Visa-Related News and Announcements
USCIS no longer accepting filing fee checks as of 10/29/25
October 2, 2025
USCIS has announced that it will no longer accept checks as a payment method for any filing fee as of October 29, 2025, and will transition entirely to electronic payment methods instead. Those methods include the Form G-1450 Authorization for Credit Card Transactions. ISO has experienced higher USCIS rejection rates with petitions filed using G-1450…
Effect of Federal Shutdown on ISO Visa Processing
October 2, 2025
As of October 1st, the U.S. federal government has entered a shutdown pending Congressional approval of a budget for the new federal fiscal year. ISO and government agency processes that will be affected: U.S. Department of Labor processing ISO cannot draft or submit ETA-9035 Labor Condition Applications (LCAs) for H-1B/E-3 sponsorship, or ETA-9141 Prevailing Wage Determinations or…
New H-1B Visa Fee Updates
September 20, 2025
Pause on Filing New H-1B Petitions Posted 09/23/2025 According to current USCIS guidance, all new H-1B petitions filed on or after September 21, 2025 are subject to the new $100,000 H-1B fee. Based on this guidance and in consultation with UW leadership, filing of new H-1B petitions for employment at the UW is being paused until at least October 8th as the University seeks additional clarity…