Headlines:
Trump Administration Considers $100,000 Price for Worldwide College students to Work in United States – The Trump administration is contemplating charging a $100,000 payment for worldwide college students desirous to work in the USA after commencement, seemingly through the Non-compulsory Coaching Program.
DHS Detentions Improve at Airports – A rising variety of international nationals have been detained by the Division of Homeland Safety at U.S. airports whereas touring between states, even when they’d pending functions and have been in a interval of approved keep, together with spouses of U.S. residents, tech staff, and others.
DOS Proposes Modifications to Trade Customer Program Guidelines – On July 30, 2026, the Division of State revealed a proposed rule that might make adjustments to the Trade Customer Program.
DHS Broadcasts Rule Change, Efficient Instantly, to Permit USCIS to Refer Asylum Functions to Immigration Judges With out Interviewing the Applicant – DHS mentioned the rule will shorten the full time that it takes asylum officers and Immigration Judges to adjudicate asylum functions and thus cut back the asylum backlog.
Agency within the Information
Particulars:
Trump Administration Considers $100,000 Price for Worldwide College students to Work in United States
In accordance with stories, the Trump administration is contemplating charging a $100,000 payment for worldwide college students who need to work in the USA after commencement, seemingly through the Non-compulsory Coaching Program (OPT). As of final fall, there have been an estimated 300,000 worldwide college students on OPT in the USA, a couple of quarter of the full worldwide scholar inhabitants.
If carried out, the payment may cut back the flexibility of the USA to draw and retain high expertise. It additionally may hurt universities, tech firms, and Wall Road corporations that profit from the worldwide scholar pipeline.
The Division of Homeland Safety is reportedly contemplating the payment as half of a bigger package deal of adjustments to OPT laws.
DHS Detentions Improve at Airports
Practitioners are warning {that a} rising variety of international nationals have been detained by the Division of Homeland Safety (DHS) at U.S. airports whereas touring between states, even when they’d pending functions and have been in a interval of approved keep, together with spouses of U.S. residents, tech staff, and others.
Incidents have been reported to this point in California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Kansas, Michigan, New Jersey, Texas, and Virginia. The people affected share a typical profile: their underlying nonimmigrant standing has expired, however they could have well timed filed an software for adjustment of standing or asylum, or an extension of standing request. A few of these detained had no felony historical past and held legitimate work authorization or advance parole paperwork on the time. No single triggering coverage or rule change has been recognized behind this rising sample.
Employers and affected workers mustn’t assume {that a} pending immigration submitting eliminates journey threat just because the worker is in any other case sustaining a interval of approved keep. A person could also be positioned in removing proceedings even when they’re approved to stay in the USA by submitting an adjustment of standing software if the underlying nonimmigrant standing has expired. Practitioners suggest that employers overview their workforce data and alert their sponsored workers who could also be in danger even throughout routine, in-country journey. It could be advisable for such workers to keep away from air journey if doable. If air journey is unavoidable, affected workers ought to carry immigration proof together with USCIS approval/receipt notices, I-94 printouts, Employment Authorization Paperwork, and AP/journey paperwork. It’s not enough to have proof on a cellphone or laptop computer; any documentation ought to be both unique or printed.
DOS Proposes Modifications to Trade Customer Program Guidelines
On July 30, 2026, the Division of State (DOS) revealed a proposed rule that clarifies the situations underneath which a sponsor should terminate a J-1 change customer’s program and authorizes DOS, in its discretion, to terminate an change customer’s program in restricted circumstances; modifies extension of program standing and reinstatement to legitimate program standing by eliminating sure necessities and introducing up to date procedures that make use of present Pupil and Trade Customer Info System performance; contains definitions for “Unauthorized Employment” and “Legitimate Program Standing”; and rescinds the separate extension-of-program provision for au pairs.
Feedback are due by September 28, 2026.
DHS Broadcasts Rule Change, Efficient Instantly, to Permit USCIS to Refer Asylum Functions to Immigration Judges With out Interviewing the Applicant
On July 27, 2026, the Division of Homeland Safety (DHS) introduced an interim remaining rule, efficient July 28, that enables U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Providers (USCIS) to refer asylum functions to Immigration Judges (IJs) with out first interviewing the applicant. DHS mentioned the rule will shorten the full time that it takes asylum officers and IJs to adjudicate asylum functions and thus cut back the asylum backlog.
Beforehand, the company defined, each USCIS and Division of Justice (DOJ) IJs adjudicate functions for asylum: USCIS adjudicates “affirmative” asylum functions for many who will not be in removing proceedings, whereas IJs adjudicate “defensive” asylum functions for many who are in removing proceedings. Relying on the person’s immigration standing, USCIS normally both adjudicates the appliance or refers it to an IJ, who conducts a brand new overview of the appliance.
DHS famous that USCIS nonetheless provides an interview earlier than a grant or denial of asylum. DHS mentioned additionally it is eradicating the requirement {that a} letter speaking the premise for referral of asylum embody an evaluation of credibility.
Feedback are due by September 28, 2026.
Agency within the Information
Cyrus Mehta was quoted by Forbes in Trump Immigration Insurance policies Make It More durable To Get And Maintain Citizenship. He mentioned, “When you get convicted of against the law after you may have naturalized, and the information supporting the indictment or fees return earlier than you naturalized, that might be grounds to denaturalize the individual for both failure to take care of good ethical character throughout the related five-year interval or for not in truth answering the query on the N-400 on whether or not you dedicated against the law for which you weren’t charged or arrested.” Mr. Mehta additionally famous that “I nonetheless haven’t seen the Trump administration attempt to denaturalize residents for what they could understand as irregularities within the labor certification course of akin to not conducting a superb religion check of the labor market or the place the enterprise necessity justification might not have been current. It’s because the federal government has a heavy burden. In Maslenjak v. United States, the U.S. Supreme Courtroom dominated unanimously that the federal authorities can’t strip a naturalized citizen of their U.S. citizenship for making a false assertion until the lie immediately influenced the procurement of that citizenship.”
