Meridian · Freshness tracker

What's changed.

Dated updates to visa, tax, residency, citizenship, housing, and labour policy across every country tracked. Every entry cites its primary source and the date we last verified it.

Subscribe via RSS ↗ · 14 entries shown

Country All countriesAQAntarcticaAUAustraliaBRBrazilCACanadaCNChina (Mainland)EGEgyptFRFranceDEGermanyHKHong KongIEIrelandITItalyJPJapanMXMexicoMAMoroccoNLNetherlandsNZNew ZealandPTPortugalSGSingaporeZASouth AfricaKRSouth KoreaESSpainAEUnited Arab EmiratesGBUnited KingdomUSUnited States
Category All categoriesVisa & immigrationResidencyCitizenshipTaxationLabourHousingHealthcareOther
In force 27 Feb 2026
In force Visa & immigration

H-1B lottery replaced by weighted (wage-based) selection

USCIS finalised a rule replacing the randomised H-1B lottery with a weighted selection system that prioritises higher-paid roles. Registrations are weighted at different rates depending on the prevailing-wage level (Level I receives the lowest weight; Level IV the highest). Effective 27 February 2026; applies to the FY2027 cap registration season.

Who it affects: All H-1B cap-subject employers and prospective registrants from FY2027 onwards.

USCIS — US Citizenship and Immigration Services ↗ · Federal Register ↗ · US Department of Homeland Security ↗ · verified 2026-04-19

In force 1 Oct 2025
In force Visa & immigration

DV Lottery ineligible-country list updated for DV-2027

The Department of State's annual DV-lottery ineligibility list is recalculated each year based on prior-5-year immigration volumes. For DV-2027 (registration Oct-Nov 2025), several countries were added to the ineligible list (Brazil, Colombia joined the existing list of high-volume countries); some smaller countries previously ineligible became eligible. Practical effect: shifts in who can register for the 50,000 annual diversity visas.

Who it affects: Prospective DV-lottery registrants from countries added to or removed from the ineligible list.

US Department of State ↗ · verified 2026-04-19

In force 21 Sept 2025
In force Visa & immigration

Presidential Proclamation restricting entry of certain non-immigrant workers

A companion Presidential Proclamation to the H-1B fee order restricted entry of certain non-immigrant workers pending the Department of Homeland Security's publication of implementing guidance. The proclamation's practical scope has developed through 2025–2026 agency guidance; ongoing litigation contests several provisions.

Who it affects: Non-immigrant workers in categories specified by subsequent DHS implementing guidance.

The White House ↗ · US Department of Homeland Security ↗ · US Department of State ↗ · verified 2026-04-19

In force 21 Sept 2025
In force Visa & immigration

Presidential Proclamation imposes US$100,000 fee per H-1B petition

Presidential Proclamation issued 19 September 2025 imposed a US$100,000 additional fee per H-1B visa petition as a condition of eligibility, effective immediately for new petitions submitted after 12:01 am EDT on 21 September 2025. Applies to FY2026 lottery petitions and any subsequent H-1B petitions. Litigation challenges filed; implementation continues pending court rulings.

Who it affects: All new H-1B petitions submitted after 12:01 am EDT, 21 September 2025.

The White House ↗ · USCIS — US Citizenship and Immigration Services ↗ · US Department of State ↗ · verified 2026-04-19

In force 20 Jan 2025
In force Residency

Presidential executive orders on immigration issued on inauguration day

A series of executive orders issued on 20 January 2025 substantially reshaped US immigration policy — ending CBP One parole appointments at the southern border, ending Biden-era humanitarian parole programmes for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans, directing enhanced interior enforcement, and initiating a review of refugee-admission ceilings. Subsequent implementing orders and court rulings have tempered, expanded, or delayed various elements.

Who it affects: Broad immigration ecosystem — asylum, border enforcement, parole programmes, humanitarian protections.

The White House ↗ · US Department of Homeland Security ↗ · USCIS — US Citizenship and Immigration Services ↗ · verified 2026-04-19

In force 17 Jan 2025
In force Visa & immigration

USCIS H-1B Modernization Rule — registration integrity, degree recognition

Effective 17 January 2025, the USCIS H-1B Modernization Rule introduced several changes: beneficiary-centric registration (each individual eligible for selection once regardless of multiple employer registrations), clarification of specialty-occupation standards (direct relationship between degree and role required), streamlined cap-gap student extensions. Pre-dates and is distinct from the 2025 Trump administration weighted-selection rule.

Who it affects: All H-1B cap-subject registrants and employers.

