July Visa Bulletin Brings Pain for India, a Bright Spot for EB-3 The July Visa Bulletin landed with a thud for Indian nationals in the employment-based categories. EB-2 India is now unavailable. EB-1 India retrogressed by two months. EB-5 Unreserved for India also went unavailable. If you're an Indian national waiting on an employment-based green card, the line just got longer or disappeared entirely. On the flip side, China saw gains across EB-1, EB-3, and EB-5. And EB-3 was

Federal Judge Unblocks Thousands of Frozen Green Card and Asylum Cases A federal judge just handed the administration a major defeat, blocking USCIS policies that had effectively frozen the processing of green cards, asylum applications, work permits, and naturalization requests. The freeze had stalled cases filed by immigrants from 39 countries covered by the administration's travel restrictions. The court ruled that USCIS lacked the authority to impose such broad pauses and

What if you could feel what it’s like to go through the H-1B visa process, the uncertainty, the waiting, the life decisions put on hold without ever filing a single form? That’s the premise behind one of the most creative and unexpected immigration projects to emerge in years: a video game called H1B.Life. In this episode of the Immigration Nerds podcast, host Lauren Clark, Managing Attorney at Erickson Immigration Group, sits down with Allison Yang a journalist, passionate g

USCIS Tightens the Screws on Adjustment of Status A new USCIS policy memo is sending ripple effects through the immigration bar. The guidance reminds officers that adjustment of status, applying for a green card from within the U.S. is a discretionary benefit, not an entitlement, and directs them to more carefully weigh positive and negative factors before approving applications. Translation: more scrutiny, more Requests for Evidence, and longer wait times. The memo doesn't c

USCIS Cracks Down on Signatures, And There's No Fix If You Get It Wrong Starting July 10, USCIS will reject or deny any immigration application with a typed, stamped, forged, or digitally pasted signature. No corrections. No second chances. No refund on your filing fee. The interim final rule, published May 11, applies to all immigration benefit requests meaning every petition, every application, every form that crosses a USCIS desk. In a system where a single filing can cost

Atlas is heading to San Diego. Find us in the exhibit hall at AILAAC26, June 17–20. Whether you're a law firm streamlining your PERM advertising process or an employer navigating DOL compliance for the first time, we're there to talk through it. No fluff, no guesswork. We've built our entire business around one thing: getting PERM Labor Certification advertising right. Compliant. Cost-effective. Handled with care. Stop by, meet the team, and see why firms across the country t

Cloudera's PERM Program Slapped With a 180-Day Suspension This is the headline every employer sponsoring foreign workers should read twice. On May 12, the Department of Labor announced an enforcement action against AI company Cloudera, suspending all PERM application processing for the company for 180 days. The reason? Irregularities in the recruitment process. Making it worse, the Department of Justice has filed a parallel lawsuit alleging Cloudera violated the Immigration a

USCIS Hits Pause on Approvals While "Enhanced" Background Checks Ramp Up Starting April 27, USCIS officers have been told to hold off on approving immigration cases until expanded background checks clear. The new directive pulls in broader criminal history data from the FBI, covering green card and naturalization applications alike. If your fingerprints on file are older than a certain threshold, expect to resubmit them, adding yet another step to an already sluggish process.

In 2026, the U.S. naturalization (citizenship) test is undergoing its most significant overhaul in years. The changes are designed to modernize how civics knowledge is evaluated, expand language access, and update study materials to reflect how applicants learn today. Immigrants planning to apply for U.S. citizenship should understand how the test format is evolving, what subject areas may expand, and how to prepare effectively under the new framework. While some regulatory d

ICE Rewrites the Rulebook on I-9 Audits, And It's Going to Cost You ICE just made I-9 mistakes a lot more expensive. A new policy update reclassifies more paperwork errors as "substantive," which means they can trigger fines on the spot, no grace period, no second chance. Penalties range from $288 to $2,861 per form, and for employers with large workforces, that math gets ugly fast. You still get three business days to respond to a Notice of Inspection, but once the audit sta

