Adviser's Manual 360

The International Student Resource Center (ISRC) is partnering with Interstride to offer an outreach webinar for international students interested in learning more about the revised H-1B work visa processes being implemented this spring: *F-1 Student to H-1B Worker: Process and Planning in Turbulent Times*, on February 12, 2026 at 1:00 PM ET.. A panel will include experienced immigration attorneys and international education professionals who will walk through the pathway from F-1 to H-1B status and discuss how recent immigration policy and regulatory changes are reshaping that process. Students and other interested individuals can register now.  

On January 30, 2026, USCIS announced that the initial registration period for the fiscal year (FY) 2027 H-1B cap will open at noon Eastern on March 4 and run through noon Eastern on March 19, 2026. Institutions of higher education are exempt from the cap as employer-petitioners.

As the Spring 2026 academic term begins, the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) has published a Program End Date Checklist on Study in the States to encourage designated school officials (DSOs) to proactively identify students who may be approaching their program end date (PED) and determine whether a shortening or extension is needed based on academic progress and program requirements.

A number of recent measures that curtail the use of the H-1B category can impact higher education in different ways, including: the $100,000 fee for new petitions; the weighted H-1B cap selection rule; compliance and enforcement; and State-level initiatives. Visit NAFSA's page on these measures.

A pair of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Policy Memoranda describe a hold that USCIS has placed a hold on adjudication of pending benefit requests submitted by applicants whose citizenship or country of birth are from the countries identified in two travel-ban proclamations: Presidential Proclamation 10949 of June 4, 2025 and Presidential Proclamation 10988 of December 16, 2025. The broad wording of the memos affects both immigrant and nonimmigrant benefits applications. There is no exception for immigration benefits commonly used in higher education, such as a nonimmigrant F-1 student's Form I-765 filed for Optional Practical Training, a Form I-539 filed to change nonimmigrant status, a Form I-129 filed by an H-1B petitioner requesting extension of an H-1B employee's stay, etc. IMMpact Litigation is planning to file a lawsuit to challenge "the June and December 2025 Travel bans as well as DHS (USCIS) and DOS implementation of the ban on entry, visa issuance and immigration applications announced in the policy alert on November 27, 2025 and the policy memo on December 2, 2025."

In a January 14, 2026 news posting, the U.S. Department of State (DOS) announced that it will pause the issuance of immigrant visas at U.S. consulates worldwide starting January 21, 2026 for nationals of 75 countries that DOS deems are "at high risk of public benefits usage." During the pause, DOS will "a full review of all policies, regulations, and guidance to ensure that immigrants from these high-risk countries do not utilize welfare in the United States or become a public charge." The pause impacts only immigrant visa issuance at U.S. consulates abroad, and does not affect nonimmigrant visas such as B tourist visas, F student visas, J exchange visitor visas, H-1B work visas, etc.

A final rule scheduled for publication on January 12, 2026 will raise USCIS premium processing fees effective March 1, 2026. The preamble to the final rule summarizes the changes: "premium processing fees that were $1,685, increase to $1,780; the premium processing fees that were $1,965, increase to $2,075; and the premium processing fees that were $2,805, increase to $2,965."

The current paper edition of Form I-765 is dated 08/21/25. The USCIS I-765 page's Edition Date note states: "08/21/25. Starting March 5, 2026, we will accept only the 08/21/25 edition. Until then, you can also use the 01/20/25 edition. You can find the edition date at the bottom of the page on the form and instructions. Dates are listed in mm/dd/yy format. If you complete and print this form to mail it, make sure that the form edition date and page numbers are visible at the bottom of all pages and that all pages are from the same form edition. If any of the form’s pages are missing or are from a different form edition, we may reject your form." Note that the current (08/21/25) edition of the form has eliminated the optional Social Security Number request that appeared on prior editions of the form.

On December 29, 2025 the Department of Homeland Security-US Citizenship and Immigration Services (DHS/USCIS) published its final rule titled Weighted Selection Process for Registrants and Petitioners Seeking to File Cap-Subject H-1B Petitions. The final rule will be effective on February 27, 2026, 60 days after its Federal Register publication date.

On December 22, 2025 NAFSA submitted a comment letter urging USCIS to exclude from its expanded biometrics collection proposal "F-1 or M-1 school designated school officials, J-1 responsible officers and alternate responsible officers, staff who complete Form I-9, or staff involved in the preparation, filing, or signing of employment-based petitions such as Forms I-129 and I-140."