Willy, Nanayakkara and Associates Attorneys and Counselors at Law

08/20/2026

New USCIS Public Charge Guidance Takes Effect September 18, 2026

USCIS has issued updated guidance on how officers decide whether a green card applicant is likely to become a public charge. It takes effect September 18, 2026.

The guidance applies to adjustment of status applications postmarked or submitted electronically on or after that date. Applications filed before September 18 stay under the current standard.

What changes:
- A wider range of means-tested benefits may be considered
- A new edition of Form I-485 is required, with no grace period
- Benefits received by a child or other household member are generally not counted against the applicant
- Several humanitarian categories remain exempt by statute

W***y Nanayakkara & Associates Immigration Law
(281) 265-2522
[email protected]
www.grwpc.com
https://grwpc.com/schedule-a-consultation/
Consultations are by appointment Monday through Thursday. Thursday consultations are free.
WNA Emergency Helpline: (281) 690-5100. Available Monday through Friday, 7:00 to 8:30 AM and 5:30 to 11:00 PM Central, and Saturday and Sunday, 7:00 AM to 11:00 PM Central. Helpline cards are available at our Sugar Land office.
Follow us on Facebook for ongoing immigration updates, and join our webinar every Wednesday at 10:30 AM Central, live on Facebook.

***yNanayakkaraAndAssociates

08/19/2026

08/19/2026 Immigration Law Webinar

08/18/2026

Federal Lawsuit Challenges the Rule Ending Duration of Status

A coalition of higher education, labor, and press organizations filed suit on August 18, 2026 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, challenging the Department of Homeland Security rule that replaces duration of status with fixed admission periods for F, J, and I nonimmigrants.

The rule was published on July 17, 2026 and is scheduled to take effect on September 15, 2026. Plaintiffs argue the rule violates the Administrative Procedure Act and have asked the court to block it before that date.

Filing a lawsuit does not pause a regulation. Unless a court orders otherwise, September 15 stands, and students, exchange visitors, journalists, and sponsoring institutions should continue preparing for implementation.

W***y Nanayakkara & Associates Immigration Law
(281) 265-2522
[email protected]
www.grwpc.com
https://grwpc.com/schedule-a-consultation/
Consultations are by appointment Monday through Thursday. Thursday consultations are free.
WNA Emergency Helpline: (281) 690-5100. Available Monday through Friday, 7:00 to 8:30 AM and 5:30 to 11:00 PM Central, and Saturday and Sunday, 7:00 AM to 11:00 PM Central. Helpline cards are available at our Sugar Land office.
Follow us on Facebook for ongoing immigration updates, and join our webinar every Wednesday at 10:30 AM Central, live on Facebook.

***yNanayakkaraAndAssociates

W, N & A is a full-service law firm with over 40 years of experience in investment, family and individual immigration.

08/18/2026

Four Recent Changes Affecting Pending Immigration Cases

If you have an application pending with USCIS, or you are holding an advance parole document and thinking about international travel, several procedural changes this summer may affect your case.

This week we will walk through what changed, who it reaches, and what it means for filings already in progress. We will also cover why having a case pending is not the same as having lawful status, and why that distinction matters more now than it did in the spring.

Principal Attorney George R. W***y will share insight into four recent developments and what they mean for people with cases already underway.

Join us this Wednesday at 12:30 PM Central, live on Facebook.

W***y Nanayakkara & Associates Immigration Law
(281) 265-2522
[email protected]
www.grwpc.com
https://grwpc.com/schedule-a-consultation/

Consultations are by appointment Monday through Thursday. Thursday consultations are free.

WNA Emergency Helpline: (281) 690-5100. Available Monday through Friday, 7:00 to 8:30 AM and 5:30 to 11:00 PM Central, and Saturday and Sunday, 7:00 AM to 11:00 PM Central. Helpline cards are available at our Sugar Land office.

Follow us on Facebook for ongoing immigration updates, and join our webinar every Wednesday at 12:30 PM Central, live on Facebook.

***yNanayakkaraAndAssociates

08/17/2026

CDC Extends Entry Restrictions for Travelers Recently in the DRC, Uganda, or South Sudan

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a new order on August 12, 2026, continuing the suspension of entry into the United States for travelers who were present in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, or South Sudan during the preceding 21 days. The order runs for 30 days, through September 11, 2026.
It applies regardless of country of origin and expressly covers lawful permanent residents. U.S. citizens and U.S. nationals are excepted from the order, though separate CDC guidance restricts their return travel as well.
Green card holders with travel planned to the region should review the current restrictions before departing.

