On December 2, 2025, United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) paused processing of several types of immigration applications, including asylum, green cards, and citizenship requests, for individuals from 19 countries previously restricted under the administration’s updated travel policies while USCIS conducts additional security reviews. The decision comes after an Afghan national, who had been granted humanitarian parole into the United States based on his work with CIA counterterrorism unit in Afghanistan after the fall of Kabul, and subsequently granted asylum in April 2025, under the Trump administration, was identified as the November 26th shooter in Washington, D.C., that killed one National Guard member and left another in critical condition.
Read moreWhen the H-1B Is Out of Reach: Hiring Skilled Workers Without the $100,000 Fee
Small businesses that rely on specialized talent have long turned to the H-1B visa as the primary route to hire foreign professionals. The new requirement that employers pay a $100,000 fee for many H-1B cases filed after September 21, 2025 has changed that calculation. For large corporations, this new cost may be absorbable but for startups, boutique firms, local clinics, research labs, engineering shops, technology innovators, and other small employers, the fee can make the H-1B category functionally unavailable. Many employers who would ordinarily pursue H-1B sponsorship are now searching for realistic alternatives. This shift does not eliminate the possibility of hiring foreign talent. It does require creative, early planning to determine whether another visa classification aligns with the company’s needs and the candidate’s background. The goal is to match the role, the qualifications, and the business structure to a category that supports employment without triggering the $100,000 H-1B entry fee.
Read moreThe Sense of Loss
Belonging Beyond Birthright
Fall Foliage
Hoping to enjoy the natural beauty of the season, we wandered through Central Park and caught the New York foliage at its peak. The vibrant tapestry of yellows, reds, and greens reminded us how important it is to appreciate each season’s character while it lasts. As we moved along the park’s iconic pathways, we found ourselves pausing often to hear the gentle rustle of leaves and watch the late-afternoon sun filter through the branches. Our walk carried us past the historic fields and trees scattered throughout the park, set against the striking contrast of the city’s modern skyline. Even in a place as energetic as New York, moments like these create a sense of calm that feels like a gift. This quiet glimpse of the season encouraged us to slow down, look closely, and savor the peaceful shift from fall into winter.
Diversity Visa Lottery 2027 Delay
If you follow the Diversity Visa Lottery as closely as we do, you may have noticed that there has been a delay in the Department of State’s announcement of registration dates for the Diversity Visa Lottery for Fiscal Year 2027 (“DV-2027”). However, DOS did share an announcement on November 5, 2025 that changes are coming to the 2027 DV lottery. One reassuring thing: if you’re eventually selected, nothing has changed about the application period. That window will still run from October 1, 2026, through September 30, 2027.
Read moreSpace and Time
The Chancery Rosewood
Standing in front of this familiar facade felt like stepping back into another chapter of my life. For years, to those of us involved with US visa applications, this was the spot for early mornings, visa interview nerves, clients clutching documents, and long lines curling around Grosvenor Square. This used to be the Embassy of the United States in London. Today it is a luxury hotel, the Chancery Rosewood, where guests stroll in for coffee and people chat along the in front of the iconic Eero Saarinen façade where anxious visa applicants once waited. The energy has shifted completely, yet that eagle still watches from above as if remembering every student, artist, entrepreneur, and family who stood under its gaze on their way to a new chapter in the United States.
Keeping Hope Alive
"First Sun" by Monira Al Qadiri
While still adjusting to the weekend’s time change and in search of as much sunlight as we can gather, we wandered through New York’s Central Park in search of “First Sun”, a stunning aluminum sculpture by Senegalese artist Monira Al Qadiri. Positioned at the park’s southeast corner, the piece greets visitors with a mesmerizing play of color and light.
“First Sun” reimagines Khepri, the ancient Egyptian god of the rising sun, denoted by the deity’s scarab face, cast in shimmering purples and blues that shift with the sunlight. The sculpture’s reflective surface and ever-changing hues engage the viewer in a dynamic dialogue with the piece and the natural world which surrounds it.
Al Qadiri’s choice of location is extremely intentional. The sculpture serves as a symbolic gateway to one of New York’s most beloved green spaces, encouraging visitors to reflect on the transition from the stylized cityscape to the wild of the park. “First Sun” invites us to pause, reconnect with nature, and appreciate the balance between humans and the humble creatures that share our world.