Release Date 12/18/2025 U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) today issued policy guidance (PDF, 309.13 KB) in Volume 6 of the USCIS Policy Manual to address the U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) adoption of the Foreign Labor Application Gateway (FLAG) system , and its effect on certain immigrant visa petitions filed on behalf of professional athletes. This update continues our goal of restoring integrity to the U.S. immigration system by ensuring USCIS adjudicators have all required information needed to make timely, informed decisions on aliens’ eligibility for immigration benefits. For Form I-140, Immigrant Petition for Alien Workers , the petitioner must establish that the alien beneficiary and the job offered meet the requirements of the requested classification. Permanent labor certifications for professional athletes that were electronically filed with the DOL using its FLAG system on or after June 1, 2023, no longer contain the minimum job requirements for the offered position. Accordingly, if the professional athlete’s contract does not contain this information, and the petitioner does not otherwise provide the minimum requirements of the job with their Form I-140, USCIS may request additional evidence to determine whether the petition can be approved in the requested classification. While we receive fewer than 100 labor certifications filed on behalf of professional athletes each year, this update impacts all major U.S. professional sports teams and their minor league affiliates. Since June 1, 2023, DOL has required permanent labor certification applications to be filed using its FLAG system. The FLAG system contains a revised Form ETA-9089, Application for Permanent Employment Certification, as well as four appendices and the Final Determination: Permanent Employment Certification Approval. The new Form ETA-9089 no longer collects information about the minimum requirements of the job opportunity. Instead, aliens now provide that information to DOL using Form ETA-9141, Application for Prevailing Wage Determination. Because DOL regulations exempt professional athletes from the prevailing wage determination requirement, under the FLAG system, labor certification approvals for professional athletes do not contain the minimum requirements for the job. USCIS requires this information to adjudicate labor certification-based immigrant petitions. An overview of the DOL FLAG system and a description of the new labor certification-related documentation that must be submitted with the Form I-140 are also included in the policy manual update. https://www.uscis.gov/newsroom/alerts/uscis-clarifies-requirements-for-professional-athletes Last Reviewed/Updated: 12/18/2025

Release Date 12/12/2025 The Department of Homeland Security is terminating all categorical family reunification parole (FRP) programs for aliens from Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, and Honduras, and their immediate family members. This administration is ending the abuse of humanitarian parole which allowed poorly vetted aliens to circumvent the traditional parole process. Parole was never intended to be used in this way, and DHS is returning parole to a case-by-case basis as intended by Congress. Ending the FRP programs is a necessary return to common-sense policies and a return to America First. The desire to reunite families does not overcome the government’s responsibility to prevent fraud and abuse and to uphold national security and public safety. The FRP programs had security gaps caused by insufficient vetting that malicious and fraudulent actors could exploit to enter the United States, which posed an unacceptable level of risk to the United States. DHS is prioritizing the safety, security, and financial and economic well-being of Americans. A Federal Register notice explains how the termination of the FRP programs will be administered. If an alien was paroled in the United States under the FRP programs and their parole has not yet expired on Jan. 14, 2026, it will terminate on that date unless the alien has a pending Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status , that is postmarked or electronically filed on or before Dec. 15, 2025, and is still pending on Jan. 14, 2026. If the alien has a pending Form I-485, their parole will remain valid until either their period of parole expires or we make a final decision on their pending Form I-485, whichever is sooner. If we deny their Form I-485, their period of parole will be terminated, and they should depart the United States immediately. When we terminate an alien’s period of parole under the FRP programs, we also will revoke their employment authorization based on that parole. We will notify each alien individually that DHS is terminating their parole period and revoking their employment authorization. Aliens who do not have a lawful basis to stay in the United States after termination of the FRP programs must depart the United States before their parole termination date. These aliens should use the CBP Home app to report their intent to depart the United States. Incentives such as an exit bonus, financial and travel document assistance, and forgiveness of civil fines are available to qualifying aliens. See DHS’s CBP Home webpage for more information. Last Reviewed/Updated: 12/12/2025 https://www.uscis.gov/newsroom/alerts/dhs-ends-the-abuse-of-the-humanitarian-parole-process-and-terminates-family-reunification-parole

Use this form to petition for an immigrant visa under the Gold Card program established by Executive Order 14351, The Gold Card . Forms and Document Downloads Form I-140G (PDF, 958.27 KB) Instructions for Form I-140G (PDF, 295.78 KB) Last Reviewed/Updated: 12/10/2025 https://www.uscis.gov/i-140g

