https://mandamus.biz/Employment-based petitions stall for months at USCIS and the Department of Labor. This is a working reference on what that delay costs an employer and when federal litigation becomes the cheaper option.en-usFri, 16 Oct 2026 08:00:00 +0000https://mandamus.biz/i-140/pm-602-0199-adjustment-discretion-employers.htmlhttps://mandamus.biz/i-140/pm-602-0199-adjustment-discretion-employers.htmlFri, 16 Oct 2026 08:00:00 +0000USCIS now tells officers that adjustment of status is administrative grace. What that changes for employment-based I-485s and how to prepare the file.I-140 & Employment-Based Petitionshttps://mandamus.biz/i-140/october-2026-visa-bulletin-eb-2-retrogression.htmlhttps://mandamus.biz/i-140/october-2026-visa-bulletin-eb-2-retrogression.htmlFri, 16 Oct 2026 08:00:00 +0000FY2027 opens with EB-2 and EB-3 retrogression for most countries, while USCIS allows the Dates for Filing chart. What that means for sponsored employees.I-140 & Employment-Based Petitionshttps://mandamus.biz/i-140/security-re-vetting-2026-pending-i-485.htmlhttps://mandamus.biz/i-140/security-re-vetting-2026-pending-i-485.htmlFri, 16 Oct 2026 08:00:00 +0000Practitioners report that since 27 April 2026 USCIS has re-run fingerprint checks on pending cases. What is known, what is not, and how employers should document it.I-140 & Employment-Based Petitionshttps://mandamus.biz/i-140/i-140-revocation-after-bouarfa.htmlhttps://mandamus.biz/i-140/i-140-revocation-after-bouarfa.htmlFri, 16 Oct 2026 08:00:00 +0000The Supreme Court held that discretionary revocations under 8 U.S.C. § 1155 are shielded from judicial review. Why the administrative response now carries the whole case.I-140 & Employment-Based Petitionshttps://mandamus.biz/perm/proposed-prevailing-wage-rule-pending-pwd.htmlhttps://mandamus.biz/perm/proposed-prevailing-wage-rule-pending-pwd.htmlFri, 16 Oct 2026 08:00:00 +0000The March 2026 proposal would raise all four wage levels and apply to determinations still pending on its effective date. Why the PWD queue is now a cost line.PERM & Labor Certificationhttps://mandamus.biz/perm/layoffs-and-perm-recruitment-2026.htmlhttps://mandamus.biz/perm/layoffs-and-perm-recruitment-2026.htmlFri, 16 Oct 2026 08:00:00 +0000PERM already requires laid-off U.S. workers to be notified and considered. Executive Order 14431 adds layoff scrutiny on the H-1B side. How to run both without losing cases.PERM & Labor Certificationhttps://mandamus.biz/perm/flag-processing-times-october-2026.htmlhttps://mandamus.biz/perm/flag-processing-times-october-2026.htmlFri, 16 Oct 2026 08:00:00 +0000As of early October 2026 DOL was reviewing PERM cases filed in December 2025, averaging 336 days. What the figures mean for AC21 planning and delay claims.PERM & Labor Certificationhttps://mandamus.biz/h1b/h1b-100000-payment-status-october-2026.htmlhttps://mandamus.biz/h1b/h1b-100000-payment-status-october-2026.htmlFri, 16 Oct 2026 08:00:00 +0000Proclamation 10973 was set aside in June, extended by Proclamation 11069 in September and challenged again. Where the payment stands and how to plan around it.H-1B & Nonimmigrant Work Visashttps://mandamus.biz/h1b/proposed-103265-cap-fee-and-weighted-selection.htmlhttps://mandamus.biz/h1b/proposed-103265-cap-fee-and-weighted-selection.htmlFri, 16 Oct 2026 08:00:00 +0000DHS proposes a $103,265 fee on every cap-subject H-1B petition, after a first lottery weighted by wage level. How both change the cost of each selected registration.H-1B & Nonimmigrant Work Visashttps://mandamus.biz/h1b/executive-order-14431-layoffs-lca-review.htmlhttps://mandamus.biz/h1b/executive-order-14431-layoffs-lca-review.htmlFri, 16 Oct 2026 08:00:00 +0000The September 2026 order tells agencies to weigh recent and planned layoffs in H-1B decisions, while DHS proposes removing the 60-day grace period. What employers should do.H-1B & Nonimmigrant Work Visashttps://mandamus.biz/h1b/change-of-status-vs-consular-notification.htmlhttps://mandamus.biz/h1b/change-of-status-vs-consular-notification.htmlFri, 