Lang Wallace LLC Blog

The biological sex of a person will control the gender option on federal immigration documents. See updated USCIS manual here: https://www.

The Labor Department updates processing times for permanent labor certification (PERM) applications and prevailing wage determinations here: https://flag.dol.gov/processingtimes

F-1s who are awaiting their H-1B decision are now given cap gap authorization on their expiring OPT until April of the following year as briefly explained here: https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-related-news/form-i-9-handbook-updated-to-reflect-final-rule-for-eligible-f-1-students

USCIS announced it has received enough new cases to meet the fiscal year (FY) 2026 H-1B cap. Read more here: https://www.uscis.

As the result of an Executive Order issued in January, USCIS will now require noncitizen immigrants to undergo a new “alien registration” process.

For more information on this process, see the USCIS policy update here: https://www.uscis.

The U.S. State Department no longer requires COVID-19 vaccination for green card applicants. Updated vaccination requirements can be found here:

The newly appointed Secretary of Labor is Ms. Lori Chavez-DeRemer, making her ultimately responsible for running PERMs and DOL Audits. Read more on her mission here: https://www.

Fiscal year (FY) 2026 H-1B Cap Registration will run from March 7 to March 24. Keep up on USCIS policy outlining H-1B Cap filing procedures and updates about reaching the cap here: https://www.uscis.

The U.S. Department of State recently updated the requirements for a waiver of the visa stamping interview for people who are diplomats or who have been interviewed recently at a US consulate. Read more here:

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services published a Federal Register notice providing updated procedures for submitting a Form I-140 whether for PERM, Schedule A Occupations or NIWs. Read more here:

These updated policies will make some requirements of the temporary visa called O-1 Extraordinary Ability category easier to document and win.  Read more under USCIS’s O-1 Policy here: https://www.uscis.