Grzeca Law Group, S.C.

06/03/2026

The State Department plans to significantly reduce the number of U.S. Embassies and Consulates in Africa that process visas from nearly 50 locations down to just 20 centralized “hub” sites. This change is part of a broader effort to tighten immigration controls and limit both immigrant and temporary visa issuance, while reallocating consular resources. Applicants from non-hub countries will now be required to travel to one of these designated processing locations, creating substantial logistical barriers. For companies that recruit talent from across Africa, this consolidation is likely to cause longer processing times, reduced visa access, and increased uncertainty in workforce planning due to added travel and administrative burdens. As a result, employers may face delays in onboarding foreign workers, higher recruitment costs, and potential loss of qualified candidates who cannot easily navigate the new, centralized visa system

The almost 50 U.S. embassies and consulates that are processing visa applications in Africa will be reduced to 20 “hubs” in the coming weeks, according to three U.S. officials and an internal memo obtained by The Associated Press.

06/02/2026

Federal officials are considering scaling back or even halting immigration (customs) processing at major U.S. airports in so called “sanctuary cities,” including Chicago O’Hare, as part of broader immigration enforcement strategy changes.
Because Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers are required to process international arrivals, reducing or removing them would effectively prevent flights from landing or force widespread cancellations and rerouting.
Airlines and industry groups warn that even partial reductions in staffing at large hubs like Chicago would trigger cascading delays, congestion, and system wide disruptions, as passengers and flights are redirected to other already strained airports. As a result, travelers could face major disruptions, including canceled flights, longer travel routes, and overcrowded facilities, making immigration processing at key gateways a critical chokepoint for U.S. air travel.

U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said the Trump administration is drawing up plans to stop processing international travelers and cargo at ​major U.S. airports in "sanctuary cities" that have declined to cooperate with an immigration crackdown.

05/27/2026

The distinction between who must depart and who may stay could hinge entirely on whether an applicant's role satisfies the "economic benefit" or "national interest" criteria. This metric is particularly vital for highly skilled H-1B visa holders, who form the operational backbone of major U.S. industries, including technology, engineering, research, finance, and healthcare.

A USCIS spokesman told Newsweek that the agency is “reasserting” what it believes Congress intended all along.

05/20/2026

We’re excited to share that our latest article has been published in Hotel Executive.

In this piece, we explore how forward-thinking employers are leveraging proactive immigration strategies not just for compliance—but as a competitive advantage to attract and retain top executive talent. In today’s tight labor market, having a well-structured immigration program can be the difference between securing key leadership or losing out.

A big thank you to Reese and Jerry Grzeca for their thoughtful insights and authorship on this article—great work highlighting such an important topic for the hospitality industry and beyond.

05/18/2026

The U.S. Department of State has revised its social media review policy and is now requiring a complete social media review of all applicants.

Effective immediately, visa applicants are strongly advised to ensure that all social media profiles are set to “public” in advance of their visa interviews. Consular officers may review publicly available online information as part of the visa adjudication process.

Failure to make social media content accessible could result in delays in visa processing or additional administrative review.

What visa applicants should do:
• Review all social media accounts used within the past several years.
• Adjust privacy settings to make profiles and content publicly viewable prior to visa interviews.
• Ensure that all information is accurate and consistent with underlying visa applications.

Please note that this guidance applies broadly to visa applicants and is intended to help avoid unnecessary processing delays.

If you have any questions about how this update may affect your specific case, please do not hesitate to contact our office.

05/14/2026

Acting ICE Director, Todd Lyons held a press conference to discuss the expansion of oversight on the F-1 OPT Program. Here’s some of the key points:

• Focus on STEM OPT fraud investigations: ICE highlighted findings of significant fraud and abuse within the 24 month STEM OPT extension program for F 1 students, signaling increased scrutiny of student work authorization pathways.
• Increased enforcement and monitoring: Officials emphasized that this is the beginning of broader enforcement efforts, with more investigations, compliance checks, and potential penalties targeting students, employers, and program participants.
• Implications for employers and students: The government indicated that misuse of OPT could lead to stricter eligibility requirements and oversight, which may make it harder for international students to secure or maintain post-graduation work authorization.
• Broader policy direction: The tone of the press conference suggests a wider shift toward tighter immigration controls affecting student visas and employment-based pathways, aligning with broader efforts to restrict work-related immigration programs.

ICE Director Todd M. Lyons releases information on fraud related to the 24-month Optional Practical Training extension for F-1 students with qualifying scien...

05/13/2026

The Trump administration is expected to significantly tighten immigration rules for H 1B visa holders and international students in 2026 and 2027, including higher salary requirements, stricter adjudications, and increased government oversight, making petitions more costly and difficult to approve. These changes include a proposed 21%–33% increase in prevailing wages and policies that could limit employers’ ability to hire or retain foreign talent, especially affecting early career professionals and recent graduates.

For international students, a key proposed rule would replace the current “duration of status” system with fixed periods of stay, requiring extensions and creating a risk that students could be forced to leave the U.S. before completing long programs. Additional anticipated measures may restrict Optional Practical Training (OPT) and make it harder for students to work after graduation, weakening a primary pathway from F 1 status to H 1B employment.

Overall, both H 1B holders and students should prepare for higher costs, increased uncertainty, delays in visa processing, and a more restrictive environment that could limit long term work and study opportunities in the United States.

Employers, universities and visa holders should expect the Trump administration to enact more immigration restrictions in 2026 and 2027.

04/27/2026

Congratulations to Associate Attorney, Megan Call, on graduating from the The State Bar of Wisconsin G. Lane Ware Leadership Academy this weekend. We're proud of her commitment to growth, leadership, and excellence!

04/24/2026

Celebrating Carly Hetland at Wisconsin Law Journal Women in the Law ceremony last night was a highlight for our team! Carly's leadership, dedication to her clients, and commitment to excellence make her so deserving of this recognition.

Congratulations, Carly!

04/22/2026

Growing backlogs in immigration application processing have left applicants waiting months or years for decisions on work permits, green cards, and citizenship. For many nonimmigrants, these delays mean prolonged uncertainty, loss of employment authorization, and difficulty maintaining lawful status despite timely filings. For those who pay the nearly $3,000 premium for adjudication, it means “retaliatory” Requests for Evidence to push the adjudication can further down the road. USCIS must prioritize solutions to address these backlogs. Without meaningful action, continued delays will undermine the integrity of the legal immigration system and unnecessarily harm applicants who are complying with U.S. immigration requirements.

An NPR analysis shows how immigrants' attempts to live or work legally in the U.S. are caught in a bureaucratic morass.