Overview
- The Dec. 2 memorandum under Presidential Proclamation 10949 freezes processing for nationals of 19 countries, including Cuba, Venezuela and Haiti, covering I-485, I-90, I-131 and I-751 applications as well as some asylum decisions.
- Preliminary asylum-stage screenings such as credible fear and reasonable fear evaluations remain excluded from the suspension.
- USCIS says officers will conduct individualized, enhanced security reviews for affected cases and may require new interviews before adjudication.
- The agency also warned temporary visitors that overstays can lead to removal and highlighted CBP Home’s Return Home program offering a paid flight, a $1,000 incentive and waiver of certain fines for voluntary departure.
- The pause overlays significant backlogs, with 1,147,113 pending I-485 cases as of Q2 FY2025 and average processing times already stretching many months.