The Department of Homeland Security is replacing the 'Duration of Status' model with fixed admission dates for F-1, J-1, and I visa holders effective September 15, 2026. ^[1] Isidro Mendoza Jiménez, a Mexican immigrant from Oaxaca who entered the US in 1989 and lived there nearly four decades, told BBC Mundo he paid US$19,000 in October 2023 to lawyer Alexandra Lozano Kennedy, whom he found through Facebook ads, with the hope of regularizing his immigration status. ^[2] Two class action lawsuits filed in a federal court in Seattle, Washington accuse Alexandra Lozano Kennedy of submitting to USCIS petitions containing false or exaggerated statements, of creating a system to copy clients' signatures without their knowledge, and of having most work done by unlicensed employees while using lawyers in Mexico and Colombia who were presented as being in the US. ^[3] The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) published a new edition of the I-864 Affidavit of Support form on August 31, 2026. ^[4] A court order lifted a ban on immigrant visas for 75 countries, including Afghanistan, Brazil, Colombia, and Russia, effective August 21, 2026. ^[5] Under the new rules, F-1 students will receive a fixed date tied to their program end date or a maximum of 4 years, whichever is shorter. ^[6] USCIS will consider any and all means-tested public benefits received on or after September 18, 2026, when determining public charge inadmissibility. ^[7] According to Mendoza's account as reported by BBC Mundo, he attended his first appointment at a USCIS office in Tukwila, Washington on 2026-03-17, was arrested by ICE agents about ten days later while returning from his night job, was held at the Tacoma detention center, and was deported to Mexico on 2026-04-01. ^[8] Mendoza said that after gaining access to his immigration file in Mexico City he found a statement with his signature claiming he had been a victim of abuse by one of his daughters, which he says is false and which he denies ever signing. ^[9] Immigration lawyer Luis Eduardo Victoria stated that the new form does not establish a publicly announced minimum credit score requirement for sponsors. ^[10] The updated I-864 form includes new authorization allowing USCIS to request information from consumer reporting agencies to evaluate the sufficiency of economic sponsorship. ^[11] USCIS indicated that there will be no grace period for the new form edition, requiring applicants to verify they are using the correct version dated 08/24/26. ^[12]