Visa Consultation by Former Diplomats, Tucson, AZ (2026)

10/22/2026

IMMIGRATION UPDATE — October 22, 2026

There is still no November 2026 Visa Bulletin.

We checked the State Department's Visa Bulletin page directly today. October 2026 is still listed as the current bulletin, and the upcoming bulletin shows only as "Coming Soon." The Department has given no explanation and no expected release date.

What that means for you:

• If your adjustment of status filing or your immigrant visa interview depends on a November cut-off date, there is nothing official to plan against yet — in any preference category, for any country.

• Through October 31, the October bulletin still controls. If you are eligible to file under the October charts, nothing about this changes that.

• For adjustment of status, whether you may use the Dates for Filing chart is a separate USCIS determination, published on the USCIS website rather than in the bulletin itself.

• The November dates circulating on "visa bulletin prediction" sites are forecasts, not Department of State data.

• When the November bulletin does post, compare it to October before you commit to a filing date. Dates can move backward as well as forward.

Full update, with direct links to both official pages:
https://www.visaexpertdiplomats.com/post/immigration-update-no-november-2026-visa-bulletin-has-been-published-the-october-bulletin-still-g

Need help understanding how a U.S. visa change may affect your case? Our former U.S. diplomats provide professional visa consultations. Learn more at visaexpertdiplomats.com

Checked October 22, 2026: the State Department's Visa Bulletin page still lists October 2026 as the current bulletin and shows the upcoming bulletin only as "Coming Soon." No November 2026 Visa Bulletin is posted, so no November cut-off dates exist to plan a filing or an interview against.

10/21/2026

Your green card interview notice has arrived. What happens next?

The USCIS adjustment of status interview is not a conversation for its own sake. The officer is resolving a short list of legal questions: Are you eligible? Are you admissible? And in family cases, is the relationship real?

Our former U.S. consular officers have conducted more than 100,000 visa interviews between them. In this checklist we walk through what the officer is actually deciding, which documents to bring, who needs to attend, and how to prepare your answers so they hold together.

Read the full checklist here: https://www.visaexpertdiplomats.com/post/green-card-interview-adjustment-of-status-preparation-checklist

Need help understanding how a U.S. visa change may affect your case? Our former U.S. diplomats provide professional visa consultations. Learn more at visaexpertdiplomats.com

Former U.S. consular officers walk through what the USCIS adjustment of status interview decides, the documents to bring, and how to prepare your answers.

10/20/2026

IMMIGRATION UPDATE — October 19, 2026

DV-2027 registration is still not open, and the State Department has published no entry dates.

We checked the official sources today. The Electronic Diversity Visa system says "Entries are not being accepted at this time," and references only DV-2026 and DV-2025. The Department's DV-2027 entry-period page — last updated November 5, 2025 — says only that it will announce the registration start date "as soon as practicable." No Diversity Visa notice appeared in the October 16 or October 19 Federal Register.

Three things to hold onto while you wait:

1) Nothing you submit today can count. The system is not accepting entries.

2) Entering the DV lottery is FREE, and dvprogram.state.gov is the only official entry site. Any website charging a fee to "submit your DV-2027 entry," or claiming entries are open right now, is not the U.S. government.

3) Opening dates circulating online are not official. Until the Department posts a date on its own pages, there is no date.

One date that IS published: if you are selected for DV-2027, your visa application period is unchanged — October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027.

Use the wait to get ready: a valid passport, a photo that meets the DV specifications exactly, and proof you meet the education or work-experience requirement. Entry windows are short.

Full breakdown, with direct links to every official source we checked: https://www.visaexpertdiplomats.com/post/immigration-update-dv-2027-registration-is-not-open-and-no-official-entry-dates-have-been-publishe

Need help understanding how a U.S. visa change may affect your case? Our former U.S. diplomats provide professional visa consultations. Learn more at visaexpertdiplomats.com

Checked October 19, 2026: the State Department's Electronic Diversity Visa site still says "Entries are not being accepted at this time," and the Department's DV-2027 entry-period page — last updated November 5, 2025 — says only that a start date will be announced "as soon as practicable." No DV...