16 Oct 2026 08:00:00 +0000The $100,000 proclamations, online presence review and 221(g) risk all attach to the consular route. When to request change of status and what it does not solve.H-1B & Nonimmigrant Work Visashttps://mandamus.biz/eb-5/eb-5-fees-november-30-2026.htmlhttps://mandamus.biz/eb-5/eb-5-fees-november-30-2026.htmlFri, 16 Oct 2026 08:00:00 +0000A final rule published on 30 September 2026 sets the I-526E at $7,850 and the I-829 at $5,000 from 30 November. The full schedule and what it means for timing.EB-5 & Investor Immigrationhttps://mandamus.biz/eb-5/eb-5-investment-adjustment-january-2027.htmlhttps://mandamus.biz/eb-5/eb-5-investment-adjustment-january-2027.htmlFri, 16 Oct 2026 08:00:00 +0000The EB-5 Reform and Integrity Act adjusts the minimum investment for petitions filed from 1 January 2027. How the formula works and why the official figure is not out yet.EB-5 & Investor Immigrationhttps://mandamus.biz/eb-5/eb-5-grandfathering-regional-center-sunset.htmlhttps://mandamus.biz/eb-5/eb-5-grandfathering-regional-center-sunset.htmlFri, 16 Oct 2026 08:00:00 +0000Regional center petitions filed by 30 September 2026 are protected if the programme lapses; later filings are not. What that means for investors and sponsors now.EB-5 & Investor Immigrationhttps://mandamus.biz/eb-5/i-526e-120-day-goal-in-court.htmlhttps://mandamus.biz/eb-5/i-526e-120-day-goal-in-court.htmlFri, 16 Oct 2026 08:00:00 +0000A June 2026 D.D.C. ruling found jurisdiction over an I-526E delay claim but held the 120-day goal is aspirational and two years not unreasonable. Lessons for EB-5 cases.EB-5 & Investor Immigrationhttps://mandamus.biz/work-authorization/ead-automatic-extension-final-rule-october-2026.htmlhttps://mandamus.biz/work-authorization/ead-automatic-extension-final-rule-october-2026.htmlFri, 16 Oct 2026 08:00:00 +0000DHS finalised, without change, the 2025 rule ending automatic EAD extensions for renewals. What is new in the final rule and how employers should adjust I-9 practice.EAD & Work Authorization Gapshttps://mandamus.biz/work-authorization/end-of-duration-of-status-opt-cap-gap.htmlhttps://mandamus.biz/work-authorization/end-of-duration-of-status-opt-cap-gap.htmlFri, 16 Oct 2026 08:00:00 +0000Since 15 September 2026 F-1 students are admitted for fixed periods. How the transition works for OPT workers, why I-94 dates now matter, and the proposed OPT fees.EAD & Work Authorization Gapshttps://mandamus.biz/work-authorization/ead-i-9-and-the-39-country-hold.htmlhttps://mandamus.biz/work-authorization/ead-i-9-and-the-39-country-hold.htmlFri, 16 Oct 2026 08:00:00 +0000The 2026 adjudication holds stopped EAD renewals for nationals of 39 countries until a court vacated them. How employers should handle I-9s, expiring cards and nationality.EAD & Work Authorization Gapshttps://mandamus.biz/cost-of-delay/immigration-budget-2027-fee-changes.htmlhttps://mandamus.biz/cost-of-delay/immigration-budget-2027-fee-changes.htmlFri, 16 Oct 2026 08:00:00 +0000Premium processing rose in March 2026, EB-5 fees change in November, and an H-1B cap fee and OPT fees are proposed. A three-column budget for in-force, contingent and proposed costs.The Cost of Delayhttps://mandamus.biz/cost-of-delay/costing-an-adjudication-hold.htmlhttps://mandamus.biz/cost-of-delay/costing-an-adjudication-hold.htmlFri, 16 Oct 2026 08:00:00 +0000A hold with no end date is the hardest delay to budget. A method that separates certain months from months at risk, using the 2025–2026 country-based holds as the example.The Cost of Delayhttps://mandamus.biz/cost-of-delay/eaja-fees-corporate-plaintiffs.htmlhttps://mandamus.biz/cost-of-delay/eaja-fees-corporate-plaintiffs.htmlFri, 16 Oct 2026 08:00:00 +0000The Equal Access to Justice Act can shift fees to the government, but only for businesses worth $7 million or less with 500 or fewer employees. What that means for budgeting a delay