Release Date 12/05/2025 New vetting center will focus on powerful screening resources to keep America safe WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced the establishment of a specialized unit to strengthen the ability of America’s immigration system to screen out terrorists, criminal aliens, and other foreign nationals who pose potential threats to public safety or who have committed fraud or other crimes. Once fully operationalized, the USCIS Vetting Center, headquartered in Atlanta, will centralize the enhanced vetting of aliens and allow the agency to respond more nimbly to changes in a shifting threat landscape. “USCIS’ role in the nation’s immigration system has never been more critical. In the wake of several recent incidents of violence, including a foreign national attacking National Guard service members on U.S. soil, establishing this vetting center will give us more enhanced capabilities to safeguard national security and ensure public safety,” said USCIS Director Joseph B. Edlow. “Under the Biden administration, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services was pushed to expedite the immigration and naturalization processes with little regard for how that affected national security and the safety of our communities,” said Edlow. “We changed that approach on day one of the Trump administration. Under President Trump, we are building more protective measures that ensure fraud, deception, and threats do not breach the integrity of our immigration system.” Once the new vetting center is fully operational, it will draw on the full spectrum of classified and nonclassified screening and vetting capabilities and provide a more thorough supplemental review of immigration applications and petitions. These reviews will leverage state-of-the-art technologies, including artificial intelligence. The center will utilize Department of Homeland Security and other law enforcement and intelligence community screening resources to conduct this critical work and will be tasked with conducting reviews of pending applications as well as a more holistic review of already-approved applications for aliens. Reviews will prioritize applications from presidentially designated countries of concern. This announcement adds to a series of recent efforts that align with presidential Executive Order 14161, Protecting the United States from Foreign Terrorists and Other National Security and Public Safety Threats . These include the recent implementation of national security measures allowing for immigration officers to consider negative, country-specific factors (such as a nation’s lack of government-issued identity documents and inability to conduct criminal background checks) when vetting aliens from 19 high-risk countries; the recent pause on affirmative asylum application decisions; record-breaking hiring numbers for new USCIS homeland defenders ; a proposed rule to ensure more robust screening and vetting of certain aliens before extending their employment authorizations; and the establishment of USCIS special agents with law enforcement authority to investigate, arrest, and prosecute immigration violations. For more information on USCIS and its programs, please visit uscis.gov or follow us on X (formerly Twitter) , Instagram , YouTube , Facebook and LinkedIn . https://www.uscis.gov/newsroom/news-releases/us-citizenship-and-immigration-services-establishes-new-center-to-strengthen-immigration-screening Last Reviewed/Updated: 12/05/2025

Release Date 12/04/2025 Maximum validity periods of some Employment Authorization Documents will be reduced WASHINGTON – U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services updated its Policy Manual to reduce the maximum validity period for Employment Authorization Documents (EAD) for certain categories of aliens. This update also incorporates changes to EAD validity periods made by recent legislation to ensure proper vetting and screening of aliens. The reduced maximum validity periods for certain categories will result in more frequent vetting of aliens who apply for authorization to work in the United States. Vetting an alien more often will enable USCIS to deter fraud and detect aliens with potentially harmful intent so they can be processed for removal from the United States. “Reducing the maximum validity period for employment authorization will ensure that those seeking to work in the United States do not threaten public safety or promote harmful anti-American ideologies. After the attack on National Guard service members in our nation’s capital by an alien who was admitted into this country by the previous administration, it’s even more clear that USCIS must conduct frequent vetting of aliens.” said Director Joseph Edlow. The maximum validity period for initial and renewal EADs will be changed from 5 years back to 18 months for several categories of aliens: Aliens admitted as refugees; Aliens granted asylum; Aliens granted withholding of deportation or removal; Aliens with pending applications for asylum or withholding of removal; Aliens with pending applications for adjustment of status under INA 245; and Aliens with pending applications for suspension of deportation, cancellation of removal, or relief under the Nicaraguan Adjustment and Central American Relief Act. This change affects aliens with applications for employment authorization that are pending or filed on or after Dec. 5, 2025, and based on any of the above categories. As required by H.R. 1 - One Big Beautiful Bill Act, Public Law 119-21, 139 Stat. 72, (H.R. 1), signed into law on July 4, 2025, the validity period for initial and renewal employment authorization documents will be one year or the end date of the authorized parole period or duration of Temporary Protected Status (TPS), whichever is shorter for the following categories: Aliens paroled as refugees; Aliens granted TPS; Aliens granted parole; Aliens with a pending TPS application; and Alien spouse of entrepreneur parole. On July 22, 2025, USCIS published a Federal Register notice and issued an announced implementation of H.R. 1 . These validity period requirements apply to any Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization, pending or filed on or after July 22, 2025. For more information on applications for employment authorization, visit our Employment Authorization Document page . For more information on USCIS and its programs, please visit uscis.gov or follow us on X (formerly Twitter) , Instagram , YouTube , Facebook and LinkedIn . https://www.uscis.gov/newsroom/news-releases/uscis-increases-screening-vetting-of-aliens-working-in-us  Last Reviewed/Updated: 12/04/2025