10/14/2026

IMMIGRATION UPDATE - October 14, 2026

USCIS published a proposed rule this morning that would end deference to prior approvals when it adjudicates an extension on Form I-129.

Right now, 8 CFR 214.1(c)(5) tells officers to defer to an earlier approval when the parties and the facts are the same. The proposal would remove it. If that happens, every extension - E-1, E-2, E-3, H-1B, L-1, O, P, Q, R, TN - is adjudicated fresh, and the burden of proof starts over.

THIS IS A PROPOSAL. Nothing changes today. Your pending or upcoming extension is governed by the rule as it stands. Comments are open until November 13, 2026. It is 91 FR 65119 (RIN 1615-AD26).

What it means in practice if it is finalized: a renewal package has to stand on its own. Full evidence of the position, the terms and continued eligibility - not a filing that leans on the earlier approval.

SEPARATELY, AND IN FORCE TODAY: USCIS also published an interim final rule cutting the time to respond to a Notice of Intent to Terminate refugee status from 30 days to 10 (13 if mailed). That one is effective October 14, 2026 - 91 FR 65077. If you or a family member hold refugee status and have not yet adjusted, a notice from USCIS has to be acted on the day it arrives.

One is open for comment and changes nothing yet. The other is already law. We wrote up both, with the exact citations and direct links to the Federal Register:
https://www.visaexpertdiplomats.com/post/immigration-update-uscis-proposes-to-end-deference-to-prior-approvals-on-extension-petitions-comm

Need help understanding how a U.S. visa change may affect your case? Our former U.S. diplomats provide professional visa consultations. Learn more at visaexpertdiplomats.com

USCIS published a proposed rule on October 14, 2026 that would remove the regulation requiring officers to defer to a prior approval when adjudicating a Form I-129 extension. Nothing changes today; comments close November 13, 2026. A second rule, effective today, cuts the refugee termination-notice....

10/08/2026

IMMIGRATION UPDATE - October 8, 2026

DHS published a proposed rule today setting new fees for Optional Practical Training: $70,000 for initial OPT, and $30,000 for any subsequent OPT, including a STEM OPT extension. It is 91 FR 64566, published October 8 and filed for public inspection October 7.

Before the headlines get ahead of the document, three things the rule actually says:

1. The SEVP-certified SCHOOL pays the fee, not the student. It must be paid before the Designated School Official enters the OPT recommendation in SEVIS. Schools may choose to pass the cost on, but the rule does not put it on the student.

2. It is a PROPOSAL, not law. No fee is payable today. No pending case is affected. If a final rule is ever issued, it would take effect 60 days after that final rule publishes.

3. If you are already on OPT, or you already hold a DSO recommendation, you are not reached. The fee would apply to recommendations dated on or after a future effective date.

Comments close November 9, 2026. A separate Paperwork Reduction Act comment period runs to December 7 - the two are not interchangeable.

Our full breakdown, with the exact amounts, the transition language and direct links to the Federal Register document: https://www.visaexpertdiplomats.com/post/immigration-update-dhs-proposes-70-000-and-30-000-opt-fees-the-school-pays-and-nothing-changes

Need help understanding how a U.S. visa change may affect your case? Our former U.S. diplomats provide professional visa consultations. Learn more at visaexpertdiplomats.com

DHS published a proposed rule on October 8, 2026 setting fees of $70,000 for initial OPT and $30,000 for any subsequent OPT, including STEM OPT. The SEVP-certified school pays, not the student. It is a proposal: no fee is payable today, and students already on OPT or already holding a DSO recommenda...

10/02/2026

IMMIGRATION UPDATE - October 2, 2026

You may have seen reports that a federal judge blocked the $100,000 H-1B fee. Here is the careful version.

WHAT IS CONFIRMED: The case is real and pending - Global Nurse Force v. Trump, No. 4:25-cv-08454, in the Northern District of California, filed November 25, 2025 as an Administrative Procedure Act challenge. We verified that through the government's official federal courts collection.

WHAT IS NOT CONFIRMED: The order itself. We could not open it on any official source. Published accounts disagree on the date (September 30 or October 1), on whether the relief reaches only the named plaintiffs or the fee policies generally, and on whether a stay or appeal is in place.

