U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has issued several new policies to restrict immigration for individuals born in countries listed in President Trump’s June 2025 Travel Ban.
Currently, the countries listed in the Travel Ban are Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen, Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela. However, the Trump administration has also indicated it intends to add more countries to its Travel Ban list soon.
USCIS has implemented the following policies:
- Pause on Benefit Requests
On December 2, 2025, USCIS issued a Policy Memorandum that pauses decisions on USCIS Benefit Applications filed on behalf of foreign nationals from Travel Ban countries.
USCIS specifically notes it is pausing decision-making on Adjustment of Status (I-485), Green Card Replacement (I-90), Removal of Conditions (I-751), Reentry Permits and Travel Documents (I-131), and Preservation of Residence for Naturalization (N-470), though the memorandum indicates that all form types may be affected.
- “Re-review” of Past Approvals
USCIS also plans to conduct “re-reviews” of approved benefit requests filed on behalf of individuals from the countries above, which could involve re-interviews from USCIS.
- “Negative Factor” Consideration
In adjudicating discretionary benefit requests, such as adjustment of status, change of status, or extension of stay requests, USCIS officers will now consider the fact that an individual is a national of one of these 19 Travel Ban countries as a “significant negative factor.” This is based on a separate Policy Alert issued by USCIS on November 27, 2025.
If you are filing benefit requests as a national of one of the 19 Travel Ban countries, consult with your MU attorney to discuss your best strategies for filing.
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