By: Mary Campbell The U.S. Department of State has instituted a 12-month pilot program effective August 20, 2025, and running through August 5, 2026, aimed at reducing visa overstays by requiring certain B‑1/B‑2 visa applicants to post a refundable bond ranging from $5,000 to $15,000, at the discretion of the consular officer. Scope and Applicability This pilot applies exclusively […]
On August 13, the Department of State took steps to impose visa restrictions on African, Cuban, and Grenadian government officials, and their family members, for their complicity in the Cuban regime’s medical mission scheme in which medical professionals are ‘rented’ by other countries at high prices and most of the revenue is kept by the […]
By: Maribel Hastings| America’s Voice |Editorial credit: aaronschwartzphoto / Shutterstock.com Washington, DC: The militarization of immigration policy is in full swing, and the Trump administration has announced that it is speeding up construction of the largest detention center in the United States, logically on a military base, Fort Bliss, in El Paso, Texas. Although the […]
By: Dara Lind| americanimmigrationcouncil.org |Editorial credit: Michael Candelori / Shutterstock.com The American Immigration Council’s new special report, Mass Deportation: Analyzing the Trump Administration’s Attacks on Immigrants, Democracy, and America, is a guide to the first six months of the second Trump administration, what might be coming, and who is being harmed. This is the first in […]
By: Gabe Ortiz | americasvoicecnn.substack.com |Editorial credit: lev radin / Shutterstock.com Just think of how much our country could get done with $170 billion in federal funding. Hungry schoolkids fed with nutritious meals. Unhoused Americans sheltered and safe from the bitter cold or extreme heat. Sick senior citizens cared for with dignity. It’s an unprecedented […]
Editorial credit: Sheila Fitzgerald / Shutterstock.com Updated August 6, 2025 — Across the U.S., including California, New Jersey, Oregon, and Minnesota, DACA recipients are set to lose their Affordable Care Act (ACA) or Basic Health Program (BHP) coverage starting August 25, 2025, with most state marketplaces terminating plans by August 31. What Changed? In June 2025, […]
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has introduced sweeping updates to marriage-based green card policies—effective August 1, 2025—mandating in-person interviews in nearly all spousal visa cases and sharply increasing evidentiary requirements to detect fraudulent petitions. What’s Changed? 1. Mandatory In-Person Interviews for Nearly All Cases USCIS now requires face-to-face interviews in essentially all marriage-based […]
Washington, D.C. – August 6, 2025 – In a major policy shift, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is now warning that individuals applying for family-based green cards—particularly marriage-based petitions—could be placed directly into removal (deportation) proceedings if found ineligible. This update, effective August 1, 2025, states that approval of a family-based petition no longer ensures […]
By Mary Campbell | Editorial credit: Brian Jason / Shutterstock.com A federal judge in San Francisco has issued a sweeping ruling that blocks the Trump administration’s move to terminate Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for tens of thousands of immigrants from Nepal, Honduras, and Nicaragua. Key Ruling Details – U.S. District Judge Trina L. Thompson, a […]
Editorial credit: Lyonstock / Shutterstock.com U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services is issuing policy guidance in the USCIS Policy Manual that will enhance our capability to screen and vet family-based immigrant visa petitions. This update explains requirements and adjudication of these petitions, including eligibility criteria, filing, interviews, and decisions. Fraudulent, frivolous, or otherwise non-meritorious family-based immigrant visa petitions erode confidence in family-based pathways to lawful permanent resident (LPR) status […]
