SAN JOSE IMMIGRATION LAWYER BLOG

Are you applying for a green card or adjusting your immigration status in 2026? If so, the legal landscape has just shifted dramatically. Specifically, the Trump administration has finalized a sweeping new immigration regulation. This rule revives and expands strict standards for permanent residency. Therefore, every intending immigrant must understand these updated requirements. The new…

Are you an international student studying in the United States? Or are you a Bay Area employer relying on recent graduates? If so, you must prepare for massive changes to the F-1 visa system. For nearly 50 years, international students have entered the U.S. under a flexible policy. This framework is known as “Duration of…

U.S. visa screening is increasingly shaped by digital vetting, online presence review, and AI-assisted government systems that may compare information across immigration records, public online sources, and security-related databases. For many applicants, the consular interview is no longer limited to a short conversation at the visa window and a review of paper documents. The Department…

With the 2026 FIFA World Cup taking place across multiple U.S. cities, many international travelers are planning visits this summer, some for the first time. Many people visit the United States each year for tourism, family visits, weddings, graduations, business meetings, conferences, medical appointments, religious events, and other temporary purposes. For some travelers, the process…

On May 21, 2026, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued Policy Memorandum PM-602-0199 regarding discretionary review in adjustment of status (“AOS”) cases filed inside the United States. The memorandum does not eliminate adjustment of status under INA § 245. However, it signals that USCIS may apply closer discretionary review in certain green card cases…

On December 2, 2025, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued Policy Memorandum titled: Hold and Review of all Pending Asylum Applications and all USCIS Benefit Applications Filed by Aliens from High-Risk Countries. This memo does much more than slow down asylum. It directly affects many applicants for: If you are from, or were born…

On Friday, September 19, 2025, President Donald J. Trump signed a Proclamation titled “Restriction on Entry of Certain Nonimmigrant Workers.” This measure represents a dramatic shift in U.S. immigration policy and marks the first step in a series of reforms aimed at reshaping the H-1B program. The most significant change: a $100,000 supplemental fee for…

At The Ahluwalia Firm, we continue to achieve success in even the most complex marriage-based immigration cases, including those involving visa overstays, unauthorized entries, and prior immigration filings despite the stricter adjudication standards imposed by USCIS’s August 1, 2025 policy update. USCIS’s New Policy: A Tighter Standard of Review On August 1, 2025, USCIS implemented…

Applying for U.S. citizenship through naturalization is one of the most important steps in an immigrant’s journey. Along with meeting residency and language requirements, every applicant must show that they are a person of Good Moral Character (GMC). On August 15, 2025, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) released new guidance restoring a holistic “totality…

Effective August 1, 2025, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued new guidance that significantly raises the bar for marriage-based green card applications. This update aims to strengthen fraud detection, tighten legal scrutiny, and ensure compliance with U.S. immigration laws. Official USCIS Memo: https://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/document/policy-manual-updates/20250801-FamilyBasedImmigrants.pdf At The Ahluwalia Firm, we help couples throughout San Jose,…