Hold and Review of Benefit Applications from Additional High-Risk Countries
PM-602-0194
Effective January 1, 2026, USCIS placed an automatic hold on final decisions for pending benefit applications — including naturalization, family-based and employment-based petitions, adjustment of status, and work permits — filed by nationals of about 39 countries designated 'high-risk' (tied to Presidential Proclamations 10949 and 10998).
Published
2026-01-01
Summary
Effective January 1, 2026, USCIS placed an automatic hold on final decisions for pending benefit applications — including naturalization, family-based and employment-based petitions, adjustment of status, and work permits — filed by nationals of about 39 countries designated 'high-risk' (tied to Presidential Proclamations 10949 and 10998). It also directed re-review of certain approvals granted on or after January 20, 2021 for nationals of those countries. USCIS gave no timeline for lifting individual holds, so an affected case could show no visible status change for an extended period with no explanation in the status text itself.
Current status
Federal courts in Massachusetts and Rhode Island found the hold policies likely unlawful under the Administrative Procedure Act in spring 2026, and a Rhode Island court vacated them outright on June 5, 2026; a Texas court issued a related class-wide order on August 24, 2026 directing USCIS to resume normal processing for affected applicants. Relief has generally applied to certified classes/plaintiffs rather than automatically to every case nationwide, so whether a specific case has actually resumed normal processing isn't something this app can confirm from the status API alone.
Source: USCIS Policy Alert PM-602-0194 (Jan 1, 2026)
General policy background, not a diagnosis of any specific case — CaseWhy's own case status API never confirms why a case is delayed. For guidance specific to your case, talk to a licensed immigration attorney.