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Category Archives: Visa Updates

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28 Sep 2026
Tokyo skyline at night, illustrating the country introducing new Japan visa renewal fees

Japan Is About to Make One Visa Fee 20 Times More Expensive

Categories Immigration, Visa Updates

Japan is raising its visa renewal fees sharply starting October 1, 2026. The most dramatic change hits permanent residence applications. That cost jumps from 10,000 yen to 200,000 yen, a twenty-fold increase. The new Japan visa renewal fees apply to anyone filing on or after that date, according to details published by VisaJapan.

Visa renewals and changes of status are also getting more expensive. The exact increase depends on how long a stay the applicant is granted.

The new Japan visa renewal fees, category by category

Under the old system, a standard visa renewal or change of status cost 6,000 yen in person, or 5,500 yen online. Starting October 1, a tiered structure replaces that flat fee, based on length of stay. A renewal for three months or less will cost 10,000 yen either way. A one-year renewal will cost 33,000 yen in person, or 27,000 yen online. A renewal of five years or more will cost 75,000 yen in person, or 65,000 yen online. A separate roundup of 2026 visa changes from the Khaleej Times confirms the same tiers.

Online applicants will also pay a separate processing fee of 330 to 550 yen on top of the renewal cost itself.

Why the permanent residence fee stands out

The jump in the permanent residence fee is the sharpest change in the new rules. It rises from 10,000 yen to 200,000 yen. The law sets an upper limit of 300,000 yen, leaving room for a further increase later. Limited fee reductions remain available for applicants who meet specific financial hardship criteria.

Shinkansen bullet train at a Japanese station, representing daily life shaped by the new Japan visa renewal fees

Who needs to act before October 1

Anyone who files their application by September 30, 2026, keeps the old, lower fee structure. That holds even if approval arrives after the new rules take effect. The transitional rule gives foreign residents already in Japan a narrow window to lock in current pricing. That matters most for those planning to apply for permanent residence soon.

The change affects all foreign residents renewing visas, changing their status, or applying for permanent residence after the deadline. It does not apply to applications already filed and pending review.

What happens after October 1

Applicants who miss the September 30 cutoff will pay under the new tiered structure, no matter when they originally planned to file. Immigration lawyers and relocation advisers are likely to see a rush of applications in the final days of September. Many residents will try to beat the deadline, particularly for the permanent residence category.

FAQ: Japan’s new fees

When do the new Japan visa renewal fees take effect?

The new fee structure applies to applications filed on or after October 1, 2026. Applications filed by September 30, 2026, keep the old fees.

How much is the new permanent residence fee in Japan?

The permanent residence fee rises from 10,000 yen to 200,000 yen, a twenty-fold increase. The statutory upper limit sits even higher, at 300,000 yen.

How much will a standard visa renewal cost now?

It depends on the length of stay granted. Expect 10,000 yen for three months or less, 33,000 yen in person for one year, and 75,000 yen in person for five years or more. Online rates run slightly lower.

Is there any way to avoid the fee increase?

Filing an application by September 30, 2026, locks in the old fee structure, even if the approval comes after October 1. Limited reductions also exist for applicants who meet financial hardship criteria.

Who is affected by the new fees?

All foreign residents renewing visas, changing status, or applying for permanent residence in Japan after October 1, 2026, will pay under the new structure.

Also on Tamara News

For more visa policy news, see our coverage of Korea’s university visa restrictions, Australia’s working holiday visa changes, and Brazil’s electronic visa system.

28 Sep 2026
Official displaying a new passport card design, tied to the October 2026 visa bulletin wait

The October Visa Bulletin Is Late. Here’s Why That Might Be OK.

Categories Immigration, Visa Updates

The State Department has not yet published the October 2026 visa bulletin. The delay is running past its usual pattern. As of September 26, 2026, the department’s website still listed the October edition as “Coming Soon.” The September bulletin remained the current reference for green card applicants.

That gap matters because October marks the start of a new fiscal year. Annual visa number limits reset then for employment-based and family-sponsored categories. Applicants in backlogged categories, especially EB-2 India, watch this bulletin closely every year.

