News

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued an updated policy memorandum on January 1, 2026, expanding on guidance released December 2, 2025. Effective immediately, USCIS has directed personnel to implement the following actions:

USCIS will pause final adjudication of all pending and future immigration benefit requests filed by or on behalf of individuals connected to countries designated as “high-risk” under Presidential Proclamations (PP) 10949 and 10998. This hold applies regardless of an individual’s date of entry to the United States.

USCIS will re-review certain benefit requests approved on or after January 20, 2021, if they are implicated under PP 10998. These cases may require additional screening, biometrics, interviews, or re-interviews.

USCIS continues to pause adjudication of all Form I-589 asylum applications, regardless of country of citizenship or birth.

This memorandum places an immediate adjudicative hold on all pending and future USCIS benefit applications filed by or on behalf of individuals connected to countries newly designated under PP 10998.

The hold applies to all immigration benefit categories, including but not limited to:

• Form I-129 (e.g., H-1B petitions)
• Form I-140 (employment-based immigrant petitions)
• Form I-539 (change of status and F-1 reinstatement)
• Form I-765 (employment authorizations, including Pre-OPT, Post-OPT, STEM OPT, Severe Economic Hardship, and J-2 EAD card)

Applications may continue processing up to, but not including, final adjudication.

The pause and re-review provisions also apply to individuals born in any of the listed countries, even if they currently hold a different nationality. Individuals with citizenship-by-investment or travel documents from one of the listed countries may also be impacted.

Within 90 days of the memorandum (by April 1, 2026), USCIS will prioritize certain cases for review, interview, and re-interview.

USCIS acknowledges that these actions will cause processing delays and states they are intended to address national security concerns. The hold remains in place until USCIS leadership formally lifts or modifies it.

If you are impacted, you should anticipate:

• Longer processing times
• Possible Requests for Evidence (RFEs)
• Additional biometrics collection
• Interviews or re-interviews
• Delays in employment authorization, extensions, change of status, or advance parole
• Applications that are otherwise approvable may remain paused for an extended period.
• USCIS may also reopen and review benefits approved on or after January 20, 2021.

Limited exceptions may exist (e.g., national interest cases), but they are rare and may require headquarters-level approval. Most applicants should plan as though an exception will not apply.

At this time, USCIS has not provided a timeline for lifting the adjudicative holds.

If you are a student or scholar who was born in, is a citizen of, or holds travel documentation from one of the listed countries and have a pending or upcoming immigration benefit application, contact the ISSC for individualized guidance.

ASU remains committed to supporting our international students and scholars. We will continue to monitor developments and provide updates as more information becomes available.