Yes. Under a new Board of Immigration Appeals decision issued on September 29, 2026, an immigration judge can deny, or "pretermit," an asylum application without ever holding a hearing and without the Department of Homeland Security asking for it. The ruling means the written application itself, not a courtroom hearing, can decide an asylum case. What the Board Decided in Matter of G-R-B- The case is Matter of G-R-B-, 30 I&N Dec. 102 (BIA 2026), a precedent decision from the Board of...

Family-based green card waits can stretch anywhere from a couple of years to more than two decades because Congress allows only a limited number of family preference visas each year, and no single country can receive more than seven percent of them. The October 2026 Visa Bulletin shows just how wide that range has become, with some categories moving forward only months at a time while others remain stuck more than twenty years behind. How the Family Preference Visa System Works Not every...

A T visa lets certain survivors of human trafficking remain in the United States legally, receive work authorization, and eventually apply for a green card, but only if the application meets several specific legal requirements. In most cases that includes cooperating with a law enforcement investigation into the trafficking, though real exceptions exist for minors and trauma survivors. Here is how the process actually works, from eligibility through the path to permanent residence. Who...