Recent Updates to Immigration and Visa Policies

Thu, 22 Jan 2026 12:58:11 -0500
federal-orders

Dear Campus Community,

I am writing to update you regarding four recent changes to federal immigration and visa policies. Each of these changes is summarized in bold, with details underneath, followed by campus guidance.

Please remember that each individual's circumstances are different, and this communication is provided for informational purposes only. It should not be construed as legal advice on any subject matter. If you have specific questions and hold F, H, or J immigration status, please contact the Center for Global Engagement. If you have specific questions and hold another immigration status, please consult with a private immigration attorney.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) expands adjudicative hold and intensifies review of applications for certain immigration benefits

On January 1, 2026, USCIS issued an updated policy memorandum, expanding on its December 2, 2025, memorandum, directing USCIS personnel to perform the following actions:

1. Place a hold on all pending benefit applications for aliens listed in Presidential Proclamation (PP) 10998, Restricting and Limiting the Entry of Foreign Nationals to Protect the Security of the United States, pending a comprehensive review, regardless of entry date;

2. Conduct a comprehensive review of all policies, procedures, and screening and vetting processes for benefit requests for aliens from countries listed in PP 10998; and

3. Conduct a comprehensive re-review of approved benefit requests implicated in PP 10998 that were approved on or after January 20, 2021.

Based on the above actions, students and employees who utilized Palestinian Authority-issued travel documents or listed a PP 10998 named country as their country of birth or citizenship on certain immigration benefit applications will be subject to a re-review of benefits eligibility and admissibility, including a potential interview or re-interview. The January memorandum expands, but does not replace, the policy outlined in the December memo. The expanded policy specifically:

1. Extends adjudicative holds to the additional countries designated under PP 10998.

2. Clarifies that the hold applies to individuals based on country of birth, nationality, certain citizenship-by-investment scenarios, and Palestinian-Authority-issued travel documents.

3. Communicates that "USCIS will place an adjudicative hold on all pending benefit requests submitted by or for aliens from the high-risk countries identified in PP 10998, allowing for a thorough case-by-case review. This hold will remain in effect until lifted or modified by the USCIS Director through a subsequent memorandum or memorandum attachment. Any requests to lift the hold due to litigation or other extraordinary circumstances must receive approval from the USCIS Director or Deputy Director."

4. Establishes very limited exceptions to the adjudicative hold for certain benefit types (e.g., some I-765 categories, I-90, N-600), subject to strict coordination requirements.

5. Explicitly states that it does not supersede the December 2 memorandum, except where it creates enumerated exceptions.

Exceptions to the adjudication hold include:

1. Form I-90, Application to Replace Permanent Resident Card (Green Card);

2. Form N-565, Application for Replacement Naturalization/Citizenship Document;

3. Form N-600, Application for Certificate of Citizenship ("Except Yemen and Somalia");

4. Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization filed under the (c)(8) [pending asylum], limited (c)(11) (parolees), and limited (c)(14) (deferred action) categories;

5. Form I-910, Application for Civil Surgeon Designation (only for physicians that are citizens or nationals of the United States);

6. Benefit requests filed by any alien who is an athlete or member of an athletic team, including the coaches, persons performing a necessary support role, and immediate relatives for the purpose of participating in the World Cup, Olympics, or other major sporting event as determined by the Secretary of State;

7. Benefit requests that are a priority for law enforcement and where ICE has requested USCIS take adjudicative action to uphold public safety or national security;

8. Benefit requests filed by aliens whose entry would serve a United States national interest;

9. Benefit requests, as well as the associated underlying benefits, for any programs that are terminated or discontinued as a result of an Executive Order, Proclamation, Federal Register Notice, or Directive issued by the President, the Secretary of Homeland Security, or the USCIS Director; and

10. Automatic termination decisions for ancillary or related benefit requests when an alien is granted Legal Permanent Resident status or becomes a naturalized citizen.

Notably, there is no exception for immigration benefits commonly used in higher education, such as a Form I-765 filed for Optional Practical Training, a Form I-539 filed to change to nonimmigrant student status, or a Form I-129 filed by an H-1B petitioner requesting extension of an H-1B employee's stay. Furthermore, on December 5, 2025, USCIS posted on its "X" account, "...all final decisions for asylum have been shut down, we've paused adjudication of immigrant and non-immigrant benefits for any alien from the 19 countries of concern, and we will review all existing green cards that were granted in the last 5 years."

Campus Guidance:

Citizens of the countries listed in PP 10998 should be aware that their immigration benefits approved on or after January 20, 2021, may be subject to renewed scrutiny. As a result, USCIS may require additional documentation, biometrics, interviews or re-interviews.

