The Trump Administration has announced a sweeping pause on all immigration benefit applications, including green cards and U.S. citizenship, for all nationals of 19 countries previously subject to travel restrictions imposed by the President in June. The pause on adjudications of immigration benefits applications will remain in place indefinitely and is related to the administration’s national security concerns regarding these countries.
The pause impacts all immigration applications for nationals born or holding citizenship in any of the following 19 countries: Afghanistan, Iran, Somalia, Yemen, Libya, Sudan, Haiti, Eritrea, Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, Venezuela, Myanmar, and Chad.
Effective immediately, all pending applications for nationals of the countries listed above are paused pending further review. As part of this policy, the government has announced a “full-scale, rigorous reexamination” of immigration benefits previously granted to nationals of the 19 countries who entered the U.S. on or after January 20, 2021. Additionally, the administration has paused the processing of all Form I-589 applications for asylum and withholding of removal, regardless of the applicant’s nationality or country of birth.
Applicants or foreign nationals with previously approved applications may receive additional vetting, requests to appear for an interview, or requests for additional evidence of their eligibility for the requested benefit.
The immigration attorneys at Ryan Swanson are available to help foreign nationals and employers navigate this new policy.
