Weekly immigration insights and plain-language updates to make the system clearer, simpler, and easier to navigate.
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To travel outside of the U.S., most people need to bring their passport, valid visa stamp, and I-797 approval notice. Read more holiday travel tips from Manifest’s immigration attorneys in our Travel FAQs here.

This week, immigration attorney Ana Gabriela Urizar offers her insights on some of the latest headlines

The State Department has finally released the latest Visa Bulletin, and it arrived with great news for EB-1 filers.

The EB-1 final action date for India advanced by nearly a full year, from March 15, 2022 to February 1, 2023. That kind of big shift shows overall category momentum. Filing dates have also moved up for Indian EB-1 applicants by four months. While this shift may be less dramatic than the jump for final action dates, it’s still highly meaningful. The EB-1 category is clearly advancing, and thousands of new applicants can now file Form I-485.

Read more in this week’s Legal Brief, from the desk of Manifest.

👮🏻 Trump Administration Expands Travel Ban, Adds 22 Countries: A new executive order covers a total of 39 countries, plus restrictions on those carrying Palestinian Authority documents.

The suspension only applies to foreign nationals from the listed countries who are outside the U.S. on the effective date and do not have a valid visa as of January 1, 2026.

📋 DHS plans to end Family Reunification Parole programs: As of December 15, most people who entered the U.S. under a Family Reunification Parole will have 30 days to leave the country or find another legal immigration status, unless an exemption applies.

📸 USCIS Narrows Photo Reuse to 3 Years: Starting December 12, immigration officers cannot repurpose photographs collected more than 36 months ago at an Application Support Center.

Aakash Alurkar came to the U.S. from India as an international student before building a career in product at Zoom. After losing his last chance at the H-1B lottery while working there, he successfully secured an O-1 visa. The day after he got approved for his O-1 visa, he got started on his EB-1A application. 

Aakash intentionally strengthened the same profile that had supported his O-1: peer-reviewing journals, expanding his patent portfolio, and documenting the real-world impact of his work in product. With Manifest’s guidance, he then translated that experience into an EB-1A petition that clearly mapped his career to USCIS criteria, responded to a detailed RFE, and ultimately won an approval.

“With the EB-1A,” Aakash says, “you know you’re on the fastest path possible.”