USCIS 2026 Policy Alert: H1B Fee Eliminated & Asylum Rules Revised

In a significant policy development, USCIS has announced the elimination of the H1B registration fee, a move that reduces the financial burden on employers sponsoring foreign workers under the H1B visa program. This change reflects ongoing efforts to adjust immigration fee structures and may signal broader reforms affecting employment-based visa categories, including EB-3. Alongside the fee change, USCIS has revised its asylum adjudication procedures. The revisions are intended to streamline the asylum review process, though specific details on implementation timelines and eligibility criteria are still being evaluated by practitioners and applicants. The Dream and Promise Act has also resurfaced in congressional discussions, representing a legislative effort to provide permanent protections for millions of undocumented individuals who have lived in the United States for years. If passed, this bill could have wide-ranging implications for the immigration system, including potential relief for those in mixed-status families. For EB-3 applicants and employment-based immigrants, these policy shifts are worth monitoring. Changes to H1B fee structures may affect employer willingness to sponsor workers across multiple visa categories, while broader USCIS process revisions often have downstream effects on employment-based petition handling and adjudication timelines.