United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has issued a policy memo mandating new policy changes that will significantly impact the processing of various immigration applications, including pausing processing for various benefits requests and ordering the re-review and potential re-processing of previously approved applications.Who Is Affected?
Individuals from 19 “High-Risk” Countries:
Some restrictions apply to individuals who were born in or are citizens of 19 countries identified as “high-risk” in the June 4, 2025 Presidential Proclamation (travel ban): Afghanistan, Burma, Burundi, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Cuba, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Laos, Libya, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan, Togo, Turkmenistan, Venezuela, and Yemen.
More countries may be added to the travel ban list in the future, and thus, may be subject to the policies below.
Specifically, the memo directs USCIS personnel to:
- Pause processing of all currently pending USCIS applications for all applicants from these countries, regardless of entry date. These include, but are not limited to:
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- Nonimmigrant visa applications (ex. H-1B, TN, O-1 visas)
- I-485 Applications for Adjustment of Status (Green Cards)
- I-90 Applications to Replace/Renew Green Cards
- I-131 Applications for Travel Documents/Advance Parole
- N-400 Applications for Naturalization (including already scheduled oath ceremonies)
- Re-examine all approved applications for individuals from these countries who entered the U.S. on or after January 20, 2021.
- USCIS has not provided guidance on the scope of this review yet, but individuals may be called in for another interview.
- When USCIS adjudicates or re-reviews applications from these countries, they may consider the fact that an individual is from one of these countries as a significant negative discretionary factor in certain applications, like requests to extend, change of status, or green cards.
- Pause processing of all Forms I-589 Applications for asylum and withholding of removal, regardless of the foreign national’s place of birth or nationality.
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As of right now, USCIS is still accepting applications filed by individuals from the above-listed 19 countries. We are continuing to see applications receipted, biometrics scheduled and interviews scheduled. However, it is our understanding that USCIS is withholding final adjudication on the applications and no final decisions will be issued.
No end date of this new policy has been announced as of yet.