WHY THAT MATTERS: Those are very different outcomes for an employer who is not a party to the case.

WHAT TO DO RIGHT NOW: Do not change a filing plan on the strength of news reports. If your petition would otherwise carry the $100,000 payment, treat that obligation as live until the order is confirmed and its scope is known.

Not reported as affected: petitions for beneficiaries already in the U.S., extensions and amendments, cap registration and its fees, and the ordinary USCIS H-1B filing fee schedule.

Full breakdown of what is confirmed and what is not:
https://www.visaexpertdiplomats.com/post/immigration-update-court-reported-to-have-blocked-the-100-000-h-1b-fee-what-is-confirmed-and-wh

Need help understanding how a U.S. visa change may affect your case? Our former U.S. diplomats provide professional visa consultations. Learn more at visaexpertdiplomats.com

Law firms and news outlets reported on October 1, 2026 that a federal judge barred implementation of the $100,000 H-1B fee in Global Nurse Force v. Trump (N.D. Cal.). The case is confirmed pending, but the order itself is not confirmed — and accounts conflict on its date and scope. Employers shoul...

10/01/2026

IMMIGRATION UPDATE - October 1, 2026

DHS published three Federal Register notices today raising the H.R. 1 immigration fees by 3.36% for fiscal year 2027. The new amounts take effect October 16, 2026 - fifteen days from now.

What is going up:
- Form I-589, annual pending asylum fee: $102 to $105
- Form I-765, initial EAD (asylum applicant): $560 to $570
- Form I-821, TPS: $510 to $520
- Form I-131, immigration parole: $1,020 to $1,050
- ESTA (Visa Waiver travelers): $40.27 to $40.62
- EVUS (Chinese nationals): $30.75 to $31.75

The amounts are small. The deadline is the part that matters. The USCIS notice says plainly that any request postmarked on or after October 16 without the proper filing fee will be rejected. If your package goes out in the third week of October with a check written for the old amount, it comes back - and you lose the filing date.

If you have an asylum, TPS, parole or EAD filing nearly ready, the postmark date is the thing to look at this week.

ESTA and EVUS need no action. Those fees are charged automatically when you apply; just expect the new amount.

Full breakdown, with direct links to all three Federal Register notices: https://www.visaexpertdiplomats.com/post/immigration-update-dhs-raises-h-r-1-immigration-fees-3-36-for-fy-2027-new-amounts-apply-to-fili

Need help understanding how a U.S. visa change may affect your case? Our former U.S. diplomats provide professional visa consultations. Learn more at visaexpertdiplomats.com

Three Federal Register notices published October 1, 2026 raise the H.R. 1 immigration fees by 3.36% for fiscal year 2027, effective October 16. Asylum, TPS, parole and EAD filings, plus ESTA and EVUS, are affected. The postmark date controls.

09/30/2026

IMMIGRATION UPDATE — September 30, 2026

Two things published today that change what people should be doing this week.

1) USCIS published a final rule raising EB-5 filing fees, effective November 30, 2026. Form I-526 goes from $3,675 to $7,615. The regional center designation fee on Form I-956 goes from $17,795 to $44,115. Two new forms are created, including a $2,165 registration for promoters. The fee is keyed to the POSTMARK date, so anything postmarked before November 30 locks in today's fee. A few filings actually get cheaper.

2) The October 2026 Visa Bulletin is out, and it governs from October 1. EB-2 for all chargeability areas retrogresses from Current to January 1, 2025. EB-3 worldwide moves back to May 15, 2024. On the other side, EB-2 India and EB-5 Unreserved India come off Unavailable for the first time since the fiscal-year numbers ran out, and EB-1 India advances.

If your EB-2 or EB-3 priority date was current in September, it may not be in October. Whether you can still file an adjustment application using the Dates for Filing chart is a separate determination USCIS publishes on its own page — check it before you rely on a filing date.

