Termination of the Designation of Nicaragua for Temporary Protected Status
“Department of Homeland Security (DHS) notice that DHS Secretary Kristi Noem is terminating the designation of Nicaragua for Temporary Protected Status (TPS). The designation of Nicaragua is set to expire on 7/5/25. This termination is effective 9/8/25, after which nationals of Nicaragua (and people with no nationality who last habitually resided in Nicaragua) who have been granted TPS under Nicaragua's designation will no longer have TPS. (90 FR 30086, 7/8/25)”
Termination of the Designation of Honduras for Temporary Protected Status
“Department of Homeland Security (DHS) notice that DHS Secretary Kristi Noem is terminating the designation of Honduras for Temporary Protected Status (TPS). The designation of Honduras is set to expire on 7/5/25. This termination is effective 9/8/25, after which nationals of Honduras (and people with no nationality who last habitually resided in Honduras) who have been granted TPS under Honduras's designation will no longer have TPS. (90 FR 30089, 7/8/25)”
Eligible employment authorization documents (EADs) will be extended until 9/8/25.
USCIS Update Notice: Form I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker
USCIS updated:
Form I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker
(Petitioners use this form to file on behalf of a nonimmigrant worker to come to the United States temporarily to perform services or labor, or to receive training, as an H-1B, H-2A, H-2B, H-3, L-1, O-1, O-2, P-1, P-1S, P-2, P-2S, P-3, P-3S, Q-1 or R-1 nonimmigrant worker. Petitioners may also use this form to request an extension of stay in or change of status to E-1, E-2, E-3, H-1B1 or TN, or one of the above classifications for an alien.)
Edition Date: 01/20/25. Starting July 30, 2025, we will accept only the 01/20/25 edition. Until then, you can also use the 01/17/25 edition. You can find the edition date at the bottom of the page on the form and instructions.
For more information, please visit the Forms Updates page.
Resources for U.S. Citizens & Visa Applications Impacted by Conflicts in the Middle East
AILA Practice Pointer: Resources for U.S. Citizens & Consular Updates for NIV/IV Processing Impacted by the Conflicts in the Middle East (June 17, 2025)
AILA’s Department of State (DOS) Liaison Committee provides the following resource to help members understand the current state of consular operations and U.S. Citizen Services for individuals impacted by the current crisis in the Middle East. Due to the fluid and dynamic nature of these events, please check U.S. Embassy and official government websites for the most up-to-date information.
Iraq: On June 11, 2025, the U.S. Department of State ordered the departure of non-emergency U.S. government personnel from Iraq due to “heightened regional tensions.”
For updates on current status of consular services, access the U.S. Embassy in Iraq website at https://iq.usembassy.gov/
Israel: On June 14, 2025, the U.S. Department of State authorized the voluntary departure of family members and non-emergency U.S. government employees from Israel due to “the volatile and unpredictable security situation in the region.” The United States does not have diplomatic relations with the West Bank separately from Israel. Additionally, the United States does not have diplomatic relations with Gaza, as the U.S. government has designated Hamas as a terrorist organization.
For updates on current status of consular services, access the U.S. Embassy in Israel website at https://il.usembassy.gov/
For updates on Department of State advice to U.S. citizens regarding Gaza and the West Bank, access the U.S. Embassy in Israel website at https://il.usembassy.gov/
Iran: The United States has not had diplomatic relations with Iran since April 7, 1980, following the seizure by student militants of the U.S. embassy in Tehran on November 4, 1979. Switzerland currently serves as the protecting power for U.S. interests in Iran. On June 15, 2025, the State Department advised that U.S. citizens should not travel to Iran for any reason and should depart Iran immediately if they are there.
For updates on the Department of State advice to U.S. citizens regarding Iran, access the Virtual U.S. Embassy for Iran at https://ir.usembassy.gov/
General Advice for U.S. Citizens
Enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) to receive security updates.
Receive alerts from the U.S. Department of state’s Bureau of Consular Affairs via WhatsApp.
Prepare a plan for emergency situations. Review the Traveler’s Checklist.
Follow the Department of State on Facebook and Twitter/X.
Monitor local media for information.
