Home > Magazine > Immigration > Immigration News Briefs

Immigration News Briefs

Provided by Humera Subhani

March 2025

H-1B Cap initial registration opens soon

USCIS announced that the initial registration period for the fiscal year 2026 H-1B cap will open at noon Eastern on March 7 and run through noon Eastern on March 24, 2025. During this period, prospective petitioners and representatives must use a USCIS online account to register each beneficiary electronically for the selection process and pay the associated registration fee for each beneficiary.

Prospective H-1B cap-subject petitioners or their representatives are required to use a USCIS online account to register each beneficiary electronically for the selection process and pay the associated $215 H-1B registration fee for each registration submitted on behalf of each beneficiary.

The FY 2026 H-1B cap will use the beneficiarycentric selection process launched in FY 2025. Under the beneficiary-centric process, registrations are selected by unique beneficiary rather than by registration. If USCIS receives registrations for enough unique beneficiaries by March 24, it will randomly select unique beneficiaries and send selection notifications via users’ USCIS online accounts. If not all registrations for unique beneficiaries that were properly submitted in the initial registration period will be selected. USCIS intends to notify by March 31 prospective petitioners and representatives whose accounts have at least one registration selected.

Selected applicants will have 90 days to submit completed H1B petitions after this registration period ends.

Laken Riley Act makes detention mandatory

Trump signed the first new bill of his administration on January 29. The Laken Riley Act amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to require the mandatory detention of undocumented immigrants who have been charged with theft in the United States, even without a conviction.
The Act:

Defines "theft" to include burglary, larceny, and shoplifting and requires the Secretary to issue a detainer for any alien who is charged with, arrested for, convicted of, or admits to committing such an offense.
Grants state attorneys general the right to sue the Secretary of Homeland Security or the Attorney General to enforce the Act's provisions and other grounds.
Prohibits the Secretary of State from granting visas to citizens of countries that refuse to accept the return of their nationals who have been deported from the United States.

Some Democrats have raised concerns that the bill will strip due process rights for migrants, including minors or recipients of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. Also, funding may be an issue. Democrats on the Appropriations Committee estimate the bill will cost $83 billion over the next three years, according to a memo obtained by The Associated Press.

Covid-19 vaccination no longer required

Effective Jan. 22, 2025, USCIS is waiving any and all requirements that applicants for adjustment of status to that of a lawful permanent resident present documentation on their Form I-693, Report of Immigration Medical Examination and Vaccination Record, that they received the Covid-19 vaccination. USCIS will not issue any Request for Evidence or Notice of Intent to Deny related to proving a Covid-19 vaccination. USCIS will not deny any adjustment of status application based on the applicant’s failure to present documentation that they received the Covid-19 vaccination.

APPLICATION FINAL ACTION DATES FOR MARCH 2025

FAMILY	India	Pakistan/Bangladesh
1st	22Nov15	22Nov15
2A	01Jan22	01Jan22
2B	22May16	22May16
3rd	01Jul10	**01Jul10**
4th	08Apr06	01Aug07

EMPLOYMENT	India	Pakistan/Bangladesh
1st	01Feb22	Current
2nd	01Dec12	15May23
3rd	01Feb13	**01Dec22**
Other	01Feb13	01Feb21
4th	01Aug19	01Aug19
5th	01Jan22	Current1B

DATES FOR FILING VISA APPLICATIONS - MARCH 2025

FAMILY	India	Pakistan/Bangladesh
1st	01Sep17	01Sep17
2A	15Jul24	15Jul24
2B	01Jan17	01Jan17
3rd	22Jul12	22Jul12
4th	15Aug06	01Mar08

EMPLOYMENT	India	Pakistan/Bangladesh
1st	15Apr22	Current
2nd	01Jan13	01Aug23
3rd	08Jun13	01Mar23
Other	08Jun13	22May21
4th	01Feb21	01Feb21
5th	01Apr22	Current1B