USCIS Lifts Adjudications Pause Following Federal Court Order

Written ByAlexander Dgebuadze

Published

Immigration Updates

USCIS Lifts Adjudications Pause Following Federal Court Order

 

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has lifted its indefinite pause on adjudications of immigration benefit requests following a federal court order.

 

On June 5, 2026, Chief Judge John J. McConnell Jr. of the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island held in Dorcas International Institute of Rhode Island v. USCIS that the agency’s freeze policies were unlawful and violated the Administrative Procedure Act (APA). The court’s final judgment, entered on June 11, 2026, vacated these policies with immediate nationwide effect.

 

The ruling ends, among other measures, the indefinite suspension of adjudications for individuals from 39 countries across Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East (the “Travel Ban Countries”), as well as the reopening of already approved benefits based solely on applicants’ countries of birth.

 

USCIS has issued an official alert regarding implementation of the court’s order:
View USCIS Announcement

 

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