Full breakdown, with the fee table and both charts, here:
https://www.visaexpertdiplomats.com/post/immigration-update-eb-5-filing-fees-more-than-double-on-november-30-october-2026-visa-bulletin-ret

Need help understanding how a U.S. visa change may affect your case? Our former U.S. diplomats provide professional visa consultations. Learn more at visaexpertdiplomats.com

USCIS published a final rule today raising EB-5 filing fees effective November 30, 2026, keyed to postmark date, and the State Department published the October 2026 Visa Bulletin, which retrogresses worldwide EB-2 and EB-3 while reopening EB-2 and EB-5 for India.

09/28/2026

IMMIGRATION UPDATE — September 28, 2026

The October 2026 Visa Bulletin has still not been published. Checked today: the State Department's Visa Bulletin page lists September 2026 as the current bulletin, and the upcoming bulletin shows only "Coming Soon."

Fiscal year 2027 begins Thursday, October 1. Until the October bulletin posts, the September 2026 bulletin — published August 10, 2026 — is the one in force, and it runs out on September 30.

Three things that bulletin says, in its own words:

• DV-2026: "DV visas may not be issued to DV-2026 applicants after" September 30, 2026. That deadline is statutory and does not move.

• EB-1 India: high demand "may necessitate making the category unavailable in the coming weeks."

• EB-2 and EB-5 unreserved: demand may make it necessary "to retrogress the final action date or make the category unavailable before the end of the fiscal year."

And there are no October dates yet. If you are timing an I-485 filing or a consular immigrant visa interview across the fiscal-year turn, there is nothing official to plan against right now. Numbers circulating as "October predictions" are not from the Department of State.

Full update, with direct links to both State Department pages:
https://www.visaexpertdiplomats.com/post/immigration-update-october-2026-visa-bulletin-still-not-published-three-days-before-fiscal-year-20

Need help understanding how a U.S. visa change may affect your case? Our former U.S. diplomats provide professional visa consultations. Learn more at visaexpertdiplomats.com

Checked September 28, 2026: the State Department's Visa Bulletin page still lists September 2026 as current and shows the next bulletin only as "Coming Soon." The September bulletin governs through September 30 — including the DV-2026 cutoff and the EB-1 India, EB-2 and EB-5 unreserved warnings.

09/21/2026

IMMIGRATION UPDATE — September 21, 2026

Two presidential actions signed on Friday, September 18, and one State Department announcement the same day. One is already in force.

1) H-1B ENTRY PAYMENT — IN FORCE AS OF TODAY
A Proclamation signed September 18, 2026 restricts the entry of H-1B specialty occupation workers "except for those aliens whose petitions are accompanied or supplemented by a payment of $100,000." It took effect at 12:01 a.m. EDT on September 21, 2026 and expires, absent extension, 12 months later. By its terms it reaches people who are outside the United States and must seek admission. The Secretary of Homeland Security may exempt an individual, a company's workers, or an industry in the national interest.

2) H-1B EMPLOYER SCRUTINY
A companion Executive Order directs State, Labor and Homeland Security to weigh whether a sponsoring employer has had layoffs in the past year or plans them, and gives the Labor Department's Wage and Hour Division 30 days — on or about October 18, 2026 — to begin reviewing previously submitted labor condition applications.

3) SOCIAL MEDIA REVIEW EXPANDS OCTOBER 1
The State Department announced on September 18 that, effective October 1, 2026, I (foreign media), TN (USMCA professionals) and TD (dependents) applicants are added to online presence review, and are instructed to set all social media profiles to "public" or "open."

ONE CAUTION: the proclamation sets the payment condition but does not, on its face, say where or how a payment is made. Implementing guidance from USCIS and the State Department could not be confirmed as of this writing. Check the agencies' own pages, and take advice on your own case, before anyone pays anything or concludes nothing is owed.

Full update, with the official sources: https://www.visaexpertdiplomats.com/post/immigration-update-100-000-h-1b-entry-payment-takes-effect-today-social-media-review-expands-to-t

Need help understanding how a U.S. visa change may affect your case? Our former U.S. diplomats provide professional visa consultations. Learn more at visaexpertdiplomats.com

A proclamation signed September 18, 2026 conditions H-1B entry on a $100,000 payment as of 12:01 a.m. EDT September 21. A companion Executive Order puts employer layoffs and past labor condition applications under review, and State adds I, TN and TD applicants to social media vetting on October 1.

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