Want to keep up with newcomer policy updates in the U.S.? Every month, Global Cleveland publishes our newcomer policy update so that you can stay informed about the latest news.

This month’s Newcomer Update at a glance:

• Trump Imposes $100,000 fee for H-1B visas

• Bill Introduced to Create Program to Expand Protection of Unaccompanied Migrant Children

• TPS Ends for Syria

• A bipartisan – and bicameral – coalition reintroduced the Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act (HWRA) earlier this month.
• The bill would recapture 40,000 unused visas and distribute them to physicians and nurses.
• Aimed at alleviating the healthcare workforce shortage, it has bipartisan sponsorship from Senators Kevin Cramer (R-ND) and Dick Durbin (D-IL)
• The bill has had strong support from the medical sector, with the American Hospital Association, and the American Medical Association being among the dozens of major organizations to have endorsed the legislation
• https://www.aha.org/news/headline/2025-09-11-congress-reintroduces-aha-supported-bipartisan-workforce-bill-supporting-foreign-nurses-physicians

• Congresswoman Nancy Mace introduced the No More Missing Children Act, which would create a new program, to protect unaccompanied migrant children from human trafficking
• The new program would implement new DNA vetting, GPs monitoring of children and sponsors, more check ins and put more stringent vetting on those who can house Unaccompanied Alien Children (UAC)
• From 2021-2025, over 32,000 unaccompanied children were unaccounted for by immigration officials
• https://mace.house.gov/media/press-releases/rep-nancy-mace-introduces-bill-end-unaccompanied-alien-child-crisis

• Congressmen Gabe Vasquez of New Mexico introduced the Strengthening Our Workforce Act which would allow for a two-year conditional status for non-citizens in certain fields designated as critical.
• Criteria include paying a fine, maintaining employment, and remaining present in the US during the conditional status
• Applicants would be eligible for lawful permanent residency after the conditional status
• The bill has four co-sponsors, all of whom are Democrats.
• https://vasquez.house.gov/media/press-releases/rep-vasquez-introduces-bill-strengthen-americas-labor-force-and-support

• In an executive order, President Trump has announced a $100,000 fee for new H-1B workers, marking a major overhaul of the H-1B program
• Citing a need to raise revenue and to curb abuse of the program, the President’s announcement was issued from the Oval Office alongside a further rollout of the Gold Card Visa
• The executive order has provisions for the fee to be waived, and subsequent announcements from the White House confirmed it will not apply to existing visa holders
• https://www.npr.org/2025/09/19/g-s1-89680/trump-adds-100-000-fee-for-high-skilled-foreign-workers-in-major-visa-overhaul

• A proposal to eliminate the duration of status policy for F-1 and J-1 visa holders drew opposition from the higher ed community, who cited the serious impact it could have on the country’s university system and its economy
• The proposal was announced in August and would impose a fixed term for these visas of four years, after which a lengthy process would be required to extend it.
• The American Council on Education, which opposed the rule, said that it was incompatible with the way that university programs operate today and would create unnecessary bureaucracy.
• The rule has seen widespread opposition and has raised concerns it could reduce the number of international students studying in the US and cause a negative impact on the US economy
• https://www.acenet.edu/News-Room/Pages/Proposed-Visa-Rule-Would-Hurt-Global-Talent-Pipeline.aspx

• Following widespread confusion, the White House confirmed that the new $100,000 H-1B fee will not apply to existing visa holders, White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt announced via social media
• Leavitt further confirmed that the fee would exclusively apply to new petitions and that those who hold H-1B visas can travel to and from the United States as normal.
• Following the announcement of the H-1B fee, many visa holders had rushed back to the United States fearing they would be forced to pay the fee to re-enter.
• https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-new-h-1b-visa-fee-will-not-apply-existing-holders-axios-reports-2025-09-20/

• Federal immigration authorities streamlined the process to apply for the H-2A temporary agricultural worker visa.
• The new rules, which go into effect on October 2nd, allow for petitioners to electronically file the new I-129 form, and the USCIS to immediately begin processing these petitions while the Department of Labor review the request.
• USCIS officials cited the need to support American farmers, and said that legal pathways such as this were beneficial to the US
• https://www.uscis.gov/newsroom/news-releases/dhs-streamlines-the-filing-process-for-certain-agricultural-workers