How late is the October 2026 visa bulletin, really

Recent October bulletins have typically carried document dates in early September. October 2025’s bulletin was dated September 3, and so was October 2024’s. October 2023’s came out September 8, according to a review by QueueCheck. This year’s bulletin is running well behind that pattern, and behind a related forecast from Shusterman.com.

The State Department has not given a public reason for the delay. QueueCheck’s reporting is careful not to assign a cause. It avoids blaming staffing, policy, demand, or any annual-limit calculation without an official statement.

Why the delay does not confirm a retrogression

A late bulletin naturally fuels speculation. A delay by itself does not signal bad news, though. QueueCheck’s analysis stresses that a later release “does not by itself signal a larger advance, a retrogression, or a particular USCIS filing-chart choice.” Applicants sometimes read timing as a signal. It may simply reflect internal review taking longer than usual.

Applicant handing a document across a counter, representing the wait for the October 2026 visa bulletin

Who is watching the October 2026 visa bulletin most closely

EB-2 India and EB-5 unreserved India applicants have the most riding on this release. Earlier bulletins had suggested a possible October advance for those categories, though only on a conditional basis. Family-sponsored applicants are also waiting. So are those filing adjustment-of-status paperwork, since USCIS issues a separate filing chart tied to the same fiscal year reset.

What happens once the bulletin finally appears

Applicants should wait for the official October table rather than relying on forecasts circulating online. Once it posts, adjustment-of-status filers still need to check USCIS’s own filing-chart announcement separately. The two documents do not always move in lockstep. Expect a wave of law-firm analysis within hours of the bulletin’s release, given how many applicants are waiting on it.

FAQ: the delayed bulletin

Why hasn’t the October 2026 visa bulletin been published yet?

The State Department has not given an official reason. As of September 26, 2026, its website still listed the bulletin as “Coming Soon,” later than the typical early-September release pattern.

Does a delayed bulletin mean priority dates will retrogress?

Not necessarily. Analysts reviewing the delay have said it does not by itself signal an advance, a retrogression, or a specific USCIS filing-chart decision.

Which visa categories are most affected by the delay?

EB-2 India and EB-5 unreserved India applicants are watched most closely, along with family-sponsored categories, since October marks the annual reset of visa number limits.

When do October visa bulletins usually come out?

Recent years show a pattern of early-September release dates: September 3 in both 2024 and 2025, and September 8 in 2023.

What should applicants do while they wait?

Wait for the official October table rather than relying on predictions, and check USCIS’s separate filing-chart announcement once it posts, since it can differ from the State Department bulletin.

Continue reading on Tamara News

For more visa and immigration news, see our coverage of the September 2026 visa bulletin, the new USCIS Form I-864 rejections, and Canada’s study permit proof-of-funds rule.

28 Sep 2026
October 2026 visa bulletin

Why the October 2026 Visa Bulletin Never Came Out

Categories Immigration, Visa Updates

The State Department has not published the October 2026 visa bulletin, the monthly document that tells hundreds of thousands of immigrant visa applicants worldwide whether their priority date has finally come up. As of late September, immigration lawyers were calling it the latest October release in at least several years, and the delay lands on top of three separate restrictions that are already reshaping how — and whether — immigrant visas move at all.

What the visa bulletin normally does

Each month, the visa bulletin sets “final action dates” for family-sponsored and employment-based green card categories, based on which applicants with an earlier priority date can move forward. The October edition matters more than most: it opens a new fiscal year, resetting the pool of roughly 226,000 family-sponsored and 140,000 employment-based visa numbers Congress allocates annually. A missing or delayed bulletin leaves consulates and applicants without a starting point for the new year’s allocations.

Three restrictions already in force

The bulletin’s absence follows a stack of policy changes rather than a single cause. Proclamation 10998 expanded an existing visa suspension from 19 to 39 countries effective January 1, 2026, with no expiration date and reviews every 180 days. Separately, a pause on immigrant visas for nationals of 75 countries took effect January 21, 2026, justified by concerns that applicants would become a “public charge” — a rationale immigration attorneys say swept in entire nationalities rather than individual cases. Then, on August 25, 2026, the State Department froze immigrant visa interviews worldwide so consular officers could be retrained on the new public charge screening, and no restart date has been announced since.

