12/03/2025
MEMORANDUM FOR LATEST USCIS POLICY ISSUED ON DECEMBER 2 2025 PAUSING ALL APPLICATIONS FOR “HIGH RISK” NATIONALS
The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has ordered an immediate halt to the processing of all pending asylum, immigration and naturalization applications filed by nationals of 19 countries, citing national security and public-safety concerns, according to a policy memorandum issued on December 2 2025.
https://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/document/policy-alerts/PM-602-0192-PendingApplicationsHighRiskCountries-20251202.pdf
The internal directive, sent to US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), requires officers to pause all Form I-589 asylum cases and all other pending benefit requests from applicants originating from what DHS labels “high-risk” countries. The list includes Afghanistan, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen, Haiti, Venezuela, Cuba, Burma (Myanmar), Chad, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Burundi, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo and Turkmenistan.
USCIS officers have also been instructed to re-review previously approved applications for individuals from countries covered under an earlier presidential proclamation restricting entry over terrorism-related concerns.
The memo says applicants may undergo additional security screening, interviews and assessments of potential inadmissibility. US officials have not specified how long the freeze will last. The directive states only that applications will remain on hold pending a “comprehensive review” of policies, procedures and security risks.
This decision and policy comes after last week’s shooting of two National Guard members near the White House by an Afghan national. We expect litigation in federal courts on this policy. However until either the policy memo is lifted or a Final federal court ruling is issued to overrule the policy memo, the pause on all benefit applications will continue indefinitely. Attorneys from across the country have been reporting on receiving calls from USCIS advising that interviews and/or naturalization oath ceremonies have been cancelled. Although most interviews are continuing to be conducted and only the adjudication of the benefit application is to be halted.
Therefore pursuant to the December 2 2025 policy memo, effective immediately, this memorandum directs
1. a hold on all Forms I-589 (Application for Asylum and for Withholding of Removal), regardless of the alien’s country of nationality, pending a comprehensive review;
2. Place a hold on pending benefit requests for aliens from countries listed in Presidential Proclamation (PP) 10949, Restricting the Entry of Foreign Nationals To Protect the United States From Foreign Terrorists and Other National Security and Public Safety Threats, pending a comprehensive review, regardless of entry date; and
3. Conduct a comprehensive re-review of approved benefit requests for aliens from countries listed in PP 10949 who entered the United States on or after January 20, 2021.
