USCIS Permits Sileiri Doe Class Members to Request Reopening or Reconsideration of Adverse Decisions Without a Fee Following Court Order

What changed

The French Court of Cassation issued a significant judgment on 3 July 2026, mandating the recognition of parentage for children born abroad via surrogacy (GPA) in France. This decision applies when a foreign court ruling, designating intended parents, presents guarantees compliant with international public policy. It overrides prior interpretations that would have limited such recognition to the effects of an adoption, ensuring that established filiations are acknowledged as such in France. This clarification aims to uphold the child's best interests, even though surrogacy remains prohibited domestically.

What changed

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has initiated a proposed rulemaking to introduce substantial new fees for Optional Practical Training (OPT) for F-1 nonimmigrant students. This measure, announced on 8 October 2026, aims to enhance the integrity of the immigration system by deterring fraud and protecting the interests of U.S. workers. Under the proposal, an initial OPT application would incur a fee of $70,000, while any subsequent OPT would cost $30,000. Stakeholders have until 9 November 2026 to submit comments on these proposed changes.

What changed

On 26 October 2026, the US Department of Homeland Security issued an official notice confirming certain immigration fines that had been imposed under an earlier government procedure. The fines were issued between 27 June 2025 and 13 October 2026. They concern people who were fined for failing to leave the United States after being ordered to do so, failing to leave within the time allowed under a voluntary departure order, or entering or attempting to enter the country unlawfully in certain circumstances. The notice does not introduce a new type of fine. The fines already existed under US immigration law. What changed in June 2025 was the process the government used to issue and review them. DHS has now formally confirmed the earlier decisions made under that process. In simple terms, the department is saying that it stands by those decisions and wants to remove doubts about how they were made.

What changed

On 20 October 2026, Immigration New Zealand published an announcement on an important Employment Court judgment confirming that New Zealand's ban on charging employment fees can apply even if a payment is requested or made outside the country. The full Employment Court issued the judgment on 8 October 2026 in two related sets of proceedings: Labour Inspector v Top Produce Ltd and Bhatia v Khanna. The Court resolved uncertainty over how section 12A of the Wages Protection Act 1983 applies to recruitment payments made overseas for jobs based in New Zealand.