suit.The Cost of Delayhttps://mandamus.biz/litigation/dorcas-v-uscis-hold-policies-vacatur.htmlhttps://mandamus.biz/litigation/dorcas-v-uscis-hold-policies-vacatur.htmlFri, 16 Oct 2026 08:00:00 +0000A Rhode Island court vacated the 2025–2026 USCIS hold policies agency-wide in June 2026. What the order covers, where the appeal stands and how employers should use it.Federal Litigation Playbookhttps://mandamus.biz/litigation/after-trump-v-casa-company-as-party.htmlhttps://mandamus.biz/litigation/after-trump-v-casa-company-as-party.htmlFri, 16 Oct 2026 08:00:00 +0000The Supreme Court curtailed universal injunctions in 2025 but left APA vacatur open. What that means for employers hoping to benefit from other people’s lawsuits.Federal Litigation Playbookhttps://mandamus.biz/litigation/section-1252-jurisdiction-delay-claims-2026.htmlhttps://mandamus.biz/litigation/section-1252-jurisdiction-delay-claims-2026.htmlFri, 16 Oct 2026 08:00:00 +0000The government increasingly argues that courts lack jurisdiction over the pace of adjudication. How the argument fares by form type, after Bouarfa and the 2026 rulings.Federal Litigation Playbookhttps://mandamus.biz/litigation/venue-for-a-corporate-plaintiff.htmlhttps://mandamus.biz/litigation/venue-for-a-corporate-plaintiff.htmlFri, 16 Oct 2026 08:00:00 +0000A company suing a federal agency over a stalled petition has a choice of districts, and the choice is narrower than it looks. How venue works for employer and employee plaintiffs.Federal Litigation Playbookhttps://mandamus.biz/litigation/separate-counsel-employee-co-plaintiff.htmlhttps://mandamus.biz/litigation/separate-counsel-employee-co-plaintiff.htmlFri, 16 Oct 2026 08:00:00 +0000Most employment-based delay suits have two plaintiffs whose interests usually align and sometimes do not. How to structure representation before a conflict appears.Federal Litigation Playbookhttps://mandamus.biz/global-mobility/online-presence-review-visa-stamping.htmlhttps://mandamus.biz/global-mobility/online-presence-review-visa-stamping.htmlFri, 16 Oct 2026 08:00:00 +0000Since 15 December 2025 H-1B and H-4 visa applicants undergo an online presence review. What it changed for stamping, how employers should brief travellers, and the legal limits.Consular & Global Mobilityhttps://mandamus.biz/global-mobility/advance-parole-pending-i-485-2026.htmlhttps://mandamus.biz/global-mobility/advance-parole-pending-i-485-2026.htmlFri, 16 Oct 2026 08:00:00 +0000Leaving the United States while an adjustment application is pending can abandon it. Who needs advance parole, who can travel on an H or L visa instead, and the 2026 risks.Consular & Global Mobilityhttps://mandamus.biz/global-mobility/us-citizen-assignees-children-born-abroad.htmlhttps://mandamus.biz/global-mobility/us-citizen-assignees-children-born-abroad.htmlFri, 16 Oct 2026 08:00:00 +0000Children born to U.S. citizens on international assignment may be citizens at birth, or may need the N-600K. Why private-sector assignment years do not count and what to plan.Consular & Global Mobilityhttps://mandamus.biz/global-mobility/tn-after-usmca-review-2026.htmlhttps://mandamus.biz/global-mobility/tn-after-usmca-review-2026.htmlFri, 16 Oct 2026 08:00:00 +0000The United States declined to renew the USMCA in its current form on 1 July 2026, but the agreement and TN status remain in force. How to plan for a workforce that depends on TN.Consular & Global Mobilityhttps://mandamus.biz/cost-of-delay/business-case-for-filing-mandamus.htmlhttps://mandamus.biz/cost-of-delay/business-case-for-filing-mandamus.htmlSun, 06 Sep 2026 08:00:00 +0000Turning an immigration problem into a one-page proposal a finance team will approve, and answering the five objections that always come.The Cost of Delayhttps://mandamus.biz/cost-of-delay/calculating-the-cost-of-immigration-delay.htmlhttps://mandamus.biz/cost-of-delay/calculating-the-cost-of-immigration-delay.htmlSun, 06 Sep 2026 08:00:00 +0000A five-component