Top Immigration Official Defends “Anti‑American” Screening in Green Card Process

Top Immigration Official Defends “Anti‑American” Screening in Green Card Process

By: Mary Campbell In an exclusive interview, Joseph Edlow, newly confirmed Director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), has defended a controversial immigration policy shift allowing immigration officers to weigh applicants’ personal views—specifically whether they espouse “anti‑American” ideologies—as part of green card and visa evaluations. What This Change Entails Edlow emphasized that the policy […]

New $250 “Visa Integrity Fee” Could Make Visiting the U.S. Costlier for Many Travelers

New $250 “Visa Integrity Fee” Could Make Visiting the U.S. Costlier for Many Travelers

By Mary Campbell  A controversial new travel fee—dubbed the “visa integrity fee”—was enacted as part of the One Big Beautiful Bill, signed into law on July 4, 2025. It imposes a $250 charge on top of existing visa application fees for most non‑immigrant visa holders, including tourist (B‑1/B‑2), student (F/M), work (H‑1B/H‑4), and exchange (J‑1/J‑2) categories. When […]

The Health Divide: School Shootings keep Happening. It’s up to Reporters to Highlight the Costs of Inaction

The Health Divide: School Shootings keep Happening. It’s up to Reporters to Highlight the Costs of Inaction

  By James E. Causey, Center for Health Journalism Contributor | Editorial credit: Jinitzail Hernandez / shutterstock.com  Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Reporter | Center for Health Journalism Contributor On December 16, just before the start of the Christmas break, a young student entered Abundant Life Christian School in Madison, Wisconsin, and opened fire on students, faculty, and […]

The H-1B Visa Program and Its Impact on the U.S. Economy

The H-1B Visa Program and Its Impact on the U.S. Economy

By American Immigration Council Foreign workers fill a critical need in the U.S. labor market—particularly in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. Every year, U.S. employers seeking highly skilled foreign professionals compete for the pool of H-1B visa numbers for which U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) controls the allocation. With a low […]

Musk and Ramaswamy Defend Foreign Worker Visas, Sparking MAGA Backlash

Musk and Ramaswamy Defend Foreign Worker Visas, Sparking MAGA Backlash

By Chris Tobias | Editorial credit: Maxim Elramsisy & Frederic Legrand – COMEO / shutterstock.com  The social media posts by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, advocating for an expansion of foreign worker visas, have sparked an urgent and heated debate among supporters of President-elect Donald Trump over the future of immigration policy, particularly regarding highly skilled […]

H-1B Modernization Rule Provides Some Comfort But Also Raises Concerns

H-1B Modernization Rule Provides Some Comfort But Also Raises Concerns

By Leslie Dellon, IMMIGRATION IMPACT The American Immigration Council does not endorse or oppose candidates for elected office. We aim to provide analysis regarding the implications of the election on the U.S. immigration system. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) recently issued its long-awaited H-1B modernization rule. The final rule takes effect on January 17, 2025. USCIS […]