Release Date 11/27/2025 USCIS will consider relevant country-specific factors when using its broad discretionary authorities regarding aliens from 19 high-risk countries after halting refugee resettlement from Afghanistan and the entry of Afghan nationals in the first year of the Trump administration. WASHINGTON — In the wake of the shooting of two National Guard service members in Washington, D.C., Wednesday by an Afghan national, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services issued new guidance allowing for negative, country-specific factors to be considered when vetting aliens from 19 high-risk countries . This guidance comes after the Trump administration halted refugee resettlement from Afghanistan and the entry of Afghan nationals in its first year of office. “My primary responsibility is to ensure that every alien is vetted and screened to the maximum degree possible,” said USCIS Director Joseph Edlow. “This includes an assessment of where they are coming from and why. Yesterday’s horrific events make it abundantly clear the Biden administration spent the last four years dismantling basic vetting and screening standards, prioritizing the rapid resettlement of aliens from high-risk countries over the safety of American citizens. The Trump administration takes the opposite approach. Effective immediately, I am issuing new policy guidance that authorizes USCIS officers to consider country-specific factors as significant negative factors when reviewing immigration requests. American lives come first.” The updated guidance, including consideration of country-specific factors such as a country’s ability to issue secure identity documents, will further strengthen USCIS’ implementation of President Trump’s Presidential Proclamation (PP) 10949, Restricting the Entry of Foreign Nationals to Protect the United States from Foreign Terrorists and Other National Security and Public Safety Threats . It will allow USCIS officers to more meaningfully assess whether an alien is a threat to public safety and national security. This policy guidance is effective immediately and applies to requests pending or filed on or after Nov. 27, 2025. For more information, see the USCIS Policy Alert . For more information on USCIS and its programs, please visit uscis.gov or follow us on X (formerly Twitter) , Instagram , YouTube , Facebook and LinkedIn . https://www.uscis.gov/newsroom/news-releases/uscis-implements-additional-national-security-measures-in-the-wake-of-national-guard-shooting-by  Last Reviewed/Updated: 11/27/2025

Release Date 11/26/2025 The Department of Homeland Security today posted a Federal Register notice on the termination of Temporary Protected Status for Haiti. After consulting with interagency partners, Secretary Noem concluded that Haiti no longer meets the statutory requirements for TPS. This decision was based on a review conducted by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, input from relevant U.S. government agencies, and an analysis indicating that allowing Haitian nationals to remain temporarily in the United States is inconsistent with U.S. national interests. The termination of the Haiti Temporary Protected Status designation is effective February 3, 2026. If you are an alien who is currently a beneficiary of TPS for Haiti, you should prepare to depart if you have no other lawful basis for remaining in the United States. You can use the CBP Home mobile application to report your departure from the United States. This secure and convenient self-deportation process includes a complimentary plane ticket, a $1,000 exit bonus, and potential future opportunities for legal immigration to the United States.  Find more information about TPS at uscis.gov/tps . For more information on USCIS and its programs, please visit uscis.gov or follow us on X (formerly Twitter) , Instagram , YouTube , Facebook and LinkedIn . Last Reviewed/Updated: 11/26/2025 https://www.uscis.gov/newsroom/alerts/dhs-terminates-temporary-protected-status-for-haiti

https://www.uscis.gov/citizenship-resource-center/resources-for-educational-programs/prepare-for-the-naturalization-interview-and-test

USCIS offers free training seminars designed to enhance the skills needed to teach U.S. history, civics, and the naturalization process to immigrant students. These skills will help educators, volunteers, and organizations offer a comprehensive adult citizenship program. USCIS does not certify teachers or adult citizenship programs. What Will I Learn? Learn more about what USCIS offers at training events. Frequently Asked Questions Find answers to commonly-asked questions about the training seminars. How Do I Register for a Webinar Training? Use our online registration portal . If you do not receive a confirmation email from us within 5-7 business days of registering, or are unable to submit your registration, please email the Office of Citizenship . To request special accommodations, email the Office of Citizenship 45 days before the training event. Be sure to also check out our past training events . Sign up to receive Citizenship Resource Center email updates. https://www.uscis.gov/citizenship/resources-for-educational-programs/register-for-training