Affected individuals should expect delayed processing and increased scrutiny of their immigration benefit requests. While petitions may still be submitted, they will be processed by USCIS up to the final adjudication stage, at which point they will stall until the adjudicative hold is lifted. A "final adjudication" refers to the issuance of a final decision on a case, such as an approval, denial, or dismissal.

USCIS announces increased premium processing fees

On January 12, 2026, USCIS published a final rule in the Federal Register announcing increases to premium processing fees effective March 01, 2026.

Premium processing is a service whereby DHS provides expedited processing of eligible immigration benefit requests in exchange for an additional fee. This service is necessary for certain students and employees who require certain time-sensitive immigration benefit requests to be processed by a specific date in order to study or work at UMBC.

Below is a summary of premium processing fee increases that are most likely to impact our UMBC community. For a full listing of the fee increases, please refer to the published final rule.

1. Form I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker (E-1, E-2, E-3, H-1B, H-3, L-1A, L-1B, LZ, O-1, O-2, P-1, P-1S, P-2, P-2S, P-3, P-3S, Q-1, TN-1, and TN-2): The fee will increase from $2,805 to $2,965

2. Form I-140, Immigrant Petition for Alien Worker (E11, E12): Increases from $2,805 to $2,965

3. Form I-539, Application to Extend/Change Nonimmigrant Status (requests for change of status to F-1, F-2, J-1 or J-2): Increases from $1,965 to $2,075

4. Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization (F-1 students seeking Optional Practical Training or STEM Optional Practical Training): Increases from $1,685 to $1,780

Campus Guidance:

In order to avoid having to pay the additional fee, students and employees who know they will require premium processing should ensure their time-sensitive immigration benefit petitions are postmarked prior to March 1, 2026.

Please note that the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) recently implemented operational changes meant to consolidate its processing network under the Delivering for America (DFA) plan. One such change could result in a postmark date being applied to a piece of mail days after USPS first receives the mail from a customer. According to advice issued by USPS, "customers who want a postmark aligning with the date on which the Postal Service first accepted possession of their mailpiece may request, for no additional fee, a manual (local) postmark at any Post Office, station, or branch when tendering their mailpiece."

Students, employees, and hiring departments should budget for the additional expense required for premium processing requests postmarked on or after March 1, 2026.

U.S. Department of State added 25 more countries to the visa bond list

On January 8, 2026, the Department of State expanded the list of countries whose nationals are subject to visa bonds. As outlined in a temporary final rule published in the Federal Register on August 5, 2025, the Visa Bond Pilot Program requires covered individuals applying for visas as temporary visitors for business or pleasure (B-1/B-2) to post a bond of up to $15,000 as a condition of visa issuance. This pilot program runs from August 20, 2025 through August 5, 2026.

Bonds are only required from individuals applying for a visitor visa (B-1/B-2) with a passport issued by one of the countries listed in the notice.

Campus Guidance:

Family members and friends of UMBC students and employees wishing to visit them in the United States should confirm whether or not they are subject to the Visa Bond Pilot Program.

Individuals subject to the Visa Bond Pilot Program should contact the U.S. Consulate or Embassy where they plan to apply for a visa to inquire about the actual bond fee.

U.S. Department of State pauses immigrant visa processing for nationals of 75 countries effective January 21, 2026

On January 14, 2026, the Department of State announced that, effective January 21, 2026, it is pausing all visa issuances to immigrant visa applicants who are nationals of the following countries:

Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Antigua and Barbuda, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belize, Bhutan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Burma, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Colombia, Cote d'Ivoire, Cuba, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Dominica, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, The Gambia, Georgia, Ghana, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Haiti, Iran, Iraq, Jamaica, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kuwait, Kyrgyz Republic, Laos, Lebanon, Liberia, Libya, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Nepal, Nicaragua, Nigeria, North Macedonia, Pakistan, Republic of the Congo, Russia, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, and Yemen

This pause only applies to immigrant visas. It does not apply to non-immigrant visas, such as those issued to H-1B employees, J-1 exchange visitors, and F-1 students.

Campus Guidance:

Individuals who have questions or concerns about the pause on immigrant visa processing for individuals from the listed countries should consult with a private immigration attorney.

Resources

1. UMBC's Employee Assistance Program provides employees with access to free confidential counseling and connections to attorneys who can help with a variety of issues, including immigration concerns.

2. The Office of International Students and Scholars is available to consult on immigration-related travel issues for individuals holding F-1, H-1B, and J-1 immigration status.

3. Individuals in other immigration statuses may contact a private immigration attorney.

UMBC's Center for Global Engagement is committed to providing comprehensive support to all international students and scholars. If you have further questions about these immigration policy updates, please reach out to our team by visiting our contact page.

Additional information and resources related to immigration and other federal policy updates are available on UMBC's Federal Orders and Actions Page.

Sincerely

David L. Di Maria
Vice Provost for Global Engagement