• The Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced that the Temporary Protected Status designation for Syria would be cancelled.
• Syria was embroiled in a civil war from 2011 until late last year, when rebel groups overthrew the authoritarian government of President Bashar al-Assad
• Citing that the conditions in Syria no longer prevent its citizens from safely returning to Syria, TPS status was revoked
• https://www.uscis.gov/newsroom/news-releases/secretary-noem-announces-the-termination-of-temporary-protected-status-for-syria

• USCIS announced changes to the US Naturalization Civics test.
• The test will expand from 10 to 20 questions asked during interviews, and about 25% of the 128 possible questions are new or revised, with the rest being unchanged from the previous version
• The action reimplements some changes initially unveiled in December of 2020, before being reversed the next year.
• Applicants over 65 continue to be eligible for a simplified version
• https://www.eb5insights.com/2025/09/22/uscis-unveils-changes-to-naturalization-test-in-multi-step-overhaul-of-american-citizenship-standards/

• Citing serious repercussions for America’s healthcare system, the American Hospital Association (AHA) publicly called on the Trump administration to provide exemptions for healthcare workers from the new $100,000 H-1B fee.
• AHA President Rick Pollack said that the proposal could force a reduction in the services” hospitals can provide if the exemption was not granted
• The American Medical Association made similar calls, also citing the importance of immigrants and international physicians to the country’s healthcare system.
• https://www.aha.org/news/headline/2025-09-29-aha-urges-administration-make-health-care-personnel-exempt-h-1b-visa-changes

• The Department of Labor announced a new law enforcement initiative aimed at combatting fraud and abuse in the H-1B program
• Dubbed Project Firewall it will investigate fraudulent applications, illegal displacement of us workers by H-1b workers, wage theft or underpayment by countries, or misrepresentation of job duties
• A key change is the increased role of the Secretary of Labor in signing off on investigations
• https://www.boundless.com/blog/project-firewall-h1b-enforcement

• Non-Immigrant Visa applicants will mostly be required to schedule their interview at a US embassy or consulate in their country of nationality or residents.
• As wait times differed drastically, previously applicants would schedule interviews in less busy diplomatic locations
• The changes do not apply to everyone; A, G, some C, and NATO visas are exempt, as are any visa that is covered by agreements with the United Nations. Nationals and residents of countries where the US does not have a diplomatic presence are able to conduct interviews in specified third countries
• https://www.boundless.com/blog/new-us-policy-restricts-interview-locations-for-nonimmigrant-visas

• The US State Department announced a temporary pause on the issuance of new visas for foreign commercial truck drivers.
• The issue came to prominence after a deadly crash caused by a truck driver who made an illegal and dangerous turn, leading to concerns about the standards for Commercial Driving Licenses issued in some states for foreign drivers.
• The American Trucking Association, a leading industry group, supported the pause, citing that fraudulent entities were fast tracking applications for CDLs without sufficient training
• https://www.amundsendavislaw.com/alert-an-uncertain-road-the-trump-administrations-pause-on-new-visas-for-commercial-truck-drivers

• The State Department announced that the EB-2 visa cap, designated by federal law, had been reached for fiscal year 2025
• Legislation specifies that the annual limit for EB-2s by 28.6% of the worldwide employment limit; the State Department had issued this number for the year at the start of September
• Annual limits will reset at the start of the new fiscal year in October, at which point consulates will be able to again issue EB-2 visas.
• https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/News/visas-news/annual-limit-reached-in-the-eb-2-category.html

• Immigration attorneys are in the process of filing lawsuits over the Executive Order Issues by President Trump imposing a $100,000 fee on H-1B visas
• The lawsuit may be joined by the US Chamber of Commerce, the country’s largest business lobby.
• The group polled members in September over their views on presenting a legal challenge to the executive order
• https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-09-24/us-chamber-tests-members-will-to-fight-trump-on-h-1b-visas