W***y Nanayakkara & Associates Immigration Law
(281) 265-2522
[email protected]
www.grwpc.com
https://grwpc.com/schedule-a-consultation/
Consultations are by appointment Monday through Thursday. Thursday consultations are free.
WNA Emergency Helpline: (281) 690-5100. Available Monday through Friday, 7:00 to 8:30 AM and 5:30 to 11:00 PM Central, and Saturday and Sunday, 7:00 AM to 11:00 PM Central. Helpline cards are available at our Sugar Land office.
Follow us on Facebook for ongoing immigration updates, and join our webinar every Wednesday at 10:30 AM Central, live on Facebook.

***yNanayakkaraAndAssociates

08/17/2026

Warning Before You Travel: Advance Parole No Longer Protects You From the 3- and 10-Year Bars

Please read this before you plan any travel outside the United States.

On August 13, 2026, the Board of Immigration Appeals changed a rule from 2012: leaving the country on advance parole now counts as leaving.

This affects you if you were in the United States without lawful status for more than 180 days at some point, and you now hold advance parole through a pending green card or asylum case, DACA, or TPS.

If that is you, leaving can bar you from coming back for 3 or 10 years.

Trips you took before August 13, 2026 do not count. Talk to an attorney before you book.

W***y Nanayakkara & Associates Immigration Law
(281) 265-2522
[email protected]
www.grwpc.com
https://grwpc.com/schedule-a-consultation/
Consultations are by appointment Monday through Thursday. Thursday consultations are free.
WNA Emergency Helpline: (281) 690-5100. Available Monday through Friday, 7:00 to 8:30 AM and 5:30 to 11:00 PM Central, and Saturday and Sunday, 7:00 AM to 11:00 PM Central. Helpline cards are available at our Sugar Land office.
Follow us on Facebook for ongoing immigration updates, and join our webinar every Wednesday at 10:30 AM Central, live on Facebook.

***yNanayakkaraAndAssociates

W, N & A is a full-service law firm with over 40 years of experience in investment, family and individual immigration.

08/14/2026

BIA Rules That Travel on Advance Parole Can Trigger the Unlawful Presence Bars

On August 13, 2026, the Board of Immigration Appeals held that leaving the United States on advance parole is a departure for purposes of the unlawful presence bars. The decision, Matter of Delcarmen-Lara, overrules the 2012 precedent that had allowed such travel without triggering a bar.

Going forward, a departure after more than 180 days of unlawful presence may result in a three- or ten-year bar to admission. The Board applied its holding prospectively, so travel before August 13, 2026 is not affected.

Anyone holding advance parole through a pending adjustment application, DACA, or TPS should review travel plans with counsel.

W***y Nanayakkara & Associates Immigration Law
(281) 265-2522
[email protected]
www.grwpc.com
https://grwpc.com/schedule-a-consultation/
Consultations are by appointment Monday through Thursday. Thursday consultations are free.
WNA Emergency Helpline: (281) 690-5100. Available Monday through Friday, 7:00 to 8:30 AM and 5:30 to 11:00 PM Central, and Saturday and Sunday, 7:00 AM to 11:00 PM Central. Helpline cards are available at our Sugar Land office.
Follow us on Facebook for ongoing immigration updates, and join our webinar every Wednesday at 10:30 AM Central, live on Facebook.

***yNanayakkaraAndAssociates

08/12/2026

08/12/2026 Immigration Law Webinar with Chiro Nanayakkara

08/12/2026

This Week’s Immigration Law Webinar with Senior Partner Chiro Nanayakkara

Senior Partner Chiro Nanayakkara joins us this week for our weekly immigration law webinar.

Each week we look at a current development in immigration law and what it means for families, students, and employers. Viewers are welcome to bring questions.

Wednesday, August 12 at 10:30 AM CST, live on Facebook.

W***y Nanayakkara & Associates Immigration Law
(281) 265-2522
[email protected]
www.grwpc.com
https://grwpc.com/schedule-a-consultation/
Consultations are by appointment Monday through Thursday. Thursday consultations are free.
WNA Emergency Helpline: (281) 690-5100. Available Monday through Friday, 7:00 to 8:30 AM and 5:30 to 11:00 PM Central, and Saturday and Sunday, 7:00 AM to 11:00 PM Central. Helpline cards are available at our Sugar Land office.
Follow us on Facebook for ongoing immigration updates, and join our webinar every Wednesday at 10:30 AM Central, live on Facebook.

***yNanayakkaraAndAssociates