A federal judge draws a line

The 75-country pause did not survive court scrutiny. In CLINIC et al. v. Rubio et al., a federal court ruled on August 21, 2026 that public charge eligibility has to be assessed case by case, not through blanket nationality-based rules, according to Immigration Analytics’ review of the case. The State Department confirmed the pause was “no longer in effect,” a status the Immigrant Legal Resource Center also documents, though the government has since appealed the ruling. Immigration Analytics reports the case has identified more than 43,000 affected applications that may need to be reprocessed under individualized review.

The underlying public charge policy has itself been in motion all year. The 2022 public charge rule was slated for rescission as of July 20, 2026, and USCIS published replacement guidance on August 18 that took effect a month later, on September 18. The new guidance widens the range of public benefits officers can weigh — including Medicaid, food assistance and housing aid — and can now count benefits used by an applicant’s family members, not just the applicant. Applications filed before September 18 remain governed by the more lenient 2022 standard, creating two different rulebooks running in parallel depending on filing date.

Why the numbers themselves are now at risk

A missing bulletin, on top of a paused pause and a worldwide interview freeze, creates a practical problem beyond paperwork: unused visa numbers. Family-sponsored and diversity-visa categories depend almost entirely on consular interviews abroad, so a freeze with no restart date risks numbers going unclaimed before the fiscal year closes them out. Employment-based applicants processing domestically through adjustment of status are comparatively insulated, and could even benefit if unclaimed family-based numbers are reallocated once a bulletin finally appears.

What happens next

Three things determine how this resolves: whether the interview freeze gets a restart date, how the government’s appeal of CLINIC v. Rubio proceeds, and how State handles the more than 43,000 cases caught in the reprocessing queue. Applicants filing now should expect heavier scrutiny of affidavits of support and family benefit histories under the September 18 guidance, regardless of how the bulletin dispute resolves. Until a bulletin appears, consulates and applicants are effectively working without an official start date for fiscal year 2027’s visa allocations.

More visa and immigration coverage

Related reading: the UK’s HC 584 immigration rule changes, Brazil’s new electronic visa system, and Australia’s working holiday visa cuts.

October visa bulletin questions answered

Why hasn’t the October 2026 visa bulletin been published?

The State Department has not given an official reason, though the delay coincides with ongoing litigation over the 75-country public charge pause and a worldwide freeze on immigrant visa interviews that began August 25, 2026.

Is the 75-country public charge pause still in effect?

No. A federal court struck it down on August 21, 2026 in CLINIC v. Rubio, and the State Department confirmed it is no longer active, though the ruling is under appeal.

Does the new public charge guidance apply to everyone?

No. It applies only to adjustment-of-status applications filed on or after September 18, 2026. Earlier filings remain governed by the 2022 rule.

What happens to visa numbers that go unused because of the interview freeze?

Family-sponsored and diversity-visa numbers depend on consular interviews abroad, so a prolonged freeze risks those numbers going unclaimed for the fiscal year, though no official accounting has been published yet.

Who is affected by the reprocessing of paused cases?

Immigration Analytics reports more than 43,000 cases connected to the struck-down 75-country pause may require individualized reprocessing rather than blanket denial.

Sources

27 Sep 2026
Brazil electronic visa system travel document

Brazil Just Killed the Passport Drop-Off Line for Some Visa Applicants

Categories Immigration, Visa Updates

Brazil’s new Brazil electronic visa system took effect September 1, 2026. It ends the need for eligible applicants to physically drop off or collect their passports at a consulate when applying for a temporary visa. Applicants now upload documents through Brazil’s Integrated Consular System and receive their visa electronically by email. The change aims to cut the administrative steps and travel time consulate visits used to require.

Brazil electronic visa system delivers approvals to a traveler's smartphone

What the Brazil electronic visa system actually changes

Under the previous process, applicants for Brazilian temporary visas generally had to submit their passport in person at a consulate. They then waited for processing and returned later to collect it once the visa was issued or mailed back. The new system removes that physical handoff for eligible applicants. Applicants submit documents digitally through the Integrated Consular System instead. Once officials approve the application, the visa arrives as an electronic document by email, rather than a stamp or sticker placed in the physical passport.

