Insights & Updates on EB-1A Green Card and U.S. Immigration

On December 12, 2025, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) introduced a new photo policy aimed at fortifying identity verification and reducing fraud in the immigration system.

In an important advisory that has grabbed international headlines, the U.S. Embassy in India has issued a clear and firm warning to visa applicants: if the primary purpose of your travel is to give birth in the United States to secure citizenship for your child, your tourist visa application will be denied.

In a major development that has caught the attention of global travellers and immigration watchers alike, the United States is proposing new travel screening requirements that would dramatically expand the digital footprint required from many foreign visitors. However, Indian tourists will not be subject to the controversial social media vetting rule.

International tourists intending to travel to the U.S. could also face social media scrutiny, which, according to several outlets, can now reach up to five years of social media history screening and vetting.

At GCEB1, we have already covered the new social media vetting rule implemented by the USCIS. However, its impact could be felt far and beyond, causing panic and freezing visa appointments.

U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem hinted on Thursday that the U.S. plans to expand the number of countries restricted by the travel ban to more than 30. She was also asked in an interview with Fox News to confirm whether the Trump administration would extend the travel ban list to around 32 countries.

In a recent Newsroom update on 5th December, Thursday, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced a centralized establishment to fortify screening, and in their own language, ‘to keep America safe’.

The Trump administration has recently introduced yet another bottleneck into its immigration policy. On Thursday, the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) revised its policy manual to sharply restrict the length of Employment Authorization Documents (EADs) for several categories of immigrants.

On Wednesday, the Trump administration imposed a fresh measure of vetting on the H-1B visa, which remains the latest to date. The crux of this vetting is stated in an internal State Department memo, saying that anyone involved in “censorship” of free speech would be considered a potential rejection.

The leading India-based companies are witnessing a breathtaking drop in the number of H-1B visa approvals in FY25. This striking drop has been recorded and noted by the National Foundation for American Policy (NFAP) analysis of the USCIS data.

Elon Musk, the luminary innovator and the world’s wealthiest man, contributed his latest remark to the ongoing H-1B visa row. In the People By WTF podcast hosted by Zerodha co-founder Nikhil Kamath, Musk voiced this statement.

A big breaking news has erupted everywhere as Donald Trump vows to permanently pause all migration from Third World Countries. However, though the announcement is sharp and point-blank, much remains unclear so far.