model for putting a defensible number on a stalled petition, using figures a finance team already has.The Cost of Delayhttps://mandamus.biz/cost-of-delay/premium-processing-roi.htmlhttps://mandamus.biz/cost-of-delay/premium-processing-roi.htmlSun, 06 Sep 2026 08:00:00 +0000A fixed fee against a monthly carrying cost is usually an easy comparison. Working out where the policy line should sit.The Cost of Delayhttps://mandamus.biz/cost-of-delay/when-not-to-litigate.htmlhttps://mandamus.biz/cost-of-delay/when-not-to-litigate.htmlSun, 06 Sep 2026 08:00:00 +0000The cases where filing is the wrong call, and why saying so protects the times you do recommend it.The Cost of Delayhttps://mandamus.biz/eb-5/i-526e-delay-investor-capital-cost.htmlhttps://mandamus.biz/eb-5/i-526e-delay-investor-capital-cost.htmlSun, 06 Sep 2026 08:00:00 +0000EB-5 delay is a capital-cost problem, not an HR one. What a multi-year I-526E queue does to an investor's position and what recourse exists.EB-5 & Investor Immigrationhttps://mandamus.biz/eb-5/i-829-delay-conditional-residence.htmlhttps://mandamus.biz/eb-5/i-829-delay-conditional-residence.htmlSun, 06 Sep 2026 08:00:00 +0000Conditional residence continues by receipt notice while the I-829 sits. What that does to travel, employment verification and naturalization timing.EB-5 & Investor Immigrationhttps://mandamus.biz/global-mobility/221g-administrative-processing-employees-abroad.htmlhttps://mandamus.biz/global-mobility/221g-administrative-processing-employees-abroad.htmlSun, 06 Sep 2026 08:00:00 +0000Administrative processing has no published clock and no service standard. What it is, how to track it, and what an employer can do while it runs.Consular & Global Mobilityhttps://mandamus.biz/global-mobility/business-travel-policy-visa-risk.htmlhttps://mandamus.biz/global-mobility/business-travel-policy-visa-risk.htmlSun, 06 Sep 2026 08:00:00 +0000The decisions worth making before an employee is stuck abroad, rather than in the week it happens.Consular & Global Mobilityhttps://mandamus.biz/h1b/h1b-extension-240-day-rule.htmlhttps://mandamus.biz/h1b/h1b-extension-240-day-rule.htmlSun, 06 Sep 2026 08:00:00 +0000Continued employment while an extension is pending is a cushion, not a status. Where it applies, where it stops, and what a denial does.H-1B & Nonimmigrant Work Visashttps://mandamus.biz/h1b/h1b-extension-blocked-by-pending-i-140.htmlhttps://mandamus.biz/h1b/h1b-extension-blocked-by-pending-i-140.htmlSun, 06 Sep 2026 08:00:00 +0000AC21 § 106(a) and § 104(c) work differently, and a pending I-140 only satisfies one of them. What that means for extension planning.H-1B & Nonimmigrant Work Visashttps://mandamus.biz/h1b/h1b-transfer-delay-start-date.htmlhttps://mandamus.biz/h1b/h1b-transfer-delay-start-date.htmlSun, 06 Sep 2026 08:00:00 +0000Portability lets a new hire start on filing. What that means when the petition then sits for months, and how to write around the risk.H-1B & Nonimmigrant Work Visashttps://mandamus.biz/i-140/employment-based-visa-bulletin-retrogression.htmlhttps://mandamus.biz/i-140/employment-based-visa-bulletin-retrogression.htmlSun, 06 Sep 2026 08:00:00 +0000How the Visa Bulletin works, what retrogression blocks, and why it changes the value of every downstream filing.I-140 & Employment-Based Petitionshttps://mandamus.biz/i-140/i-140-delay-employer-options.htmlhttps://mandamus.biz/i-140/i-140-delay-employer-options.htmlSun, 06 Sep 2026 08:00:00 +0000Premium processing, service requests, congressional inquiry or federal suit. The four levers available on a stuck I-140, and the order to pull them in.I-140 & Employment-Based Petitionshttps://mandamus.biz/i-140/i-140-mandamus-timeline-and-cost.htmlhttps://mandamus.biz/i-140/i-140-mandamus-timeline-and-cost.htmlSun, 06 Sep 2026 08:00:00 +0000What the ninety days after filing look like, what the company pays, and the three ways an employment-based delay case ordinarily ends.I-140 & Employment-Based