USCIS resumes processing for nationals of 39 countries after federal court order

A federal judge in Rhode Island, John McConnell, issued a ruling on June 5 (follow‑up order June 11) that compels U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to unfreeze work‑permit (EAD), green‑card and citizenship applications for nationals of 39 designated countries, including Venezuela, Iran and Afghanistan. The decision nullifies the use of nationality as an automatic negative factor in immigration adjudications.

In response, USCIS announced on June 12 that it would restart processing of the affected cases, while also filing an appeal of the court’s order. The court vacated several USCIS policy memoranda—referred to as the Benefits Hold, Global Asylum Hold, Comprehensive Re‑Review and Country‑Specific Factors policies—that had delayed or reopened applications solely because of the applicants’ country of origin. The agency clarified that the order does not guarantee approvals; all standard eligibility, security and discretionary criteria still apply, and broader travel‑visa restrictions remain unchanged.