USCIS issued a policy memorandum on 2 December—made public on 12 December—that orders an immediate hold on every immigration benefit request filed by people born in, or citizens of, 19 countries listed in Presidential Proclamation 10949. The same memo pauses adjudication of all pending asylum and withholding-of-removal cases, regardless of nationality, while officers conduct a national-security re-review.
The directive follows the 26 November shooting of two National Guard members in Washington, D.C., an incident the administration links to gaps in immigration vetting. Cases already approved for affected nationals since 20 January 2021 will be reopened for additional security checks. Impacted benefits include adjustment of status, work authorisation, parole, TPS and naturalisation.
![USCIS freezes benefit processing for nationals of 19 “high-risk” countries and halts all asylum adjudications]()
During this period of heightened scrutiny, companies and applicants can lean on VisaHQ’s experienced team for up-to-date guidance on U.S. immigration procedures, help assembling evidence for RFEs, and strategic advice on alternative visa options. Visit https://www.visahq.com/united-states/ for tailored support and real-time policy updates.
Employers should expect longer processing times and possible RFEs for workers from Afghanistan, Iran, Venezuela and other listed countries. The memo also empowers adjudicators to mandate in-person interviews even in categories that previously allowed mail-in adjudication, adding travel costs and scheduling delays.
Practical steps: track expirations for pending EAD renewals, build contingencies for travel bans that could follow, and prepare to document bona-fide job requirements if RFEs question national-security risks. Companies sponsoring green-card cases for employees from the 19 countries may face multi-month stalls.
The directive follows the 26 November shooting of two National Guard members in Washington, D.C., an incident the administration links to gaps in immigration vetting. Cases already approved for affected nationals since 20 January 2021 will be reopened for additional security checks. Impacted benefits include adjustment of status, work authorisation, parole, TPS and naturalisation.
During this period of heightened scrutiny, companies and applicants can lean on VisaHQ’s experienced team for up-to-date guidance on U.S. immigration procedures, help assembling evidence for RFEs, and strategic advice on alternative visa options. Visit https://www.visahq.com/united-states/ for tailored support and real-time policy updates.
Employers should expect longer processing times and possible RFEs for workers from Afghanistan, Iran, Venezuela and other listed countries. The memo also empowers adjudicators to mandate in-person interviews even in categories that previously allowed mail-in adjudication, adding travel costs and scheduling delays.
Practical steps: track expirations for pending EAD renewals, build contingencies for travel bans that could follow, and prepare to document bona-fide job requirements if RFEs question national-security risks. Companies sponsoring green-card cases for employees from the 19 countries may face multi-month stalls.
