DHS issues separate rules ending most automatic EAD extensions and expanding biometric collections
Catch up on U.S. and global corporate immigration news highlights for the week covering Oct. 27 - Oct. 31.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced an interim final rule (IFR) scheduled to be published tomorrow in the Federal Register (FR), “ending the practice of automatically extending employment authorization documents [EADs] for aliens filing renewal applications in certain employment authorization categories,” effective Oct. 30, 2025.
DHS published a final rule Oct. 27 that provides, effective Dec. 26, 2025, that “DHS may require all aliens to be photographed when entering or exiting the United States and may require non-exempt aliens to provide other biometrics.”
The State Department updated global visa wait times on Oct. 22, 2025. Although Chennai (Madras) saw B-1/B-2 average wait times reduced by 72% month over month in the September report, the current report shows average wait times for interview required B-1/B-2 visas doubled from 2. 5 months to 5 months. New Delhi also saw wait times for B-1/B-2 interview required visas nearly double from 3.5 months to 6.5 months. Hermosillo saw a drastic reduction in B-1/B-2 interview required visas wait times from 20.5 months in the September report to 6.5 months in the October report.
Effective Oct. 28, 2025, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services now requires electronic payments for all paper-filed immigration forms. Paper checks and money orders will no longer be accepted.
Effective Nov. 3, 2025, New Zealand Immigration will implement two key changes impacting international student visa work rights and Guardian Visitor Visas.
Australia’s Department of Home Affairs announced the launch of a new online support service to resolve immigration status for individuals in Australia with expired visas.
More news we're monitoring for employers
"Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) on Wednesday directed the state’s board of governors to 'crack down' on state universities hiring workers on H-1B visas. The directive applies to the 12 universities within the Florida State University System, including USF, the University of Florida, Florida State University, the University of Central Florida and Florida International University." - MSN.com
"Association of American Universities joined a lawsuit filed by the United States Chamber of Commerce in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia challenging the administration’s $100,000 fee on certain H-1B petitions. The complaint argues that the new fee is unlawful because it violates the Immigration and Nationality Act, exceeds the president’s authority and is harmful to American businesses (particularly smaller businesses, universities and start-ups)." - Association of American Universities
What you might be missing on BAL Community
BAL Senior Associate, Eileen Lohmann, shared initial insights on the interim final rule published by DHS on Oct. 30 that effectively ends the practice of automatically extending the validity of EADs. Lohmann touched on scope of impact, litigation and solutions.
Violet Buxton Walsh of the Institute for Progress will delve into her pioneering work on the OPT Observatory, a cutting-edge website designed for comprehensive F-1 analysis—covering aspects like university, state, field of study and participation in OPT and STEM OPT in a Community webinar on Nov. 12.
U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Ranking Member Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) are reintroducing bipartisan legislation, the H-1B and L-1 Visa Reform Act of 2025 (S. 2928), that would make sweeping changes to H-1B and L-1 nonimmigrant classifications. The Government Strategies team sent an update that explained key provisions and other insights.
BAL Community members were invited to join a focus group in November to discuss F-1 and H-1B visa strategies post H-1B Proclamation with its $100,000 fee mandate.
Join BAL Community for expert insights on the latest immigration policy updates and benchmarking. In-house immigration professionals are invited to join at no cost. Don't miss out on critical real-time updates!
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Where can delays occur that will impact overall PERM timelines? How can employers best prepare for delays in the PERM process? Get answers to these questions and a better understanding of the PERM process in our easy-to-read reference page PERM processing times FAQ for employers.