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Form I-130 FY 2025 Update: Approvals Up 10.5% But Experience Varies Widely

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Form I-130 FY 2025 Update: Approvals Up 10.5% But Experience Varies Widely The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) processed over a million Form I-130 family petitions in Fiscal Year (FY) 2025, bringing the total number of petitions received to 1,002,586 . At first glance, the data presents an encouraging picture: overall approvals rose by 10.5% compared to FY 2024, jumping from 711,767 to 786,347. Consequently, the overall approval rate increased slightly from 87.2% to 88.6% . Photo by Gustavo Fring However, beneath these top-level statistics lies a starkly divided immigration landscape. For the first time, USCIS has separated its data reporting into two tracks: immediate relatives of U.S. citizens and preference-category relatives . The data reveals that while immediate relatives are navigating a faster, more successful system, preference categories are facing tougher odds, higher denial rates, and staggering backlogs. Coupled with a recent 2025 fee inc...
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New H-1B Form I-129 Takes Effect April 1, 2026 with Wage-Based Lottery Weighting

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Navigating the 2026 H-1B Landscape: The Updated Form I-129 and Wage-Weighted Lottery The H-1B visa program is undergoing a massive transformation for the Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 cap season. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is replacing the traditional random lottery with a new wage-weighted selection process that takes effect on February 27, 2026. Concurrently, a heavily revised Form I-129 becomes mandatory for all petitions postmarked on or after April 1, 2026. For HR teams, mobility professionals, and foreign nationals, these changes mean that strategy and compliance must be perfectly aligned long before a petition is ever filed. Here is a detailed breakdown of the new wage-weighted lottery, the updated Form I-129, and what employers need to know to prepare. Photo by RDNE Stock project The New 4:3:2:1 Wage-Weighted Selection System To prioritize the admission of highly skilled and highly paid workers, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has shift...
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DHS Shutdown: What It Means for Immigration Services

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DHS Shutdown: What It Means for Immigration Services Photo by Ramaz Bluashvili On February 14, 2026 , the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) entered a partial shutdown after lawmakers failed to reach a funding compromise by the 11:59 pm deadline on February 13. This specific lapse follows a broader partial U.S. government shutdown that occurred earlier in the year. In response, the Office of Management and Budget directed the DHS to execute plans for an orderly shutdown. While the term "shutdown" can cause widespread panic for foreign nationals and global employers, the reality is that day-to-day immigration processing is continuing largely as normal . Roughly 90% of the DHS's more than 260,000 employees are considered "essential" and are required to keep working, often without pay. Here is a detailed breakdown of how this shutdown impacts various immigration agencies, processes, and travelers, complete with the latest data and operational upda...
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