Photo by Erwan Hesry on Unsplash

We don't like unofficial “word on the street” notices, but rumors have proven to be true lately.

For the last few weeks there have been rumors that USCIS (U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services) was pausing refugee and asylee based green card processing (I-485 forms for permanent residency), but there had been no official news from the federal government agency confirming that. 

We now understand this to be true: the Trump administration has temporarily paused the processing of green card applications for individuals granted refugee or asylum status. 

This last week a CBS News article was released, where the Department of Homeland Security confirmed the rumors, stating “the green card processing pause is needed to comply with two executive actions issued by President Trump,” including one that questioned immigration vetting procedures under the Biden administration. These measures include reviewing all immigrants for possible threats to national security and responding to concerns about fraud. The administration has also increased scrutiny on immigration from certain regions, suspended programs for Latin American and Ukrainian migrants, and proposed closer scrutiny of social media accounts for those applying for legal status. USCIS said the vetting of social media accounts is required for "the enhanced identity verification, vetting and national security screening." USCIS has looked at social media accounts of certain immigration applicants for years, but under this new proposal, applicants would be required to submit their social media accounts, or handles, to the government for review.

This move is part of a broader effort to intensify vetting procedures for immigrants. USCIS has instructed officials to suspend processing until additional screenings are completed to address potential issues related to fraud, public safety, or national security. Refugees and asylees, who typically undergo years of security checks before entry, are now in legal limbo as the pause affects their path to permanent residency.

We are unsure how long this processing pause will be, but will keep you updated when we hear more.

If you need assistance filing for an immigration petition, you can reach us at (757) 422-8472, or send us a message on our website. You can also schedule an appointment with one of our attorneys by clicking on this link.