Which visa types are covered

The digital process covers several temporary visa categories: temporary work visas, family reunion visas, digital nomad visas, and other approved categories. Eligibility is limited to nationals of countries that already qualify for Brazil’s visitor visa exemption. That means the streamlined process is not universal. It applies to a defined set of applicant nationalities that Brazil has determined pose lower administrative risk for remote processing.

What stays the same for applicants

Brazil’s underlying approval requirements have not changed. Applicants still need to meet the same eligibility criteria and provide the same supporting documentation as before. Only the submission and delivery method moved online. Post-arrival registration with Brazil’s Federal Police remains a required step for those who need it. Employment authorization processes for work-visa holders continue under the same rules as before. Applicants approved under the new system should print their electronic visa before traveling. They should carry both a digital and a printed copy when they arrive, since border officials will need to verify the document on entry.

Why Brazil is making the shift now

The move fits a broader global pattern: countries are digitizing visa and travel-document processes to cut both applicant burden and consular workload. Removing the in-person passport drop-off step cuts down on the logistical barriers facing applicants who live far from a consulate. It also reduces the physical handling and mailing consulates previously managed for every temporary visa application. Brazil is actively courting remote workers through its digital nomad visa category. A faster, less demanding application process gives it a competitive edge, in a market where several countries now offer similar remote-work visa options.

What happens next for applicants

Applicants should confirm their nationality qualifies under Brazil’s visitor visa exemption rules before assuming they can use the new digital process, since it does not apply universally. Those planning travel to Brazil under a temporary work, family reunion or digital nomad visa should check Brazil’s Integrated Consular System directly for the current document checklist. Digitized systems like this one are typically refined in the months after launch. Consulates work through early cases first.

Frequently asked questions

When did the Brazil electronic visa system take effect?

The new digital process began on September 1, 2026, eliminating the need to physically submit or collect a passport at a consulate for eligible temporary visa applications.

Which visa categories does it cover?

Temporary work visas, family reunion visas, digital nomad visas, and other approved temporary visa categories.

Who is eligible to use the digital process?

Nationals of countries that already qualify for Brazil’s visitor visa exemption rules.

Do applicants still need to meet the same requirements?

Yes. Brazil kept eligibility criteria and required documentation unchanged; only the submission and delivery method moved online.

Do applicants need a printed copy of the visa?

Yes. Applicants should print their electronic visa and carry both digital and printed copies when traveling.

Does this change post-arrival requirements?

No. Registration with Brazil’s Federal Police and employment authorization steps for work-visa holders remain the same as before.

How this fits Brazil’s wider visa strategy

Brazil has been steadily expanding its appeal to remote workers and skilled migrants over the past several years. It introduced its digital nomad visa category and has periodically expanded the list of nationalities eligible for visa-free entry as a visitor. Digitizing the temporary visa application process is a logical next step in that strategy. A cumbersome paper-based consular process can genuinely deter remote workers. Many are comparing Brazil against a growing list of countries with similar programs and fewer bureaucratic steps. Immigration lawyers who track the digital nomad visa market say processing speed and administrative simplicity have become real differentiators between competing countries, not just the income requirements a program sets.

More on global visa processing changes

For more on how visa processing is changing worldwide, see our coverage of the September 2026 visa bulletin’s family-based updates and Canada’s revised work permit processing times.

Sources

27 Sep 2026
Korea university visa restrictions campus building

20 Korean Universities Just Lost the Right to Freely Sponsor Visas

Categories Study Abroad, Visa Updates

South Korea’s education and justice ministries imposed new Korea university visa restrictions on 20 universities in September 2026. The limits cap how many international students those schools can sponsor for a D-2 degree or D-4 language-program visa. Sixteen schools face restrictions on their degree programs, and four on language programs. The restrictions follow a government review of how well each university manages its international student population.

