Courts order USCIS to lift processing holds; USCIS says it will comply but disagrees

In late 2025, USCIS put pending applications on hold for people from the countries named in the travel-ban proclamations (Policy Memoranda PM-602-0192 and PM-602-0194) and paused asylum decisions. A federal court in Rhode Island vacated those policies on June 5 (Dorcas International Institute of Rhode Island v. USCIS), and DHS appealed. On August 24, a federal court in the Northern District of California issued an injunction in Red Eagle Law, L.C. v. Edlow covering a certified class of people from the 39 countries in Proclamations 10949 and 10998, and the Palestinian Authority, whose pending asylum or benefit applications are subject to the holds. On August 28, the same court temporarily vacated USCIS’s separate hold on diversity visa adjustment applications (PM-602-0193, Medani v. Trump), which USCIS announced on September 4. USCIS says it strongly disagrees with the orders but will follow their terms pending possible further judicial review.

What this may mean: If your case was put on hold because of your country of birth or nationality, ask an attorney whether it should now move forward and whether to request action on your case.

Sources: USCIS: recent court order on hold policies · USCIS: court order on hold policies · USCIS: diversity visa hold order · Dorcas docket (CourtListener)

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