USCIS — US Citizenship and Immigration Services ↗ · Federal Register ↗ · verified 2026-04-19

In force 1 Jan 2025
In force Residency

DACA programme remains under litigation; no new applications accepted

Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) remains under continued federal court litigation following the 5th Circuit's September 2023 ruling upholding the July 2021 district-court order that found the programme unlawful. Existing DACA recipients continue to be able to renew; no new initial applications are being processed pending final judicial resolution. Congressional legislation remains the only reliable permanent-status path.

Who it affects: Approximately 580,000 current DACA recipients and a larger pool of potentially-eligible undocumented youth.

USCIS — US Citizenship and Immigration Services ↗ · US Department of Homeland Security ↗ · verified 2026-04-19

In force 1 Sept 2024
In force Visa & immigration

Global Entry expanded to additional partner countries

CBP continued expansion of Global Entry partner-country eligibility through 2024–2025 — adding nationals of additional countries with reciprocal trusted-traveller agreements (notably Poland, Taiwan, and several others). Existing programme rules unchanged; expansion affects applicant eligibility rather than programme substance.

Who it affects: Frequent international travellers from newly-eligible partner countries.

US Department of Homeland Security ↗ · verified 2026-04-19

In force 1 Jul 2024
In force Visa & immigration

DOL prevailing-wage methodology refreshed

The Department of Labor refreshed its prevailing-wage methodology in mid-2024 — annual OES data refresh plus technical revisions to wage-level determinations for specific tech and healthcare occupations. Did not introduce the controversial 2020 proposed wage floors that were vacated by courts. Continues the stability of the Obama-era four-tier wage structure.

Who it affects: All H-1B, H-2B, PERM, and LCA applications relying on DOL prevailing-wage determinations.

US Department of Labor ↗ · verified 2026-04-19

In force 1 Apr 2024
In force Visa & immigration

USCIS Trusted Employer Pilot Programme launched

USCIS launched a Trusted Employer Pilot Programme in April 2024 to streamline adjudication for a defined set of high-volume, low-risk petitioners. Enrolled employers receive expedited review of eligible petitions. Pilot operated for 2 years; outcomes published in 2026 inform potential expansion of permanent-programme status.

Who it affects: Large-volume USCIS petitioners enrolled in the pilot; indirect benefit to their beneficiaries.

USCIS — US Citizenship and Immigration Services ↗ · verified 2026-04-19

Announced 7 Feb 2024
Repealed Residency

Bipartisan border-security and immigration-reform bill failed in Senate

A bipartisan border-security and immigration-reform bill negotiated by Senators Lankford, Sinema, and Murphy failed a procedural vote in the Senate on 7 February 2024, after opposition from then-former-president Trump. Represented the closest Congress has come to major immigration reform since 2013. Subsequent administrative actions by both the Biden (2024) and Trump (2025) administrations have substituted for legislative change in practice.

Who it affects: Broad US immigration policy — no major legislative reform enacted.

The White House ↗ · verified 2026-04-19

In force 1 Jan 2024
In force Visa & immigration

Updated USCIS guidance for O-1 extraordinary-ability adjudication

USCIS continued its multi-year refresh of O-1 adjudication guidance through 2024 — explicit recognition of criteria common in STEM fields (peer-reviewed publications, patents, research-grant awards, media coverage in specialised outlets). Materially improved the adjudication predictability for founder and researcher O-1A petitions following earlier 2022 guidance.

Who it affects: O-1A and O-1B petitioners, particularly founders and STEM researchers.

USCIS — US Citizenship and Immigration Services ↗ · verified 2026-04-19

In force 1 Jan 2024
In force Residency

Public charge rule reverted to pre-2019 "totality of circumstances" framework

The 2022 final rule reverting the public-charge inadmissibility determination to a "totality of circumstances" framework (the pre-2019 standard) remains in force. USCIS Form I-944 is not required; Form I-864 affidavit of support continues to be the primary vehicle. Does not consider non-cash benefits such as SNAP, Medicaid, or public housing as public charge factors.

Who it affects: All adjustment-of-status applicants and new immigrant-visa applicants.

USCIS — US Citizenship and Immigration Services ↗ · verified 2026-04-19

In force 1 Jan 2024
In force Residency

Visa Bulletin retrogression continues for key employment-based categories

Through 2024–2026 the Visa Bulletin continued to reflect significant retrogression in employment-based categories — particularly EB-2 and EB-3 for India (current priority dates in the early-mid 2010s) and China. EB-5 set-aside categories (rural, high-unemployment) remain current for most nationalities. Movement is a function of annual demand versus the 140,000 employment-based annual limit and per-country 7% cap.

Who it affects: Employment-based green-card applicants in backlogged categories and countries.

US Department of State ↗ · verified 2026-04-19