Korea university visa restrictions affect international students in classrooms like this

How the Korea university visa restrictions work

South Korea’s Ministry of Education and Ministry of Justice jointly run an evaluation called the International Education Quality Assurance System, or IEQAS. It scores universities on international student management, rates of illegal residency, internationalization infrastructure, and how appropriate their student selection process is. The review also weighs graduate outcomes, dropout rates, language proficiency standards, and overall student satisfaction. Universities that score poorly lose the ability to freely sponsor new international student visas for a one-year restriction period. Schools identified as “excellent certified” institutions, 39 in total, get expedited visa screening instead.

Why the government is tightening oversight

The restrictions target a specific problem South Korean authorities have flagged repeatedly. A rising number of international students arrive on legitimate study visas. Some later fall out of status, working illegally or overstaying after leaving their sponsoring university. The government now links visa sponsorship privileges directly to a university’s track record on managing this risk. That pushes the compliance burden onto the institutions themselves, not just border or consulate screening.

What it means for prospective students

Anyone applying to study in South Korea should check a university’s IEQAS certification status before applying. Admission to one of the 20 restricted schools does not guarantee a visa will be issued or that entry will proceed smoothly. Students already admitted to a restricted university may need to consider transferring to a certified institution to avoid delays. For those targeting a degree program, one of the 16 D-2 restrictions means a more difficult visa approval process. For the four schools facing D-4 restrictions, language-program applicants specifically face the added scrutiny.

How this compares with other countries’ approaches

South Korea’s move mirrors steps other popular study destinations have taken as international student numbers have grown. Australia and Canada have both tightened their own student-visa integrity checks in recent years. Both now tie visa issuance more closely to an institution’s compliance record, rather than treating every accredited university the same. The shared logic is simple: concentrate scrutiny on the institutions with the weakest oversight. That catches more of the actual problem while leaving well-managed universities largely unaffected.

What happens over the restriction period

The current restrictions run for one year. After that, the 20 affected universities can be reassessed under the same IEQAS criteria. Schools that show improved student management, lower illegal-residency rates, and stronger internationalization practices could regain full sponsorship privileges then. Continued weak performance could instead extend or deepen the restrictions. Prospective applicants should watch for updated IEQAS certification lists as the review cycle continues. Education agents who place students in South Korea are also expected to face closer scrutiny under the same broader review, since the government has flagged agent conduct as a contributing factor in some of the compliance problems the IEQAS process was designed to catch.

Frequently asked questions

How many Korean universities are affected by the visa restrictions?

Twenty universities in total. Sixteen face restrictions on D-2 degree program visas, and four face restrictions on D-4 language program visas.

Which government bodies run this review?

South Korea’s Ministry of Education and Ministry of Justice jointly administer the review through the International Education Quality Assurance System, or IEQAS.

What criteria determine a university’s IEQAS score?

Factors include international student management, illegal residency rates, internationalization infrastructure, student selection practices, graduate outcomes, dropout rates, language proficiency and student satisfaction.

What should students already admitted to a restricted university do?

They should check the school’s current IEQAS certification status and consider whether transferring to a certified institution would reduce visa-related delays.

How long do the Korea university visa restrictions last?

The current restriction period runs for one year, after which affected universities can be reassessed under the same criteria.

Are any universities exempt from extra visa scrutiny?

Yes. Thirty-nine universities identified as ‘excellent certified’ institutions receive expedited visa screening rather than restrictions.

The bigger picture for Korea’s international education sector

South Korea has actively courted international students over the past several years. The push is part of a broader strategy to offset its declining birth rate and shrinking university-age population. Government targets call for substantial growth in foreign enrollment by the end of the decade. That expansion push makes oversight mechanisms like IEQAS especially important to the government’s credibility. Rapid enrollment growth without matching quality controls has, in other countries, led to scandals involving diploma-mill institutions and visa fraud. Those scandals eventually damaged the reputation of the entire national system. By tying visa sponsorship to measurable outcomes rather than blanket approval, Korean officials are signaling their intent: grow international enrollment without repeating those mistakes.

More on studying and working abroad

For more on how study-abroad rules are shifting this year, see our coverage of the Knight-Hennessy Scholars application deadline and Australia’s working holiday visa changes.

Sources

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