and San Juan).
June 12, 2026
Correction: EOIR delisted 3 adjudication centers (74 locations); state court listings fixed
EOIR's hearing-access page now lists 74 court locations (the Falls Church, Richmond and Fort Worth adjudication centers were delisted). We also fixed state pages against the live list: Georgia was missing both Atlanta courts, Texas was missing El Paso SPC, Pennsylvania showed a nonexistent Pittsburgh court, and Alaska showed a nonexistent Anchorage court. Per EOIR's administrative control list, the Boise, Helena and Anchorage DHS offices are assigned to Portland, OR, and West Virginia to Philadelphia, PA.
June 12, 2026
Correction: EOIR court count and in-absentia fee updated on 104 court pages
Our immigration-court state pages said EOIR operates 71 courts with 700+ judges; EOIR's own hearing-access list covers 77 court locations, and the judge count was unsourced. The same pages garbled the H.R.1 in-absentia arrest fee: it is $5,130 after the 2026 inflation adjustment (originally $5,000), and proposed rule 2026-10082 (May 20, 2026) would raise it to $18,000 but is not in effect.
June 12, 2026
Correction: 7 immigration-court addresses fixed on our by-state pages
Seven court listings (LaSalle and Oakdale LA, Kansas City MO, Otero NM, Guaynabo PR, San Antonio TX, Los Angeles-West CA) showed EOIR headquarters' Falls Church, VA address as the court city. Each was re-verified against its justice.gov page and corrected, in both languages.
June 3, 2026
Federal court strikes down Nebraska in-state tuition for undocumented students
On June 3, 2026, the U.S. District Court for the District of Nebraska struck down LB 239 (2006) as preempted by federal law (8 U.S.C. § 1623) and barred its enforcement, ending in-state tuition for undocumented students immediately; the same ruling revoked their Nebraska Opportunity Grant and ACE Scholarship eligibility. Nebraska joins Texas, Kentucky, and Oklahoma; 19 states plus DC still offer in-state access.
May 28, 2026
Lebanon TPS automatically extended through November 27, 2026
The TPS designation for Lebanon was automatically extended six months, from May 28 through November 27, 2026 (91 FR 32069).
May 18, 2026
Federal court largely halts ICE arrests at New York City immigration courts
In African Communities Together v. Lyons, a district court stay issued May 18, 2026 largely prohibits ICE civil enforcement in or near 26 Federal Plaza, 201 Varick St, and 290 Broadway — after the government admitted in March 2026 that its 2025 memo never authorized immigration-court arrests. Other cities are not covered by the stay.
April 6, 2026
Colombia changed passport fees at its US consulates
New fee schedule for Colombian passports issued at consulates in the United States took effect April 6, 2026 — ordinary booklet US$86, executive US$175, minors' processing differs.
March 30, 2026
US Embassy in Caracas formally reopened — visas still processed through Bogotá
After nearly seven years closed, the embassy resumed operations on March 30, 2026. The consular section is still being rebuilt: Venezuelan visa cases continue through the Venezuela Affairs Unit in Bogotá until limited interviews restart in Caracas.
March 25, 2026
Government admits its 2025 memo never authorized immigration-court arrests
In the New York courthouse-arrest litigation, DOJ conceded in March 2026 that the 2025 memorandum cited as authority for arresting people at immigration-court hearings does not and never has authorized those arrests — the admission that led to the May 18, 2026 stay.
March 1, 2026
Georgia raised its property-residence threshold to US$150,000
The republic of Georgia raised the minimum property value for its short-term residence permit from US$100,000 to US$150,000, effective March 1, 2026.
March 1, 2026
SBA closed its loan programs to every non-citizen owner - green-card holders included
SBA now requires a business to be owned 100% by U.S. citizens or U.S. nationals: 7(a) and 504 from March 1, 2026 (SOP 50 10 8) and microloans from April 1, 2026 (SOP 52 00 B). SBA's Ineligible Person list names undocumented owners but also lawful permanent residents, asylees, refugees, DACA recipients and visa holders. Free SCORE/SBDC/WBC counseling is unaffected, and SBA disaster loans still admit qualified aliens under SOP 50 30 9 - so an LPR is barred from a 7(a) loan yet still eligible for a disaster loan. GAO found on July 1, 2026 (B-338157) that SBA skipped Congressional Review Act submission, but the notices remain in effect.
February 19, 2026
Colombia's 2026 minimum wage raised visa income floors ~23%
Colombia's visa income requirements are pegged to the minimum wage (SMMLV), set at COP 1,750,905 for 2026 by transitional decree: the M pensioner visa floor is now ≈US$1,467/month and the rentista floor ≈US$4,889/month. The decree is under Consejo de Estado review and could move again.
February 10, 2026
Colombia reset its immigration fees — foreigner ID card now COP 294,000
Migración Colombia's annual fee resolution (Resolución 0599/2026) set the cédula de extranjería at COP 294,000 (≈US$82), effective February 10, 2026. These fees re-index every February.