Petitionshttps://mandamus.biz/i-140/i-140-premium-processing-when-it-helps.htmlhttps://mandamus.biz/i-140/i-140-premium-processing-when-it-helps.htmlSun, 06 Sep 2026 08:00:00 +0000Premium processing guarantees agency action, not approval, and the clock resets on an RFE. Where the guarantee stops being useful.I-140 & Employment-Based Petitionshttps://mandamus.biz/i-140/i-140-transfer-to-new-employer.htmlhttps://mandamus.biz/i-140/i-140-transfer-to-new-employer.htmlSun, 06 Sep 2026 08:00:00 +0000AC21 portability, the 180-day condition and the same-or-similar test. What transfers, what does not, and how a pending petition constrains an offer.I-140 & Employment-Based Petitionshttps://mandamus.biz/litigation/apa-versus-mandamus-claims.htmlhttps://mandamus.biz/litigation/apa-versus-mandamus-claims.htmlSun, 06 Sep 2026 08:00:00 +0000Two theories usually pleaded together, with different elements and different histories. Where they converge and where they do not.Federal Litigation Playbookhttps://mandamus.biz/litigation/evidence-file-for-a-delay-case.htmlhttps://mandamus.biz/litigation/evidence-file-for-a-delay-case.htmlSun, 06 Sep 2026 08:00:00 +0000What to collect contemporaneously, starting the month a case first looks slow, so a claim can be brought properly later.Federal Litigation Playbookhttps://mandamus.biz/litigation/trac-factors-employment-cases.htmlhttps://mandamus.biz/litigation/trac-factors-employment-cases.htmlSun, 06 Sep 2026 08:00:00 +0000The six-factor test courts use to decide whether agency delay is unreasonable, and how each factor plays in an employer's case.Federal Litigation Playbookhttps://mandamus.biz/litigation/writ-of-mandamus-explained-for-employers.htmlhttps://mandamus.biz/litigation/writ-of-mandamus-explained-for-employers.htmlSun, 06 Sep 2026 08:00:00 +0000What the writ is, which statutes support it, what it can and cannot compel, and why most employment-based delay cases end without a ruling.Federal Litigation Playbookhttps://mandamus.biz/perm/perm-audit-response-guide.htmlhttps://mandamus.biz/perm/perm-audit-response-guide.htmlSun, 06 Sep 2026 08:00:00 +0000Audit response is a documentation exercise on a fixed deadline. What the file must contain and where responses commonly fail.PERM & Labor Certificationhttps://mandamus.biz/perm/perm-delay-department-of-labor.htmlhttps://mandamus.biz/perm/perm-delay-department-of-labor.htmlSun, 06 Sep 2026 08:00:00 +0000PERM has no premium processing. A look at where ETA-9089 cases actually stall, what the published queues mean, and whether DOL delay is litigable.PERM & Labor Certificationhttps://mandamus.biz/perm/prevailing-wage-determination-delay.htmlhttps://mandamus.biz/perm/prevailing-wage-determination-delay.htmlSun, 06 Sep 2026 08:00:00 +0000The PWD queue stalls a PERM case before it formally exists. How to read the published queue and build the right buffer.PERM & Labor Certificationhttps://mandamus.biz/work-authorization/end-of-540-day-ead-extension-employer-guide.htmlhttps://mandamus.biz/work-authorization/end-of-540-day-ead-extension-employer-guide.htmlSun, 06 Sep 2026 08:00:00 +0000DHS removed the automatic EAD extension for renewals filed on or after 30 October 2025. What changed, who is exposed, and how to rebuild the reverification calendar.EAD & Work Authorization Gapshttps://mandamus.biz/work-authorization/h4-l2-ead-delays-household-income.htmlhttps://mandamus.biz/work-authorization/h4-l2-ead-delays-household-income.htmlSun, 06 Sep 2026 08:00:00 +0000Dependent work authorization is a retention issue disguised as an immigration one — and the two categories now work very differently.EAD & Work Authorization Gapshttps://mandamus.biz/work-authorization/i-9-reverification-calendar.htmlhttps://mandamus.biz/work-authorization/i-9-reverification-calendar.htmlSun, 06 Sep 2026 08:00:00 +0000The operational control that decides whether a work authorization gap is a managed event or a surprise on a Monday morning.EAD & Work Authorization Gaps