USCIS Announces FY 2027 H‑1B Cap Registration Period Opening March 4
US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced that the initial registration period for the FY 2027 H‑1B Cap will open on March 4, 2026, at 12:00 pm Eastern and will close on March 19, 2026, at 12:00 pm Eastern. Read more.
Texas Governor Orders Freeze on New H‑1B Petitions by State Agencies
On January 27, 2026, the Governor of Texas issued a directive requiring state agencies controlled by a gubernatorially appointed head and public institutions of higher education to freeze new H‑1B visa petitions until May 31, 2027, unless written approval is obtained from the Texas Workforce Commission. Read more.
Federal Court Postpones Termination of Burma (Myanmar) TPS Designation
On January 23, 2026, the US District Court for the Northern District of Illinois granted the plaintiffs’ motion to postpone the effective date of the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) termination of Burma’s (Myanmar) Temporary Protection Status (TPS) designation, scheduled to take effect on January 26, 2026. Read more.
Nebraska Court Rejects USCIS “Final Merits” Test for EB‑1A Petitions
The US District Court for the District of Nebraska issued a decision in Anahita Mukherji v. Loren K. Miller, et al. (4:24‑cv‑03170), concluding that the US Citizenship and Immigration Service’s (USCIS) two‑step adjudication process for EB‑1A petitions (particularly the “final merits determination”) was not validly created, did not follow required rulemaking procedures, and is arbitrary and capricious. Read more.
Ninth Circuit Rules DHS Unlawfully Ended TPS for Venezuela and Haiti
The Ninth Circuit held that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem exceeded her statutory authority under 8 USC § 1254a when she vacated and terminated Venezuela’s Temporary Protection Status (TPS) designation and partially vacated Haiti’s TPS designation. Read more.
