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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Prevailing Wages Rise 3.3%: What H-1B and PERM Filers Need to Know
DOL's Wage Year 2026–27 data took effect July 1, raising prevailing wages in roughly 74% of occupations. Every new H-1B LCA and PERM filing must use the updated numbers — and under the wage-weighted lottery, even modest increases can shift selection odds.
DOL Plans First PERM Recruitment Overhaul Since 2004
The Department of Labor's latest regulatory agenda signals a sweeping modernization of the PERM labor market test — the first update to recruitment requirements in over two decades. Employers sponsoring EB-2 and EB-3 green cards should prepare for tighter recruitment mandates, new layoff safeguards, and digital-age hiring standards.
DHS Alien Registration Rule: What H-1B Holders Need to Know
DHS published a Final Rule on June 29, 2026, codifying the online alien registration requirement that has been in place since April 2025. H-1B holders are confirmed exempt — but dependent children who turn 14 must register within 30 days. Here is what the rule changes, who it affects, and what you should do now.
Sonderling Nominated as DOL Secretary: H-1B and PERM Impact
President Trump announced on June 29 that he will nominate Acting Labor Secretary Keith Sonderling to lead the Department of Labor permanently. For employers sponsoring H-1B workers and pursuing PERM labor certifications, the nomination signals continuity at an agency that controls prevailing wages, processing backlogs, and wage enforcement.
After Dorcas: the benefits hold is gone, but EB cases are still stalled
Three weeks after a federal court vacated the USCIS benefits hold for nationals of 39 countries, USCIS says the old policies are no longer in effect. Attorneys, however, are not yet seeing long-stuck employment-based cases move. Employers and applicants should treat the ruling as leverage, not as proof that processing has restarted.
New H-1B bill would end the green card path and cut the visa to two years
Rep. Chip Roy introduced the American White-Collar Worker Jobs Act on June 4, 2026. It would eliminate the H-1B-to-green-card pathway, cut H-1B duration from six years to two, and require a 75th-percentile wage floor. The bill is unlikely to pass as written, but its provisions show where restrictionist policy is heading.
11 Legal Grounds for Challenging USCIS Memo PM-602-0199 in Court
Immigration attorneys are building a federal court case against USCIS's adjustment-of-status memo. Here are the 11 legal arguments that make PM-602-0199 vulnerable — and what employment-based applicants should do while litigation takes shape.
EB-2 India Visa Limit Reached: No Green Cards Until October 2026
The State Department announced that India has exhausted its entire EB-2 allocation for FY 2026. All green card approvals and consular immigrant visa issuances for EB-2 India are frozen through September 30, 2026. Here is what applicants, NIW petitioners, and employers need to know.
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.
DOL H-1B and PERM Wage Rule: Comment Period Closes May 26
The Department of Labor's March 2026 proposal would raise prevailing wage levels for H-1B, H-1B1, E-3, and PERM filings to higher OEWS percentiles. Public comments close May 26, 2026. Here is what employers, attorneys, and applicants should be doing now.