Palmer Polaski Blog

In a proclamation issued by President Trump and effective September 21, 2025, a new fee of $100,000 will be imposed on H-1B petitions. The fee was announced with virtually no notice and has caused significant confusion about who exactly will be required to pay it. As of yet, it appears no one has had to […]

Shortly after the Trump Administration eliminated the requirement for temporary immigration judges to possess knowledge of immigration law, the Department of Defense authorized the use of 600 military lawyers to serve as temporary immigration judges. This move comes after more than 130 immigration judges have been fired, taken an early retirement offer, or have been […]

There have been a lot of recent changes for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) holders with announcements from the current administration and ongoing litigation that can be hard to keep up with. In general, TPS status protects individuals from deportation while a TPS designation is in place for their country. The status also allows individuals to […]

The Start Department has introduced a new visa bond program under a Temporary Final Rule. The rule will require some noncitizens applying under certain visa categories to provide a refundable bond. The goal of the bond program is to ensure compliance with the visa terms and departure from the United States at the end of […]

The Department of State recently announced stricter rules for visa interviews that will significantly impact both immigrant and nonimmigrant visa applications. Prior to this announcement, any U.S. consulate was able to issue visas to foreign nationals. With limited exception, this allowed foreign nationals seeking a visa to attend interviews at the consulate of their choice, […]

Starting October 28, 2025, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will no longer accept paper checks or money orders for filing fees, requiring applicants to use electronic payments. Applicants will be required to use new Form G-1650, Authorization for ACH Transactions, to pay directly from a U.S. bank account, or Form G-1450 for credit or […]

On September 19, 2025, an Executive Order was issued announcing The Gold Card program, which allows individuals to pay a $1,000,000 gift to the Department of Commerce to establish eligibility for an immigrant visa; alternatively, a corporate entity can contribute $2,000,000 on an individual’s behalf. This monetary gift would constitute evidence of eligibility under existing […]

A popular way many skilled professionals seek immigrant visas is through EB-2 National Interest Waivers. This pathway allows applicants to self-petition and bypass labor certification (PERM), which is time-consuming and outside of the control of the beneficiary. Since FY2018, applications surged nearly 500%; however, approval rates dropped to 43% in FY2024. Pending cases also rose […]

The employment-based fourth preference (EB-4) backlog which began in earnest more than two years ago when the State Department reinterpreted how nationals from certain countries are to be counted against annual numerical quota limitations, continues with an estimated 180,000 applicants waiting for just under 10,000 visas allocated annually.  Taken in its extreme, this means that […]

Employers are required to use the Form I-9 to verify the identity and employment authorization of individuals hired and employed in the United States. Employers must maintain a copy of a completed Form I-9 for each employee for three years after their hire date, or one year after their employment is terminated, whichever is later. […]