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USCIS Enforces Rigorous Marriage Checks and Standardizes CSPA Age Calculation

Applicants now must submit exact form editions with medical evidence under a unified child-age rule designed to curb fraud, strengthening vetting across family and refugee cases.

Overview

  • USCIS’s Aug. 1 Policy Manual update tightens documentation and interview requirements for marriage-based petitions to detect fraudulent unions.
  • Beginning Aug. 15, USCIS and the State Department will calculate CSPA ages using the Visa Bulletin Final Action Dates, changing eligibility for applicants nearing 21.
  • Adjustment-of-status filings now must include the specified I-485 edition and a completed I-693 medical exam to avoid automatic rejections.
  • U.S. consulates are enforcing exact DS-160 confirmation-number matching and stricter NVC transfer protocols to prevent canceled appointments and extra fees.
  • New guidance lists explicit interview triggers for refugees and asylees, including unresolved identity issues, biometric or criminal concerns, and ties to terrorism-designated countries.