Court Orders Changes to USCIS Application Processing

A federal court has ruled that U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) can no longer delay immigration benefit applications solely because an applicant is from one of the countries or territories subject to current U.S. travel restrictions. The court also ended related USCIS policies that required extra review of certain cases and allowed nationality to be considered a negative factor in some immigration decisions. The ruling is expected to apply nationwide.

This decision may affect many types of immigration applications, including employment authorization (EAD) requests, changes or extensions of status, employment-based petitions, and adjustment of status applications. USCIS is expected to resume processing affected cases under its normal procedures.

The U.S. government is expected to appeal the decision, and the legal situation may continue to change. Please continue to monitor updates and contact VIS with any questions about how this development may affect your immigration applications.