April 22, 2026 | Immigration | US Policy | Tech Visas | Innovationtimes.org
These include countries such as Russia, China, Iran, and Venezuela. The policy was announced by the United States Department of State.
It applies to travel, business, and work visas. Officials describe it as a major tightening of US immigration policy..
At the same time, US Citizenship and Immigration Services has started processing H-1B petitions using a revised system with AI-powered tools.
These include an “Evidence Classifier” that uses machine learning to tag and review submitted documents.
Attorneys warn that disorganized or poorly labeled filings may be flagged by the system before reaching human reviewers.
The expansion of the AI platform ImmigrationOS by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement adds another layer of automated scrutiny, cross-referencing visa applications against multiple government and commercial databases to detect overstays and compliance gaps.
International students make up about 70% of full-time graduate students in AI-related fields in the United States.
In addition, 77% of the top US AI companies were founded or co-founded by first- or second-generation immigrants.
New visitor visa bonds ranging from $5,000 to $15,000 are now required for applicants from 12 countries, while employment-based green card processing fees have climbed to $2,965 for expedited applications. China has responded by introducing a new K visa designed to attract young STEM professionals away from the United States.
Immigration attorneys are advising employers sponsoring H-1B workers to ensure meticulous consistency across all filings, given that even minor discrepancies in job duties or compensation records may now trigger automated review flags.
