USCIS Pauses Application Processing Submitted by Citizens of 40 Countries on Travel/Visa Bans
- January 6th, 2026
- in Capstone International Services
USCIS Pauses Application Processing Submitted by Citizens of 40 Countries on Travel/Visa Ban (Updated 01/01/2026)
On January 1, 2026, USCIS issued an updated policy memo which expands on their prior 12/2/2025 policy memo. The new policy memo generally halts all applications submitted to USCIS by citizens of the 40 Countries covered under Presidential Proclamation 10998: Restricting And Limiting The Entry of Foreign Nationals to Protect the Security of The United States.
This impacts Asylum and Permanent Residency case filings as well as I-765 Employment Authorization Applications, I-539 Petitions for Change-of-Status or Extension-of-Status, I-129 Petitions for H-1B, and other petitions filed with USCIS for citizens of Afghanistan, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Burma, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Cote D’Ivoire, Cuba, Dominica, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Gabon, The Gambia, Haiti, Iran, Laos, Libya, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Tanzania, Togo, Tonga, Venezuela, Yemen, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
Please note, cases may still be filed with USCIS despite the processing pause, and ISSS encourages students and scholars from impacted countries to make sure to continue timely filing of petitions.
See: Immigration Updates Page for latest news