January 26, 2026
Texas TDLR begins requiring proof of lawful presence for occupational licenses (agency rule effective May 1, 2026)
Effective Jan. 26, 2026, the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation requires certain applicants for an initial license or a renewal to submit documentation establishing lawful presence in the United States, citing 8 U.S.C. § 1621; the agency's rule took effect May 1, 2026. Applications remain pending until the documentation is submitted. Texas has never enacted a § 1621(d) opt-out, so this enforces the existing federal default rather than changing the state's classification. State officials told the Texas Tribune (Mar. 24, 2026) that DACA recipients will not qualify.
January 21, 2026
B1/B2 visa bond of up to $15,000 for Cuban and Venezuelan nationals
Per US embassy guidance effective January 21, 2026, nationals of Cuba and Venezuela found otherwise eligible for a B1/B2 visitor visa may be required to post a bond of up to $15,000 before issuance, wherever they apply.
January 1, 2026
Ecuador's 2026 basic salary pushed retiree-visa income floor to $1,446/month
Ecuador's pensioner and rentista visa floors are 3× the unified basic salary (SBU). With SBU 2026 set at $482, the floor rose to $1,446/month plus $250 per dependent.
January 1, 2026
1% federal excise tax on cash-funded remittances takes effect
IRC §4475 (enacted in the 2025 budget law) imposes a 1% excise tax on remittance transfers funded with cash, money orders, or cashier's checks sent abroad on or after January 1, 2026. Transfers funded from a US bank account or a US-issued debit/credit card are exempt.
September 2025
Philippines restructured the SRRV retirement visa — age floor now 40, categories consolidated
The Philippine Retirement Authority abolished the SRRV Smile and Human Touch categories for new applicants and set the age floor at 40. Deposits now run $15,000-$50,000 depending on age and pension status.
August 25, 2025
DACA recipients excluded from ACA Marketplace coverage again (HHS final rule effective Aug 25, 2025)
HHS's Marketplace Integrity and Affordability final rule (90 FR, FR Doc. 2025-11606, published June 25, 2025) removed DACA recipients from the definition of "lawfully present" for Marketplace plans, premium tax credits and Basic Health Program coverage, reversing the May 2024 rule. Effective August 25, 2025. Our healthcare-by-status page had kept the 2024 wording; corrected September 2, 2026.
July 4, 2025
HR-1 immigration fees in force: TPS application $510, work permits no longer fee-waivable
The 2025 budget law (HR-1) raised the TPS application (Form I-821) to $510 and added non-waivable employment-authorization fees of $560 (initial) and $280 (renewal) that stack on top. These amounts adjust for inflation each January.
July 4, 2025
Child Tax Credit now requires the TAXPAYER to have an SSN (from 2025 returns)
The 2025 tax law (P.L. 119-21) raised the CTC to $2,200 per child and added a second SSN requirement: beginning with 2025 returns, the taxpayer claiming the credit must have an SSN (at least one spouse on a joint return). Two ITIN-only parents can no longer claim the CTC even for a US-citizen child — the $500 Credit for Other Dependents applies instead.
June 2025
Texas ended in-state tuition for undocumented students; Kentucky, Oklahoma and Nebraska followed
Federal litigation ended Texas's two-decade-old in-state tuition access for undocumented students in June 2025, with similar outcomes in Kentucky, Oklahoma and Nebraska during 2025-26. As of mid-2026, 19 states plus DC still offer access.
January 5, 2025
WEP repealed — foreign pensions no longer reduce US Social Security benefits
The Social Security Fairness Act repealed the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and Government Pension Offset (GPO). A pension from your home country no longer shrinks the US Social Security benefit you earned on your US work record.
How this connects to the rest of the site
The tracker complements the living-data pages that update automatically:
- US visa interview wait times — re-pulled from the State Department each new edition
- Border crossing wait times — CBP feed, daily
- Visa Bulletin movement tracker — monthly, with category-by-category movement
- TPS status by country — designation and litigation posture per country
- DACA litigation status — dated updates as rulings land
- USCIS processing times — 43 forms across all offices
Last verified: 2026-06-11.
General procedural information for educational purposes. Not legal, tax, or immigration advice. Laws and fees change — verify with the issuing agency before taking action. For case-specific guidance, consult a licensed immigration attorney or other appropriate professional.
Data on this topic
Datasets we maintain and keep current, with official sources cited. Free to download and embed.
- Every TPS action since 1994: 292 Federal Register notices, 27 countries, 32 years
- What changed: Somalia TPS terminated Aug. 14 after the court lifted its stay — six terminations now in force; Ethiopia's Aug. 19 date is the last one standing
- Every USCIS filing fee since 2004: 40 forms across six Federal Register rules
- Three green-card lines have not moved one day in 2026 — the Visa Bulletin movement data