Immigration Compliance Group

08/08/2026

Why would we want to reduce our country's ability to attract and retain top talent?

Under Consideration:
A $100K fee for international students to work in the USA following graduation

Backlash:
Reducing our ability as a nation to attract and retain top talent, in addition to which the harm that it would cause to our universities, tech companies and Wall Street firms that benefit.

DHS is reportedly considering the fee as part of a larger package of changes to OPT regulations. fee is still under discussion at the Department of Homeland Security, reporting said, noting that it was unclear whether the White House would approve the fee and who would be responsible for paying it -- foreign students or their prospective employers.

Recent articles on this topic:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/annaesakismith/2026/07/31/trump-weighs-100000-fee-for-international-graduates-to-work-in-the-us/

https://www.wsj.com/politics/policy/u-s-weighs-100-000-fee-for-foreign-students-wanting-to-work-after-graduation-d0bf43d9

The proposed policy would particularly affect Silicon Valley, Wall Street and universities.

08/08/2026

EAD Revocation Guidance For E-Verify Employers

E-Verify may have notified you via Case Alerts that one or more of your employees has an Employment Authorization Document (EAD) that has been revoked by DHS. EADs that have been revoked will no longer appear in Case Alerts; instead, you should regularly generate the Status Change Report to identify E-Verify cases that may have been created with an EAD that is now revoked.

To access the report, log in to your E-Verify account and click on the “Reports” tab at the top of the homepage to select the new Status Change Report. E-Verify Employer Agents can create this report on behalf of their clients using the E-Verify browser. The chart below displays date ranges of when EADs were revoked by DHS with the corresponding date that the data in the Status Change Report was updated.

If you have a current employee who appears on the Status Change Report, compare your employee’s EAD card number presented for Form I-9 to the revoked document number in the report. If the numbers match, you must reverify their employment authorization. E-Verify employers must use Form I-9, Supplement B, to immediately begin reverifying every current employee whose EAD the Status Change Report indicates was revoked or who voluntarily discloses that their EAD has been revoked. You must complete the reverifications within a reasonable amount of time.

For more, please refer here:

E-Verify may have notified you via Case Alerts that one or more of your employees has an Employment Authorization Document (EAD) that has been revoked by DHS. EADs that have been revoked will no longer appear in Case Alerts; instead, you should regularly generate the Status Change Report to identify...

07/10/2026

Today, July 10. 2026, USCIS updated the guidance on work authorization for several TPS-designated countries that have current litigation pending over the termination of their TPS status.

USCIS has announced that the new “placeholder” dates for work authorization are the following:

Haiti: July 24, 2026

Syria: July 17, 2026

Burma (Myanmar): July 17, 2026

Ethiopia: July 17, 2026

Somalia: July 17, 2026

South Sudan: July 17, 2026

Yemen: July 17, 2026

These are not official termination of employment dates. These dates are a placeholder for employers as the final actions wind through the courts.

What Employers Need to Know for Form I-9 updates

Determine which employees whose current work authorization depends on TPS Haiti, Syria, Burma (Myanmar), Ethiopia, Somalia, South Sudan, and Yemen

Confirm the Reverification Step by 7/10/2026 – update the Additional Information box in Section 2 to show “July 17, 2026 (or July 24, 2026 for Haiti)” as the expiration date (this is an “automatic” extension)

When having the relevant employees complete Supplement B (when work authorization expires), ensure the company is allowing them to choose any acceptable documentation from the List of Acceptable Documents.

Set up a tickler system for July 17, 2026 (July 24, 2026 for Haiti) based USCIS “placeholder” extension.

The following is a list of TPS EADs that benefit from today’s automatic extension through July 17, 2026:

--Burma (Myanmar): TPS EADs with an original expiration date of Nov. 25, 2025, May 25, 2024, or Nov. 25, 2022.

--Ethiopia: TPS EADs with an original expiration date of June 12, 2024, and Dec. 12, 2025.

--Somalia: TPS EADs with an original expiration date of March 17, 2023, September 17, 2024, or March 17, 2026.

--South Sudan: TPS EADs with an original expiration date of Nov. 3, 2023, May 3, 2025, or Nov. 3, 2025.

--Syria: TPS EADs with an original expiration date of Sept. 30, 2025, March 31, 2024, Sept. 30, 2022, or March 31, 2021

--Yemen: TPS EADs with an original expiration date of March 3, 2023, Sept. 3, 2024, or March 3, 2026.

06/06/2026

QUICK REMINDER ----------
QUESTION: If I filed a Cap-Subject H-1B Petition with a Change of Status request, can I travel internationally and consular process my H-1B?

The word on this now is a resounding NO. It’s no longer a workable plan if you have particularly filed a change of status case and depart the USA while it is pending which is viewed as abandoning your change of status request and automatically triggers the $100,000 required fee even though your H-...

06/04/2026

ICE Doesn’t Want the Public to See What Happens in Its Detention Centers

Obstructing visits from elected officials to detention facilities has become ICE’s calling card. This is how the p***c knows what has happened to detained people.

Serious Congressional oversight is critical at this moment considering ICE’s rapid expansion of immigration detention centers across our country.

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05/24/2026

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Releases a Policy Memo that they Will Grant ‘Adjustment of Status’ Cases Only in Extraordinary Circumstances to Obtain a Green-Card Inside the USA

USCIS STATES --

“We’re returning to the original intent of the law to ensure aliens navigate our nation’s immigration system properly.
From now on, an alien who is in the U.S. temporarily and wants a Green Card must return to their home country to apply, except in extraordinary circumstances…The law was written this way for a reason, and despite the fact that it has been ignored for years, following it will help make our system fairer and more efficient.”

So, this means that for all pending and future I-485 cases, the government’s position is that applicants must undergo consular processing in their home countries.

At the present time, there is a backlog that exceeds 5.4 million cases, this includes both family and employment-based cases. The actual wait times for an I-485 adjustment case ranges from 7-11 months for USCIS processing, though this depends upon the Final Action Dates published in the monthly DHS Visa Bulletin. This surge in backlogs is due to an increase in case volume, shifts in USCIS staffing, budget issues, work allocation imbalances, heavier vetting and background checks – to name a few.

USCIS also intends to overhaul its security vetting procedures and has implemented comprehensive reviews and re-interviews for specific groups, such as those granted refugee or asylum status between 2021 – 2025.

We understand that this will cause unexpected uncertainty for those that have applications in the system and because of this, it is wise to consult with immigration counsel concerning the risks associated concerning your case.

For additional resources, refer here:

USCIS STATES: “We’re returning to the original intent of the law to ensure aliens navigate our nation’s immigration system properly. From now on, an alien who is in the U.S. temporarily and wants a Green Card must return to their home country to apply, except in extraordinary circumstances…T...

04/09/2026

The Cost of Doing H-1Bs in today's immigration paradigm

The DOL’s proposed prevailing wage rule is one to watch. The full rule is now published in the Federal Register and the numbers are striking. If finalized, entry-level H-1B salary floors would jump by more than 30% as estimated by many practitioners.

This is a further disruption to the (F1) student to (OPT) worker pathway to (an H1-B Professional) and the pathway to a Green Card and ultimately citizenship.

The Level I (entry-level) wage floor would move to where Level II sits today. It is estimated that the Level IV would jump approximately 24%. DOL estimates the average impact at roughly $14,000 per worker per year.

For a business sponsoring multiple H-1B employees, this is serious systematic repricing of the program and its feasibility.

----- More here:

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