2025 was a pivotal year for employment-based immigration in the United States, especially for international top talent, founders, HR managers, mobility leaders, and people teams responsible for hiring and supporting a global workforce. A new presidential administration took office, bringing significant policy shifts that reshaped how employers plan, how workers file, and how careers move forward, with the H-1B visa program seeing some of the most consequential changes. Here's a look at some of the key events that transformed employment-based immigration.

Timeline of Major Events in 2025

• January 17, 2025: A sweeping H-1B Modernization Rule took effect. Announced by DHS in Dec 2024, this rule modernizes the H-1B program by clarifying the definition of “specialty occupation,” restoring deference to prior approvals, and codifying site-visit authority for enforcement. It also extends flexibility for F-1 students changing to H-1B status, lengthening the “cap-gap” work authorization through as late as April 1 of the following year.
  
  
• March 2025: USCIS conducted the FY 2026 H-1B cap registration. On March 31, USCIS announced it received enough electronic registrations to meet the FY 2026 H-1B quota. 118,660 unique beneficiaries were selected in the initial lottery (120,141 registrations, accounting for some with multiple submissions). Notably, the total eligible registrations (approximately 343,981) represented a 26.9% drop from the prior year’s ~470,342, indicating fewer duplicate or fraudulent entries. USCIS attributed this decrease to strengthened anti-fraud measures in the registration process.
  
  
• July 18, 2025: USCIS confirmed it had received enough H-1B petitions to reach the FY 2026 cap (65,000 regular plus 20,000 master’s). In other words, all selected registrations resulted in sufficient petition filings by this date, and no further lottery rounds were needed for FY 2026.
  
  
• September 19, 2025: A Presidential Proclamation on H-1B visas dramatically changed the landscape. Effective September 21, 2025, any new H-1B petition for a worker outside the United States must include a $100,000 supplemental fee. Petitions filed without the $100k payment are to be denied, and visas refused, barring narrow national-interest exceptions. This restriction is set for 12 months, subject to extension.
  
  
• September 18, 2025: The U.S. Department of State (DOS) ended most visa interview waivers. New guidance (effective October 1) requires in-person consular interviews for virtually all nonimmigrant visa applicants, including H-1B/H-4 renewals, with only limited exceptions (diplomatic visas, very recent B1/B2 or H-2A renewals, etc.). This rollback of the pandemic-era interview waiver program means H-1B workers and dependents must plan for visa appointments (even for renewals) in nearly all cases.
  
  
• September 24, 2025: DHS published a proposed rule to change the H-1B lottery selection process. The proposal would introduce a wage-level weighted lottery: registrations for jobs at higher DOL wage levels get multiple entries (Level IV = 4 chances, Level III = 3, Level II = 2, Level I = 1). The goal is to incentivize higher salaries and “better allow employers to secure H-1B workers at all wage levels while favoring the highest skilled and paid”.
  
  NOTE: This was only a proposed regulation in 2025, not yet implemented, meaning the standard random lottery remained for the time being.
  
  
• September 2025: By the end of FY 2025, employment-based green card numbers were exhausted. The State Department announced that all EB-1, EB-2, and EB-3 immigrant visas for FY2025 had been issued before September 30. This made those categories “unavailable” in September, with backlogged applicants pushed into the next fiscal year. (The annual limits reset on Oct 1, 2025, but severe visa bulletin retrogressions continued, reflecting lengthy queues for countries like India.)
  
  
• Late 2025 (multiple updates): The administration took steps to tighten work authorization (EAD) rules for other immigration categories, which indirectly affect many employment-based immigrants:
  
  
  
  • Oct 30, 2025: DHS issued an interim rule ending automatic EAD extensions for renewal applicants. Previously, filing for renewal gave an up-to-540-day extension of work authorization; after this change, renewal applicants no longer get an automatic extension and cannot work if their current EAD expires before the new card is approved.
    
    
  • Dec 4, 2025: USCIS shortened the validity of many EADs from 2–5 years down to 18 months. This applies to pending green card applicants (adjustment of status), refugees/asylees, and certain other categories. Separately, under the new “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” passed by Congress, EADs for parolees and TPS holders were limited to 1 year duration.
    
    
  • Dec 3, 2025: DOS announced enhanced vetting for H-1B visas. Effective Dec 15, consular officers will conduct an “online presence review” (social media/background check) for all H-1B and H-4 visa applicants, similar to what was already done for student visas. Applicants are instructed to make their social media profiles public for review. This underscores a heightened national security focus in visa screenings.

The changes we saw in 2025 have reshaped how workers and employers think about employment-based immigration. For many, the process has become more complex, more expensive, and harder to navigate without the right guidance.

And while some proposals like the wage-weighted lottery are still pending, the policies already in place will directly affect how people file, travel, change jobs, or plan long-term stays in 2026.

As rules shift, Casium is here to keep you informed, prepared, and in control of your next step. Whether it’s filing an H-1B transfer, preparing for the FY 2027 lottery, or figuring out how these updates affect your EAD or travel, our team is here to help you file clearly and confidently.

If you're exploring your visa options for 2026, book a free profile evaluation with us. We'll review your case and help you understand which visa paths fit your goals and how to file with confidence.