On January 1, 2026, USCIS issued an additional Policy Memorandum: Hold and Review of USCIS Benefit Applications Filed by Aliens from Additional High-Risk Countries to include the additional countries listed in the December 16th, 2025 Expanded travel ban (Presidential Proclamation (PP) 10998, Restricting and Limiting the Entry of Foreign Nationals To Protect the Security of the United States).
Effective immediately, the additional memorandum directs U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to:
- Place a hold on pending benefit requests (such as I-765 OPT/STEM OPT and I-539 Change of Status applications) for aliens whose country of birth or country of citizenship is included in Presidential Proclamation (PP) 10949 and in Presidential Proclamation (PP) 10998, 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. The original countries included 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. The new countries added to the list now also include Burkina Faso, Laos , Mali, Niger, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Syria, individuals with Palestinian Authority Documents, Burundi, Cuba,Togo, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Cote d ‘Ivoire, Dominica, Gabon, The Gambia, Malawi, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Tonga, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
- Conduct a comprehensive re-review of approved benefit requests for aliens from countries listed in PP 10949 and Presidential Proclamation (PP) 10998, Restricting the Entry of Foreign Nationals To Protect the United States From Foreign Terrorists and Other National Security and Public Safety Threats who entered the United States on or after January 20, 2021, including but not limited to OPT/STEM OPT and change of status applications.
- Place a hold on all Forms I-589 (Application for Asylum and for Withholding of Removal), regardless of the alien’s country of nationality.
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 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.