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Immigration News Briefs

Provided by Sadia Subhani

December 2025

Tips for Travelers on Nonimmigrant U.S. Visas

If you’re in the U.S. on a nonimmigrant visa—F-1, H-1B, E2, and so on—you should be particularly prepared when traveling abroad this holiday season. The combination of the lingering backlogs of the government shutdown, typical holiday traffic, and new policies and procedures put in place by the Trump administration may make travel more difficult than usual.

* The U.S. requires most nonimmigrants to have passport validity dates at least 6 months past the expiration of their status. Ensure your passport meets these requirements before leaving the U.S.

* Your U.S. visa needs to be valid for the nonimmigrant status with which you wish to re-enter the U.S. If you need to get a visa stamp while you are abroad, keep in mind consular delays in processing visas and in interview dates. Confirm with your immigration lawyer that you have all documents needed to process your visa, and/or to re-enter the U.S.

* Now many consulates refuse to process visas for Third Country nationals pursuant to a directive from the Trump administration. Travelers should therefore plan to process visas in their country of nationality or residence. You should check with the applicable local consulate before leaving the U.S. to ensure your visa can be processed there. Also keep the holiday closures in mind.

* When re-entering the U.S., be sure to get a copy of the I-94 from https://i94.cbp.dhs.gov/home and ensure that it has the expected end date for your status. If not, contact your immigration lawyer or the Deferred Inspections Office of U.S. Customs and Border Patrol to get it corrected.

Automatic Extension Ends for Work Permit Renewals

The administration published a rule on October 30, 2025, that eliminates the automatic extension of work authorization applications. The rule will NOT affect automatic extensions filed before October 30, 2025, and is not expected to impact those already working on the 540-day extension. It also should not impact the 180-day automatic extension for individuals applying for STEM OPT, as this automatic extension is authorized under a separate regulation.

Prior to this rule, many categories of nonimmigrants were permitted to continue working on their expired work permits for up to 540 days, as long as the work permit extension had been filed prior to the end of the current permit. This accounted for long delays at USCIS in processing these petitions, and allowed both workers and companies to have peace of mind with regards to uninterrupted work flow and income. Impacted categories include those in TPS status; E-2 and L1 Spouses, and H-4 nonimmigrants; VAWA self-petitioners; and those with pending Asylum and Pending Adjustment of Status, among others.

If you are affected by the new rule, the best course of action is to apply for your EAD renewal as soon as permitted. USCIS’s press release reminds individuals that they may file up to 180 days in advance of the EAD expiration, although in the past individuals were able to apply earlier than that time to replace their EADs.

APPLICATION FINAL ACTION DATES FOR DECEMBER 2025

FAMILY	India	Pakistan/Bangladesh
1st	08Nov16	08Nov16
2A	01Feb24	01Feb24
2B	01Dec16	01Dec16
3rd	08Sep11	**08Sep11**
4th	01Nov06	08Jan08

EMPLOYMENT	India	Pakistan/Bangladesh
1st	15Mar22	Current
2nd	15May13	01Feb23
3rd	22Sep13	**15Apr23**
Other	22Sep13	15Apr23
4th	01Sep20	01Sep20
5th	01Jul21	Current1B

DATES FOR FILING VISA APPLICATIONS - DECEMBER 2025

FAMILY	India	Pakistan/Bangladesh
1st	01Sep17	01Sep17
2A	22Nov25	22Nov25
2B	08Mar17	08Mar17
3rd	22Jul12	22Jul12
4th	15Dec06	01Mar09

EMPLOYMENT	India	Pakistan/Bangladesh
1st	15Apr23	Current
2nd	01Dec13	15Jul24
3rd	15Aug14	01Jul23
Other	15Aug14	01Dec21
4th	15Feb21	15Feb21
5th	01Apr22	Current1B