Overview
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So far, 2025 has brought a flurry of immigration changes that have impacted thousands of individuals residing in the United States.
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To ensure you have not missed anything, we have summarized and detailed each of them below (from most to least recent).
1. Restoring a Rigorous, Holistic, and Comprehensive Good Moral Character Evaluation Standard for Aliens Applying for Naturalization (August 2025)
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The August 15, 2025 U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Policy Memo lays out the responsibility of those looking to become naturalized U.S. citizens to continue to be an individual of good moral character.
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Going forward, USCIS officers will account not just for the absence of misconduct but for the alien’s positive attributes as well.
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USCIS officers will take a holistic approach in evaluating whether or not an alien seeking naturalization “has affirmatively established that he or she has met their burden of establishing that they are worthy of assuming the rights and responsibilities of United States Citizenship.”
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Examples of positive attributes may include, but are not limited to:
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Sustained community involvement and contributions in the United States
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Family caregiving, responsibility, and ties in the United States
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Educational attainment
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Stable and lawful employment history and achievements
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Length of lawful residence in the United States
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Compliance with tax obligations and financial responsibility in the United States
2. USCIS to Consider Anti-Americanism in Immigrant Benefit Requests (August 2025)
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USCIS is updating guidance for officers to take into consideration when adjudicating immigration benefits.
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This updated guidance will empower the officers to consider factors related to the alien’s past requests and any involvement in anti-American or terrorist organizations, or where evidence of antisemitic activity is present.
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This would also expand the discretion to further consider social media posts and review of anti-American activity.
3. USCIS Issues Guidance Regarding Family-Based Immigration Policy (August 2025)
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According to the policy guidance, fraudulent, frivolous, or otherwise non-meritorious family-based immigrant visa petitions erode confidence in family-based pathways to lawful permanent resident (LPR) status and undermine family unity in the United States.
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This updated guidance will improve USCIS’s capacity to vet qualifying marriages and family relationships to ensure they are genuine, verifiable, and compliant with all applicable laws.
4. USCIS Updates Policy Manual Related to Child Status Protection Act (CSPA) (August 2025)
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The Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) defines a child as a person who is both unmarried and under 21 years old.
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If an alien applies for lawful permanent resident (LPR) status as a child but turns 21 before being approved for LPR status (also known as getting a Green Card), that alien can no longer be considered a child for immigration purposes
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This policy update ensures both USCIS and the Department of State use the Final Action Dates chart in the Visa Bulletin to determine when a visa becomes available for the purposes of CSPA age calculation.
5. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Officially Terminates Biden-era Parole Program for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans (CHNV) (June 2025)
6. Work Authorization for TPS (Temporary Protected Status) for Venezuelans is Terminated (June 2025)
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On July 22, 2025, the Federal Register published a rule implementing provisions from the HR 1 reconciliation bill, shortening the validity of TPS-related Employment Authorization Documents (EADs) and introducing new fees. Just days later, USCIS quietly issued an August 1 alert that shortens automatic extension periods for TPS EAD renewals. This marks a significant shift in TPS-based work authorization,
7. Certain Countries Banned from Entry into the United States (June 2025)
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Visa issuance ban for entry into the United States for nationals of the following twelve countries: Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen.
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For nationals of the following countries, the proclamation suspends immigrant visa issuance, as well as nonimmigrant visa issuance in only the B, F, M, and J visa classifications for temporary visitors, students, and exchange visitors: Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela.
8. USCIS Updated Policy on Form I-693, Report of Immigration Medical Examination and Vaccination Record (April 2025)
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This is required as part of the application for a Green Card in the United States.
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Per the latest guidance, Form I-693, Report of Immigration Medical Examination and Vaccination Record, that was properly completed and signed by a civil surgeon on or after November 1, 2023, does not expire and can be used indefinitely as evidence to show that the applicant is not inadmissible on health-related grounds.
9. Entering the United States as a Foreign National
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All persons, baggage, and merchandise are subject to inspection by CBP. On certain occasions, CBP can search electronic devices (including cell phones, laptops, and cameras). According to the CBP, border searches of electronic devices are often integral to determining an individual’s intentions upon entry to the United States and thus provide additional information relevant to the admissibility of foreign nationals under U.S. immigration laws.
Cozen O’Connor Analysis
True to his word on the campaign trail, President Trump has made immigration in the United States a pillar of his second term. In addition to each of the topics detailed above, Cozen O’Connor is also tracking potential changes to the following:
- Newly Proposed Changes to Overhaul the H-1B Random Selection Lottery
- On July 17, 2025, the Trump administration formally submitted a proposal to overhaul the H-1B cap selection process, marking a significant shift in U.S. immigration policy.
- Currently, the USCIS conducts a random lottery to select 85,000 H-1B registrations annually (65,000 regular cap and 20,000 U.S. master’s cap).
- Under the proposed changes, the random lottery would be replaced with a weighted selection system that prioritizes applications offering higher wages, among other potential factors.
- Preliminary analysis suggests this shift could lead to a 60%+ increase in offered salaries for first-time H-1B applicants seeking to improve their selection odds.
- The intended outcome is to favor higher-paid, higher-skilled roles, which may disadvantage employers seeking to hire entry-level talent, including campus hires.
- In August 2025, the Office of Management and Budget concluded its review of a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) proposal to end duration of status (D/S) for F, J, and I nonimmigrants.
- Currently, when someone enters the United States in F, J, or I as a nonimmigrant, their documentation does not specify an expiration date. Rather, it is stamped with D/S.
- The proposed rule is not yet known. However, it would assign an expiration date to the individual’s status, which would be a big change to these nonimmigrant classifications.
