Several new United States (US) immigration measures took effect on October 1. The changes bring stricter checks for some foreign nationals as the Trump administration increases visa screening and immigration enforcement.
How many visas have been revoked?
The US State Department says more than 250,000 visas have been revoked since President Donald Trump returned to office.
The cases include visa violations, criminal activity, fraud and misuse of the immigration system.
They also include cases linked to national security concerns. About 2,300 visa revocations were linked to birth tourism.
The new measures affect different groups. These include visa holders and people applying for some nonimmigrant visas.
What social media checks are applicants facing?
The State Department has expanded its online screening system as of October 1.
The new checks apply to applicants for I visas for foreign media workers. They also cover TN and TD visas for professionals under the USMCA and their dependants.
Applicants in these categories have been told to make their social media profiles public or open for review.
The State Department says it may use available information to check whether applicants meet visa rules and whether they could pose national security or public safety concerns.
What are the green card numbers for the new fiscal year?
The start of the new US fiscal year also resets the annual limits for employment-based immigrant visas.
The October 2026 Visa Bulletin lists India’s final action dates at February 1, 2023 for EB-1, November 1, 2013 for EB-2 and January 1, 2014 for EB-3.
The State Department had reached the annual limit for Indian applicants in the EB-2 category in May.
The limit was reset on October 1 with the start of fiscal year 2027. This allows qualified applicants to receive visas under the new annual allocation.
The October bulletin also shows the F2A family visa category as current for all listed countries in the relevant filing chart. Other categories still have specific priority dates.
The effect of these changes will depend on each person’s visa type, nationality, immigration status and priority date.
