U.S. Immigration Alerts

FGI FIVE: U.S. Immigration News Summary – Week of April 25, 2025

State Department to undergo ‘sweeping reorganization’: Uncertain impact on embassies and consulates

• On April 22, 2025, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced a plan to reorganize the US State Department that will eliminate over 130 domestic offices and cut around 700 positions in the coming months.
• This development comes after the media reported on a memo that said that the State Department is considering plans to close 10 embassies and 17 consulates and reduce or consolidate the staff of several other foreign missions.
• If implemented these reductions may result in visa processing delays although the State Department’s official announcement did not refer to consular operations. 
• Six of the embassies that the memo proposed for closure are in Africa: Central African Republic, Eritrea, Gambia, Lesotho, the Republic of Congo and South Sudan. The memo recommends transferring their functions to embassies in nearby countries. The memo also recommends closing two small embassies in Europe — in Luxembourg and Malta — as well as the diplomatic missions in Grenada and the Maldives, and moving their portfolios to nearby countries, too.
• The memo also suggests closing consulates in Thessaloniki, Greece; Florence, Italy; Ponta Delgada, Portugal; and Edinburgh. Outside of Europe, the memo recommends closing an additional four consulates, in Douala, Cameroon; Medan, Indonesia; Durban, South Africa; and Busan, South Korea. Five of the consulates are in France — in Bordeaux, Lyon, Marseilles, Rennes and Strasbourg. Two are in Germany — in Düsseldorf and Leipzig. Another two, Mostar and Banja Luka, are in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
• The memo also suggests either significantly downsizing or eliminating the U.S. embassy presence in Mogadishu, Somalia, and closing the Baghdad Diplomatic Support Center in Iraq, while reducing costs at the diplomatic posts in Baghdad and Erbil, Iraq. It also suggests consolidating consular support in countries with multiple consulates — such as Japan and Canada — in a single location.

SOURCES: www.cnn.com/2025/04/22/politics/rubio-state-department-cuts/index.html; and www.nytimes.com/2025/04/15/us/politics/state-dept-expands-plans-for-closing-embassies-and-consulates.html 

Department of Homeland Security to enforce document requirements of the REAL ID Act beginning May 7

Beginning May 7, 2025, the Department of Homeland Security will enforce the REAL ID Act’s document requirements for U.S. domestic air travelers who are 18 or older, which includes U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents, and nonimmigrants. 

As of May 7, 2025, one of the following documents will be needed for a U.S. air traveler to board a plane in the U.S.

• A U.S. passport;
• A U.S. passport card;
• A state-issued driver’s license or identification card that meets REAL ID requirements (a temporary license or ID is not acceptable).
• An acceptable alternative form of identification. 

The following documents, among others, are approved for domestic air travel:

• A foreign government-issued passport;
• A DHS trusted traveler card (Global Entry, NEXUS, SENTRI, or FAST program);
• A U.S. permanent resident card (green card);
• A USCIS employment authorization document (EAD);
• A border crossing card;
• A Canadian provincial driver’s license or Indian and Northern Affairs Canada card;
• A U.S. Department of Defense ID, including IDs issued to dependents;
• An acceptable photo ID issued by a federally recognized Tribal Nation/Indian Tribe, including Enhanced Tribal Cards (ETCs)

SOURCE: Department of Homeland Security: www.dhs.gov/real-id/real-id-faqs; and Transportation Security Information: Acceptable Identification at the TSA Checkpoint | Transportation Security Administration

USCIS targets H-1B visa holders for ‘adverse information’

• According to Forbes, US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) officials are issuing Requests for Evidence (RFEs) for H-1B and employment-based immigrant petitions asking for home addresses and biometrics. USCIS has not made such requests previously. 
• USCIS are issuing RFEs, claiming the Service has “adverse information” on individuals. It remains unclear if Trump administration officials have added employment-based visa applicants to its plans to identify and deport people lawfully in the United States or if the requests serve another purpose.
• The requests only state that “adverse information” about the beneficiary exists and the agency needs biometrics. Attorneys note that biometrics are not a typical part of the H-1B, I-140 or other employment-based petition process.
• U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has not provided any notice about a process change. USCIS did not respond to a request for comment to explain the purpose of the RFEs.

SOURCE: Stuart Anderson, Forbes, April 21, 2025: www.forbes.com/sites/stuartanderson/2025/04/21/immigration-service-targets-h-1b-visa-holders-for-adverse-information/ 

The content of this article is intended only to provide a general guide to the subject matter. It should not be construed as legal advice. Please contact FGI at info@employmentimmigration.com or (+1) 248.643.4900 for guidance if you have specific questions.