Contact information for U.S. Consular Services in Iraq
Immigrant visa applications: BaghdadIV@state.gov
Non-immigrant visa applications: BaghdadNIV@state.gov
American Citizen Services BaghdadACS@state.gov
U.S. Embassy Baghdad
Al-Kindi Street
International Zone
Baghdad, Iraq
Business Hours: 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Sunday through Thursday
Telephone: +964-760-030-3000 or +1-301-985-8841 from the United States
Emergency after-hours telephone: +964-760-030-3000 or +1-301-985-8841, and ask for the duty officer
Email: BaghdadACS@state.gov
U.S. Consulate General Erbil
413 Ishtar, Ankawa
Erbil, Iraq
Business Hours: 8:00am to 5:00pm, Sunday through Thursday
Telephone: +964-66-211-4000 or +1-240-264-3467, ext. 4554, from the United States
Emergency after-hours telephone: +964-66-211-4000 or +1-240-264-3467, ext. 4554, and ask for the duty officer
Email: ErbilACS@state.gov
Contact Information for U.S. Consular Services in Israel
NIV Unit - JerusalemNIV@state.gov
NIV Processing - https://ais.usvisa-info.com/en-il/niv/information/contact_us
IV Unit – JerusalemIVAttorneys@state.gov
IV Processing - https://ais.usvisa-info.com/en-il/iv/information/contact_us
U.S. Embassy Jerusalem
14 David Flusser St. Jerusalem
Telephone: +972-2-630-4000
E-mail: Website: https://il.usembassy.gov/
U.S. Embassy Branch Office Tel Aviv
71 HaYarkon St. Tel Aviv
Telephone: +972-3-519-7575
E-mail: Website: https://il.usembassy.gov/
State Department – Consular Affairs 888-407-4747 or 202-501-4444
Contact Information for U.S. Citizen Services in Gaza and the West Bank
U.S. Embassy Jerusalem
14 David Flusser St. Jerusalem
Telephone: +972-2-630-4000
E-mail: JerusalemACS@state.gov
Website: https://il.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen-services/
Contact Information for U.S. Citizen Services in Iran
Email the U.S. Embassy in Bern, Switzerland at BernACS@state.gov. Include “IRN” in the subject line. Include:
Full name as shown on U.S. passport
Date of Birth
Place of Birth
U.S. passport number
Current location
Phone number
If a dual national, the other country of nationality
Whether the individual is in possession of a valid travel document
Call +1-888-407-4747 or +1-202-501-4444
Contact Information for U.S. Citizen Services in Gaza and the West Bank
U.S. Embassy Jerusalem
14 David Flusser St. Jerusalem
Telephone: +972-2-630-4000
E-mail: JerusalemACS@state.gov
Website: https://il.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen-services/
Contact Information for U.S. Citizen Services in Iran
Email the U.S. Embassy in Bern, Switzerland at BernACS@state.gov. Include “IRN” in the subject line. Include:
Full name as shown on U.S. passport
Date of Birth
Place of Birth
U.S. passport number
Current location
Phone number
If a dual national, the other country of nationality
Whether the individual is in possession of a valid travel document
Call +1-888-407-4747 or +1-202-501-4444
International Travel Advisories & Alerts2
Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza travel Advisory (June 16, 2025)
Iran Security Alert: Threat of Additional Military Strikes (June 13, 2025)
Security Alert – Exercise Increased Caution in the Region (June 12, 2025)
Iraq Travel Advisory: Level 4: Do Not Travel (June 11, 2025)
Federal Judge Blocked the Trump Administration from Limiting Passport Sex Markers for Many Transgender and Nonbinary Americans
Associated Press//June 18, 2025//
“A federal judge has blocked the Trump administration from limiting passport sex markers for many transgender and nonbinary Americans.
The June 17 ruling by U.S. District Court Judge Julia E. Kobick means that transgender or nonbinary people who are without a passport or need to apply for a new one can request a male, female or “X” identification marker rather than being limited to the marker that matches the gender assigned at birth.
In an executive order signed in January, the president used a narrow definition of the sexes instead of a broader conception of gender. The order said a person is male or female and rejected the idea that someone can transition from the sex assigned at birth to another gender.
Kobick first issued a preliminary injunction against the policy last month, but that ruling applied only to six people who joined with the American Civil Liberties Union in a lawsuit over the passport policy.
