Green Card

USCIS empowers officers to deny incomplete immigration benefit requests

The USCIS has restored officers' discretion to deny immigration benefit requests if applicants submit incomplete applications or fail to provide the required documents to establish eligibility. The earlier policy gave applicants a 12-week period to respond to requests for further evidence made by immigration officers on applications for change or extension of immigration status, green cards, visa or naturalisation. It also added an additional 14 days to the response deadline when a Request for Evidence (RFE) or a Notice of Intent to Deny (NOID) was mailed outside the United States. "The burden is on the requestor to establish that he or she is eligible for the requested benefit at the time of filing the benefit request and that he or she continues to be eligible through adjudication," the USCIS said in a statement here on Wednesday. It said if a benefit requestor fails to demonstrate eligibility for a benefit or fails to provide all required initial evidence when filing an ...

US Senator Alex Padilla renews push for green card bill for H-1B holders

A Democratic Senator has made a fresh bid to push a bill to provide a pathway to lawful permanent residency for millions of long-term US residents, including H-1B visa holders. California Senator Alex Padilla on Monday reiterated support for his 'Renewing Immigration Provisions of the Immigration Act of 1929' bill, first introduced last year. The bill seeks to provide a "commonsense" fix to US' "outdated" immigration system to counter President Donald Trump's "systemic attacks" on migrants across the country. The legislation also seeks to allow long-term US residents to apply for permanent residency if they have lived in the country continuously for at least seven years before filing the application. "A year ago, I introduced this bill to push back against the Trump administration's cruel treatment of hardworking immigrants," Padilla said. "Since then, President Trump's campaign of fear has only escalated, with families living under constant uncertainty despite having built their

US to restore stricter public charge test for green cards: Key changes

What is the US public charge rule? New immigration policy explained

US citizenship is getting pricier. Here's how Indian families can prepare

USCIS is largely fee-funded, and periodic increases have become part of the agency's effort to recover operational costs.

Green card holders will face greater scrutiny at US borders after SC ruling

The decision comes as the high court considers a series of immigration-related issues against the backdrop of President Donald Trump's sweeping immigration crackdown

The American dream just got pricier: US proposes 75% citizenship fee hike

DHS proposes 75% jump in naturalisation fee to $1,330, elimination of fee waivers; immigration lawyers warn of impact on lower-income applicants

No automatic return to India: US clarifies controversial Green Card memo

What the latest US Green Card clarification means for Indian professionals

US has run out of EB-2 Green Cards for Indians this year. What happens now?

The EB-2 India immigrant visa category is immediately unavailable and will remain so through the remainder of fiscal year 2026, which ends September 30, 2026.

US wants Green Card applicants to leave America and apply from home country

The details of how the new system will play out remained unclear, but requiring people to travel abroad to a US consulate could leave many stranded for weeks, months or even years

US lawmakers, activists slam new green card policy, seek reversal

US lawmakers and immigration advocates have criticised sharply as "reckless and wrong," the Trump administration's new policy that requires green card seekers to make their applications from their home country. Democratic lawmakers said they will pursue every avenue to fight against the "reprehensible" decision of the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and push for its reversal. The USCIS did not spell out which groups would be exempted, only suggesting that the policy may not apply to persons seeking asylum. In a statement late on Friday, USCIS spokesperson Zach Kahler said that people who "provide an economic benefit or otherwise are in the national interest will likely be able to continue on their current path." It was not immediately clear whether these exceptions would extend to skilled foreign workers on H-1B visas. "This puts 1.2 million Indian Americans and their families in limbo after they followed every law, paid taxes and waited legally for decades," Ajay

US softens 'leave country' rule for getting Green Card with some exceptions

USCIS says applicants offering 'economic benefit' or serving 'national interest' may qualify for exemptions under stricter overseas Green Card processing policy

Trump admin ends rule allowing migrants to stay during green card wait

Migrants to the US seeking permanent residency or a green card will have to return to their home country to file their applications, the US Citizenship and Immigration Service said on Friday. "From now on, an alien who is in the US temporarily and wants a Green Card must return to their home country to apply, except in extraordinary circumstances," USCIS spokesman Zach Kahler said in a statement here. He said the US was returning to the original intent of the law to ensure aliens navigate its immigration system properly. "This policy allows our immigration system to function as the law intended instead of incentivising loopholes. When aliens apply from their home country, it reduces the need to find and remove those who decide to slip into the shadows and remain in the US illegally after being denied residency," Kahler said. The USCIS announced a new policy memo reiterating the fact that, consistent with long-standing immigration law and immigration court decisions, aliens seeking

No visa lottery, tougher Green Card rules: What is Americans First Act

New proposal seeks to cut family visas, end diversity lottery, and prioritise skilled workers under US immigration system overhaul

Green card overhaul? New US Bill seeks to scrap lottery, tighten visas

A new US Bill proposes scrapping the diversity lottery, tightening visa routes and shifting to a merit-based system. Here's what it could change

Trump $1 mn gold card visa sees just one approval, hundreds still in queue

Trump's $1 million gold card visa has cleared just one applicant so far, even as officials say hundreds remain in the pipeline

Green card holders beware: USCIS to recheck old approvals, expand probes

USCIS warns Green Card holders of stricter checks, says old cases will be re-vetted and public tip lines opened with ICE, CBP support

Marriage green card scrutiny rises in US: Rules, proof, red flags explained

Scrutiny on marriage-based green cards in the US is rising. Here's what applicants need to know about proof, interviews, red flags, and penalties

US revokes green cards of Iranian-linked residents amid tensions

The Trump administration has revoked the green cards of more long-term Iranian residents of the United States who are related to current or former senior Iranian officials. The State Department said Saturday it had taken action against Seyed Eissa Hashemi, a Los Angeles-area psychology teacher, his wife and son, all of whom were Iranian born lawful permanent residents of the US. The department said in a statement released as talks to end the war with Iran were getting underway in Pakistan that they had been taken into custody by immigration authorities and are slated for deportation. Hashemi, it said, is the son of Masoumeh Ebtekar who served as a spokeswoman for the attackers who took over the US Embassy in Tehran in 1979 and was later promoted to be Iran's first female vice president. Just last week, the State Department revoked the green cards of the niece and grand-niece of former Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps chief Qasem Soleimani, who was killed in a US airstrike in Baghd

Ten Indian nationals in US indicted for staging robberies to secure visas

Ten Indian nationals, living illegally in the US, have been indicted by a federal grand jury in Boston for conspiring to carry out staged armed robberies at convenience stores for the purpose of visa fraud. The individuals were previously charged by a criminal complaint in March. They have been indicted by a federal grand jury with one count of conspiracy to commit visa fraud in connection with a conspiracy to carry out staged armed robberies at convenience stores for the purpose of allowing store clerks to falsely claim they were crime victims on immigration applications. The defendants are Jitendrakumar Patel, 39; Maheshkumar Patel, 36; Sanjaykumar Patel, 45; Dipikaben Patel, 40, deported to India after unlawfully residing in Massachusetts; Rameshbhai Patel, 52; Amitabahen Patel, 43; Ronakkumar Patel, 28; Sangitaben Patel, 36; Minkesh Patel, 42 and Sonal Patel, 42. All 10 defendants were previously charged by criminal complaint and released on conditions. Rameshbhai Patel and ...

US green card revocation rules: What happens and who can be targeted

As the US targets Iranian elites, here's what the law says about revoking green cards, rights of holders, and grounds for cancellation