Biophysical Society Bulletin | December 2025

Public Affairs

USCIS Clarifies Implementation of $100,000 H-1B Fee The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has issued new guidance clarifying the implementation of the recently announced $100,000 H-1B fee. The fee applies to new petitions filed for beneficiaries who are outside the United States and do not hold a valid H-1B visa, as well as to petitions filed for consular notification. It does not apply to extensions, change of status requests for individuals already in the United States, or travel for existing H-1B visa holders. Under the guidance, the $100,000 fee is required for individuals who are filing new H-1B petitions from abroad or for cases that result in consular pro cessing, even if the beneficiary is currently in the United States. The fee does not apply to current H-1B visa holders, including those who travel internationally, or to petitions for extensions of stay or changes of status for individuals already residing in the United States. Amendments to existing petitions are also exempt from the new fee requirement. The agency also noted that legal challenges have been filed against the proclamation establishing the fee, meaning that the policy could change depending on the outcome of ongoing litigation. In the meantime, USCIS advises H-1B beneficiaries to maintain valid immigration status, as any denial of a change of status or extension could trigger the new fee requirement.

NSF Tightens Eligibility for Graduate Research Fellowship, Excluding Second-Year PhD Students After months of anticipation, the US National Science Foun dation (NSF) has released new application instructions for its Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP), and the changes have drawn immediate backlash. The program, which funds more than a thousand promising graduate students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics each year, will no longer accept applications from second-year PhD students. Under the new rules, eligibility is limited to undergraduates, bachelor’s degree holders, students in joint bachelor’s–mas ter’s programs, and first-year PhD students. The update leaves some scrambling to apply within a narrow time frame. For the past decade, NSF has allowed students to apply only once during graduate school, and many were advised to wait until their second year, when their research experience and applications would be stronger. NSF has not released data on how many of the roughly 13,000 annual GRFP applicants are second-year PhD stu dents, but the change is expected to affect a significant share. In a statement, an NSF spokesperson said that the policy

aims to “restore the program’s original emphasis on support ing students at the start of their research careers.” While some researchers agree with that goal, many argue that the agency should have provided at least a year’s notice before implementing such a major eligibility change. The deci sion also puts new pressure on first-year PhD students, many of whom had planned to wait until next year to apply but now fear this may be their only chance. Alicia Jackson Named New Director of ARPA-H, Signaling Strategic Shift

Alicia Jackson has been appointed as the new Director of the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H), officially taking office on October 20, 2025. Jackson, a health entrepreneur and former Defense Department official, succeeds Renee Wegrzyn , who was removed from the position in February 2025.

Alicia Jackson

Jackson brings a diverse background to the role. She is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Evernow, a women’s telehealth company, and previously co-founded Drawbridge Health, a biotechnology firm. Earlier in her career, she spent

December 2025

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