In the June 17 ruling, she agreed to expand the injunction to include transgender or nonbinary people who are currently without a valid passport, those whose passport is expiring within a year, and those who need to apply for a passport because theirs was lost or stolen or because they need to change their name or sex designation.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The government failed to show that blocking its policy would cause it any constitutional injury, Kobick wrote, or harm the executive branch’s relations with other countries.
The transgender and nonbinary people covered by the preliminary injunction, meanwhile, have shown that the passport policy violates their constitutional rights to equal protection, Kobick said.
“Even assuming a preliminary injunction inflicts some constitutional harm on the Executive Branch, such harm is the consequence of the State Department’s adoption of a Passport Policy that likely violates the constitutional rights of thousands of Americans,” Kobick wrote.
Kobick, who was appointed by former President Joe Biden, had granted the ACLU’s motion for a preliminary injunction.
“The Executive Order and the Passport Policy on their face classify passport applicants on the basis of sex and thus must be reviewed under intermediate judicial scrutiny,” Kobick wrote in the preliminary injunction issued earlier this year. “That standard requires the government to demonstrate that its actions are substantially related to an important governmental interest. The government has failed to meet this standard.”
In its lawsuit, the ACLU described how one woman had her passport returned with a male designation while others are too scared to submit their passports because they feared their applications might be suspended and their passports held by the State Department.
Another mailed in their passport on Jan. 9 and requested to change their name and their sex designation from male to female. That person was still waiting for their passport, the ACLU said in the lawsuit, and feared missing a family wedding and a botany conference this year.
In response to the lawsuit, the Trump administration argued that the passport policy change “does not violate the equal protection guarantees of the Constitution.” It also contended that the president has broad discretion in setting passport policy and that plaintiffs would not be harmed since they are still free to travel abroad.”
U.S. District Court Judge Asks How the Government Defines DEI
“US District Judge William G. Young on Thursday pointedly questioned a government lawyer in Boston on how the Trump administration defines DEI — the acronym for diversity, equity, and inclusion — as a rationale to slash more than $1 billion in medical research grants.
“When you say to me, DEI, as though that’s bad, I don’t understand what that means,” Young told Anuj Khetarpal, a federal attorney who had asked the judge to dismiss a lawsuit seeking to halt funding cuts by the National Institutes of Health.
“Someone’s got to help me on that,” Young added. “I’m not making policy statements. I’m asking for a definition of a policy that squares with what I had always understood were the defining elements of the American experience.”
“Does that mean our policy is homogeneity, inequity, and exclusion? I mean, are you going to stand there and tell me, that now is the policy of the National Institutes of Health?” Young asked.
“Your honor,” Khetarpal replied, “I am not making that assertion.”
“It would be a breathtaking assertion,” Young said.”
As reported in Boston Globe
Link: Nationwide Injunction on Student SEVIS term cases.
Announcement of Expanded Screening and Vetting for Visa Applicants
June 18, 2025
The State Department is committed to protecting our nation and our citizens by upholding the highest standards of national security and public safety through our visa process. A U.S. visa is a privilege, not a right.
We use all available information in our visa screening and vetting to identify visa applicants who are inadmissible to the United States, including those who pose a threat to U.S. national security. Under new guidance, we will conduct a comprehensive and thorough vetting, including online presence, of all student and exchange visitor applicants in the F, M, and J nonimmigrant classifications.
To facilitate this vetting, all applicants for F, M, and J nonimmigrant visas will be instructed to adjust the privacy settings on all of their social media profiles to “public.”
Our overseas posts will resume scheduling F, M, and J nonimmigrant visa applications soon. Applicants should check the relevant embassy or consulate website for appointment availability.
Every visa adjudication is a national security decision. The United States must be vigilant during the visa issuance process to ensure that those applying for admission into the United States do not intend to harm Americans and our national interests, and that all applicants credibly establish their eligibility for the visa sought, including that they intend to engage in activities consistent with the terms for their admission.”
E-Verify Corrects Erroneous Issuance Of Final Non-Confirmation Notice
“…on May 19, 2025, E-Verify issued a notice to alert employers to a technical issue that has resulted in the issuance of erroneous final nonconfirmations (FNCs) for E-Verify cases that were referred between April 9, 2025 and May 5, 2025. See example below.
The Committee recommends that employers with any FNCs review this alert to determine if their cases fall under this technical issue.
The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) states that employers should not take any adverse action, nor terminate the employment of individuals that received a FNC during this identified time period.