Explainers

What the news actually means for you

Deeper explainers on the rules and numbers behind the headlines. For the latest events see the policy timeline.

Policy

The $100,000 H-1B fee: where it standsA 2025 proclamation required a $100,000 payment on certain new H-1B petitions. A federal court vacated it in June 2026; the proclamation was extended to 2027 but the fee is not being collected.
PERM suspension for 8 employers: what it means if you work thereOn October 8, 2026 the Labor Department said it will not accept new, or process pending, PERM labor certifications involving Microsoft, Adobe, Cognizant, Infosys, Tata, Wipro, HCL and Capgemini. What changes, what doesn't, and what to check if you're waiting on a green card.
The H-1B 60-day grace period: in force today, proposed to endIf your job ends, today you usually get up to 60 days to find a new sponsor, change status or leave. DHS proposed on September 11, 2026 to remove that grace period. It is not final; comments close November 10, 2026.

Why country of birth changes your waitThe 7% per-country limit, in plain terms, and why two people with the same job and the same priority date can wait years or decades apart.
What a "179-year wait" actually meansNFAP's projection that a new Indian EB-2 filer could wait 179 years is a statement about the math of the queue, not a prediction for any one person. How it is calculated and what could change it.

DOL disclosure data files explained: LCA and PERM spreadsheetsThe Labor Department publishes every H-1B labor condition application (LCA) and PERM labor certification it decides, as large quarterly spreadsheets. What the files are, what the main columns mean, how to read them without being misled, and where h1b-life uses them.