What happens when a government’s own data tells it one thing, and its political reality demands the opposite? That’s the question at the heart of this episode of the Immigration Nerds podcast , and it’s one that every global employer, talent strategist, and immigration professional should be paying attention to. Host Lauren Clark, Managing Attorney at Erickson Immigration Group, sits down with Katie McDermott, Managing Director of EIG’s UK and Ireland offices, to unpack a c

Choosing the right recruitment advertising agency in the US is a strategic decision that can significantly impact your talent acquisition efforts. With a multitude of agencies available, it's essential to evaluate potential partners based on several key factors to ensure they align with your specific hiring needs and organizational goals. Here's a guide to help you select the best recruitment advertising agency: 1. Clearly Define Your Needs Before beginning your search, thoro

DOL Turns Up the Heat: H-1B Investigations Surge 48% If you thought compliance was already a headache, meet " Project Firewall ." The Department of Labor isn't just knocking on doors anymore ,they're kicking them open. Investigations into H-1B employers have jumped 48% under the initiative, fueled by AI-powered auditing tools, interagency data-sharing, and a surge in government-initiated cases. Site visits are becoming more frequent and information requests broader. Attorneys

DOL Drops a Bombshell: H-1B Wages Could Jump 30%+ The Department of Labor just proposed a major overhaul to how wages are calculated for H-1B and other employment-based visas, and the numbers are significant. Entry-level wages would leap from the 17th to the 34th percentile of local wage data, a jump of more than 30%. The rule also covers H-1B1, E-3, and yes, PERM cases. It would apply only to new filings, and employers have about 60 days to submit public comments before anyt

The U.S. Department of State has released the April 2026 Visa Bulletin If you're tracking your place in line for an immigrant visa, this month brings meaningful forward movement in several family-based categories and some incremental progress on the employment-based side. Here's a plain-language breakdown of what changed, what didn't, and what it means for you. Filing Chart Update For April 2026, USCIS has confirmed that applicants already in the U.S. should use the "Dates fo

Green Cards on the Move: April Visa Bulletin Drops Some Good News The State Department released the April Visa Bulletin , and family-based categories are having a moment. F-1 jumped forward roughly six months across most countries, F-2B and F-3 posted steady gains, and F-2A is back to "current" worldwide. On the employment-based side, the picture is more of a mixed bag EB-1 and EB-2 saw limited movement, EB-2 India inched forward slightly, and EB-3 advanced to "current" for m

Planning a PERM labor market testing ad campaign involves conducting good-faith recruitment to prove no qualified, willing, and available U.S. workers exist for the permanent, full-time position, as required by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) for EB-2 and EB-3 green cards. This "test" must occur 30-180 days before filing the PERM application (Form ETA-9089) and includes mandatory steps plus additional recruitment for professional roles. Step 1: Preparation Before Recruitm

In this compelling episode of the Immigration Nerds podcast , host Lauren Clark , Managing Attorney at Erickson Immigration Group, sits down with Shev Dalal-Dheini , Senior Director of Government Relations at the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), to unpack a landmark initiative: AILA’s “A Better Way on Immigration” policy brief series. One year into the current administration’s immigration agenda, this episode delivers a data-driven, clear-eyed assessment of wh

U.S. Immigration News Middle East Tensions Throw Visa Processing Into Chaos Escalating military tensions involving the U.S., Israel, and Iran are disrupting visa services across parts of the Middle East. Several U.S. embassies have canceled routine appointments, airspace closures are grounding flights, and some diplomatic personnel have been directed to shelter in place. The State Department is advising Americans in multiple countries to depart on commercial flights while the

U.S. Immigration News March Visa Bulletin Brings Movement in Employment Categories The State Department released the March 2026 Visa Bulletin with some welcome news for employment-based applicants. EB-4 advanced nearly two years worldwide, EB-2 India moved forward 11 months, and EB-2 became "Current" for most countries outside China and India. Family-based categories saw more modest gains, with limited movement in F-2A and a four-month advance for the Philippines in F-3. The