There is no fixed bank balance for an F-1 visa. Officers measure your funds against the first-year cost on your I-20. Here is how that works in 2026, along with in-person interviews, social media screening, and the blocked D/S rule.
If you filed Form N-400 on or after October 20, 2025, you take the 2025 civics test: up to 20 questions from a list of 128, with 12 correct answers to pass. Here is who keeps the 2008 test, how the English portion works, and what else changed in 2026.
A DHS rule in effect since August 11, 2026 lets USCIS end paper filing one form at a time. No form is online-only yet. We explain which forms qualify, how the $25 Form I-936 waiver works, and how to comment by October 13.
A September 18 executive order tells the Labor, Homeland Security, and State Departments to weigh an employer's recent or planned layoffs in every H-1B filing. Here is what the order says, who it reaches, and which records employers should gather now.
USCIS now treats adjustment of status as extraordinary, discretionary relief, and most marriage cases go through an in-person interview. Here is what officers ask, how long each step takes, and how to prepare under the September 2026 rules.
DHS let the September 9, 2026 end date for El Salvador's TPS pass without a published decision. Here is what the statute's automatic extension rule says, what USCIS has told employers about I-9s, and what could still change.
Since September 18, 2026, the public charge test covers every means-tested benefit and only the new Form I-485 is accepted. From October 1, sponsors must file the new Form I-864, which authorizes a pull of their credit report.
On September 18, President Trump extended the $100,000 H-1B payment to 2027 and signed an order tying employer layoffs to H-1B filings. Here is where the fee stands today, how to comment by September 24, and what employers should do.
USCIS may now refer some asylum cases to immigration court without an interview. Here is how the $102 annual asylum fee, the 150-day and 180-day work permit rules, and the court fees rising on October 1, 2026 work.
