On December 2, 2025 USCIS issued a new Policy Memorandum: Hold and Review of all Pending Asylum Applications and all USCIS Benefit Applications Filed by Aliens from High-Risk Countries.
Effective immediately, the memorandum directs U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to:
- Place a hold on all Forms I-589 (Application for Asylum and for Withholding of Removal), regardless of the alien’s country of nationality
- Place a hold on pending benefit requests (such as OPT/STEM OPT and change of status applications) for aliens whose country of birth or country of citizenship is included 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. Those countries include Afghanistan, Myanmar (Burma), Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen, Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra, Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela.
- 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 including but not limited to OPT/STEM OPT (for F-1 students) and change of status applications.
This memorandum mandates that all aliens meeting these criteria will undergo a thorough re-review process, including a potential interview and, if necessary, a re-interview. These steps could potentially impact applicants who have pending or approved OPT/STEM OPT and change of status applications, or other USCIS benefit requests which are less common among F/J status holders. The stated purpose is to fully assess all national security and public safety threats along with any other related grounds of inadmissibility or ineligibility. The memo indicates that within 90 days of issuance, USCIS will prioritize a list for review, interview, re-interview, and referral to other agencies as needed.