Haven blog
Updates, analysis, and editorial context when the rules keep moving.
This is the lighter editorial stream: policy updates, visa bulletin movement, founder perspective, and selected commentary on the moments that change how people plan.
28 articles across 7 topics
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Recent context from the editorial streamTrump’s new $100,000 H-1B fee: what it covers, what it does not, and why people are confused
The new fee announced on September 19, 2025 is large, but the scope matters. Here is what the White House, USCIS, Congress’s research arm, and AP reporting say it actually applies to.
USCIS Invalid Signature Rule: H-1B and EB Denials Start July 10
On May 11, 2026, USCIS published an interim final rule amending 8 CFR 103.2(a)(7) to allow denial - not just rejection - of H-1B, I-140, and other employment-based filings later found to lack a valid signature. The rule takes effect July 10, 2026. Here is what employers, attorneys, and applicants should do now.
June 2026 Visa Bulletin: EB-2 India Retrogresses 10+ Months
The State Department's June 2026 Visa Bulletin delivers a sharp blow to Indian-born EB-2 applicants, pulling the Final Action Date back more than 10 months to September 1, 2013. EB-1 India also retrogresses 3.5 months. The bulletin warns that further retrogression — or full unavailability — may follow before the fiscal year ends.
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$100,000 H-1B Fee Back in Effect After Court Stays Vacatur
On June 12, 2026, the Massachusetts judge who had struck down the $100,000 H-1B fee four days earlier paused his own ruling. The fee is back in effect while the government seeks relief from the First Circuit, putting employers in a narrow filing window before the June 30 cap deadline.
USCIS drops Mukherji appeal, leaving the EB-1A final merits test exposed
USCIS withdrew its Eighth Circuit appeal in Mukherji v. Miller, leaving in place a district court ruling that the agency adopted the EB-1A 'final merits determination' without required APA rulemaking. That helps denied petitioners in litigation, but it does not mean USCIS has stopped using the framework.
Federal Court Vacates $100,000 H-1B Fee as Unlawful Tax
A Massachusetts federal judge struck down the Trump administration's $100,000 H-1B supplemental fee on June 8, 2026, calling it an unconstitutional tax imposed without congressional authorization. The ruling matters immediately for FY2027 H-1B cap petitions due by June 30.
Federal Court Vacates USCIS Benefits Hold for 39 Countries
A Rhode Island federal court vacated four USCIS policies that had frozen benefit adjudications for nationals of 39 travel ban countries since late 2025. The ruling could restart pending I-485, EAD, advance parole, and green card processing, but a government appeal is expected.