On October 8, 2025 Mali, Mauritania, Sao Tome and Principe, and Tanzania were added to the list of countries subject to the B1/B-2 visa bond program, with an October 23, 2025 effective date.

On October 9, 2025 E-Verify announced that it has resumed operations after a pause occasioned by the lapse in appropriations (government shut-down). The announcement instructs E-Verify employers how to create cases for employees hired while E-Verify was not available, deal with tentative nonconfirmations, E-Verify customer support, and other aspects.

"Effective October 10, 2025, U.S. Embassy Ouagadougou has temporarily paused all routine visa services. This pause includes applications for immigrant visas as well as nonimmigrant visas for tourists, business travelers, students, exchange visitors, and most other nonimmigrant categories. Visa applicants with scheduled appointments have been notified. We will update our website when appointment scheduling resumes and inform applicants whose appointments were rescheduled. Applications for A-1, A-2, G-1, G-2, G-4, C-2, and C-3 diplomatic and official visas will continue to be processed." The DOS news alert web alert contains an FAQ on the temporary pause.

The American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) is offering two comment resources for the proposed rule on weighted selection of H-1B cap-subject registrants and petitioners. One is a sign-on letter requesting an extension of the 30-day comment period (asking for a total of 60 days, i.e., an additional 30 days beyond the posted 30-day comment period). The other is a Take Action Comment Campaign on the AILA website in response to the proposed rule that provides a customizable template for individuals or institutions to personalize for their comment on the substantive proposal.

The consequences of Federal budget shutdowns vary depending on whether specific operations are fee-funded or rely on appropriations. While some essential services, such as USCIS adjudications, State Department consular operations, and ICE functions typically continue, other services, like the Department of Labor’s labor certifications or USCIS programs dependent on appropriations, may halt until funding is restored. The FY 2026 cycle brings added uncertainty, as agencies have been directed to prepare potential Reduction in Force (RIF) plans alongside their contingency strategies.

On September 26, 2025 DOS announced that The Gambia has been added to the list of countries covered by the B-1/B-2 visa bond pilot program, with an October 11, 2025 effective date. Recall that Malawi and Zambia were previously announced effective August 20, 2025.

Read NAFSA's comment letter on the DHS proposal to eliminate duration of status and impose constraints on academic mobility.

Senator Charles "Chuck" Grassley (R-Iowa) has been historically vocal on his opposition to F-1 Optional Practical Training (OPT). Most recently, on September 23, 2025 Senator Grassley sent a letter to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem, asking DHS for a "commitment to ending work authorizations for student visa holders," or, if not, "a detailed explanation of what legal authority DHS is relying on to issue these authorizations, and whether the Department has reevaluated that authority in light of the Supreme Court’s recent rulings on the major questions doctrine and administrative deference." Read NAFSA's page with links to Grassley's 2025, 2020, 2014, and 2012 letters on the topic.

On September 19, 2025, the Department of Labor announced Project Firewall, a new H-1B enforcement initiative. For the first time, the Secretary of Labor will directly certify certain investigations, signaling heightened oversight of employer compliance. The effort will use existing enforcement tools, including back-wage recovery, civil penalties, and possible debarment, and involve coordination with DOJ, EEOC, and USCIS. Universities and research institutions sponsoring H-1B faculty or staff should take note and review compliance practices.

On September 24, 2025 the Department of Homeland Security-US Citizenship and Immigration Services (DHS/USCIS) will publish a proposed rule titled Weighted Selection Process for Registrants and Petitioners Seeking to File Cap-Subject H-1B Petitions. The package proposes replacing the current random selection process for H-1B cap-subject registrations with "a weighted selection process that would generally favor the allocation of H-1B visas to higher skilled and higher paid aliens, while maintaining the opportunity for employers to secure H-1B workers at all wage levels." A public inspection version of the proposed rule was made available on September 23, 2025. There will be a 30-day comment period begining on September 24, 2025.