Can USCIS Deny My Asylum Application During the Decision Halt?

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has quietly frozen decisions on affirmative asylum applications nationwide, leaving tens of thousands of applicants in limbo while the agency conducts what it calls an expanded security review. USCIS Director Joseph Edlow announced the move on Friday, November 28, 2025, saying the agency had ordered a full halt to asylum adjudications until new screening steps are in place.

“USCIS has halted all asylum decisions until we can ensure that every alien is vetted and screened to the maximum degree possible,” Edlow said in a written statement.

What the freeze means in practice

The announcement confirms what immigration lawyers and advocacy groups had reported for weeks: officers were no longer issuing approvals or denials in asylum interviews, and instead were telling applicants that their cases would simply remain pending.

According to analysis by VisaVerge.com, the freeze applies to most affirmative cases filed on Form I-589, the standard application for asylum and withholding of removal, that are still within USCIS jurisdiction.

In practice:

• Pending cases are frozen in place and officers are not completing adjudications that would lead either to grants of protection or formal denials.
• A denial is an official written decision on the merits of an asylum claim and can push an applicant into removal proceedings.
• A pause keeps the application active but unresolved, with no clear timeline for when the agency will restart normal processing.

For many applicants, that distinction matters: a denial could force people into immigration court immediately, while a pause avoids that immediate shift but leaves applicants — many of whom fled war, persecution, or gang violence — in a long and stressful wait.

USCIS guidance and applicant instructions

USCIS has not released detailed public guidance on the scope of the freeze, but it has confirmed that officers will not issue asylum approvals either, even in cases that were ready for final review.

The agency has directed applicants to:

• Keep checking their online case status.
• Respond to any notices, such as requests for more evidence, within normal deadlines.

Important: The main USCIS asylum page Asylum still describes the regular process (filing Form I-589 within one year of arrival, attending biometrics, attending an interview) but does not mention the temporary halt or give a restart date.

Related review: refugees from 2021–2025

Separately, USCIS is conducting a sweeping review of about 200,000 people who entered the United States as refugees between January 21, 2021, and February 20, 2025.

Officials say they are re-checking those refugee grants to determine whether any person should not have been approved at the time of admission, citing security and fraud concerns.

• If USCIS decides a person was not eligible for refugee status back then, it can move to terminate that status.
• Termination cuts off benefits and protection and places the person at risk of being sent to immigration court.
• There is no direct appeal of a refugee termination within USCIS; many people will have to fight their cases in front of an immigration judge as part of removal proceedings.

Impact on green card (I-485) cases

The agency has also placed a hold on green card cases connected to this review.

• Refugees from the 2021–2025 period who filed Form I-485, the application to adjust status to permanent resident, are seeing their cases paused while USCIS checks their underlying refugee grants.
• If a person’s refugee status is terminated during the review, any pending I-485 may be denied, removing a long-awaited path to permanent residence.

Administrative closures and filing-location changes

Separate from the decision halt, lawyers report that some asylum cases have been administratively closed after changes to filing locations for the I-589 form in mid-2025.

• Administrative closures is not the same as a denial, but it can be dangerous for applicants who do not notice right away.
• A closed case may leave an applicant without a pending case to protect them from removal or to support work authorization.

Some applicants say they never received clear notice that their files were closed and only discovered the problem when they tried to renew work permits or check online updates. Advocates warn that people who filed for asylum in good faith could suddenly find themselves at higher risk of arrest by immigration officers if their cases are no longer active in the USCIS system.

Who is affected

Immigration attorneys say the combined effect of the asylum halt, the refugee review, and administrative closures creates deep uncertainty. Those affected include:

• Families with U.S.-born children
• Survivors of torture
• Former interpreters for American troops
• People who fled political crackdowns and other persecution

Many fear that any denial or status loss could force them back into danger.

What applicants and advocates recommend

Lawyers and advocates emphasize immediate practical steps:

1. Keep close track of every USCIS notice.
2. Save copies of all receipts, letters, and documentation as proof that cases were properly filed.
3. If notified that an asylum or refugee-related case was administratively closed, or if you receive notice of refugee termination, seek legal advice quickly.

Additional recommended actions:

• Check online case status regularly.
• Respond to Requests for Evidence (RFE) within the deadline.
• Contact an immigration attorney or accredited representative promptly to explore options to reopen the case or challenge decisions in court.

Warnings, uncertainties, and potential long-term effects

While USCIS insists the halt is temporary, no end date has been announced. Past backlogs suggest that even a short pause can ripple through the system for years.

• Advocates warn that without clearer rules, the freeze on asylum denials and approvals risks becoming a long-term barrier for people who have already passed security checks and waited patiently.
• For now, applicants remain in legal limbo: allowed to stay but unable to secure a final answer on their futures.

Many fear that silence from USCIS could last far longer, leaving families and vulnerable individuals in prolonged uncertainty.