DHS Expands Immigration Pause to 39 Countries Under PM-602-0194 Policy

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services on January 1, 2026 imposed an immediate pause on the adjudication of immigration applications for nationals from an additional 20 countries, expanding a December 2025 freeze to 39 nations plus the Palestinian Authority.

The adjudicative hold took effect at 12:01 a.m. on January 1, 2026, and applies to all pending benefit applications, including immigrant and non-immigrant visas, adjustment of status, naturalization, and asylum and refugee status.

The policy was formalized in USCIS Policy Memorandum PM-602-0194, titled “Hold and Review of USCIS Benefit Applications Filed by Aliens from Additional High-Risk Countries,” released on January 1, 2026.

Stated rationale and official language

“USCIS remains dedicated to ensuring aliens from high-risk countries of concern who have entered the United States do not pose risks to national security or public safety. To faithfully uphold United States immigration law, the flow of aliens from countries with high overstay rates, significant fraud, or both must stop,” the memo said.

USCIS said it had “determined the operational necessity to ensure all aliens from high-risk countries of concern who entered the United States do not pose a threat to national security or public safety. [The proclamations] restricted the entry of foreign nationals from countries lacking adequate screening and vetting information,” according to the policy memo.

USCIS Director Joseph Edlow and DHS leadership emphasized the measures are necessary to “investigate immigration benefit requests filed by aliens who may pose risks.”

The January expansion is part of an initiative described as “Restricting and Limiting the Entry of Foreign Nationals,” and it followed Presidential Proclamation 10998 issued on December 16, 2025.

Officials cited national security concerns following a Thanksgiving 2025 shooting incident in Washington, D.C., allegedly involving an Afghan national.

Scope of the hold

The hold covers a broad set of benefit categories and case stages:

• Immigrant visas and related processes
• Non-immigrant visas
• Adjustment of status (applications to become lawful permanent residents)
• Naturalization (U.S. citizenship applications)
• Asylum and refugee adjudications

For applicants inside the United States, the hold reaches across routine USCIS processes that typically move a case through intake, biometrics, interviews, and finally to an approval or denial. With adjudication paused, applicants who have completed earlier steps can still be left waiting because the action specifically targets the decision stage across multiple benefit types.

Retroactive re-review requirement

Under PM-602-0194, officers are directed to conduct a comprehensive re-review of benefit requests from the affected countries that were approved on or after January 20, 2021. The memo’s retroactive review provision means:

• Previously approved cases may be revisited.
• Individuals with approved benefits could be summoned for re-interviews.
• Applicants may face potential revocation of status pending the comprehensive review.

This backward-looking mandate can pull applicants back into the system even after they believed their cases were complete, depending on how USCIS applies the “comprehensive re-review.”

Countries added and restriction types

The memo labeled the newly added nations as “Additional High-Risk Countries”, tying the expansion to overstay rates, fraud concerns, and screening and vetting gaps.

• Full travel bans (5 countries)
• Burkina Faso
• Mali
• Niger
• South Sudan
• Syria

• Partial or specific restrictions (15 countries)

• Angola
• Antigua and Barbuda
• Benin
• Cote d’Ivoire
• Dominica
• Gabon
• Gambia
• Malawi
• Mauritania
• Nigeria
• Senegal
• Tanzania
• Tonga
• Zambia
• Zimbabwe

The expansion spans large and small nations across Africa, the Caribbean, the Pacific, and the Middle East.

Exceptions and carve-outs

The policy summary identified limited exceptions, citing certain categories such as:

• Athletes and team members competing in the 2026 World Cup
• Participants in the 2026 Winter Olympics

The government did not list broader categories of exceptions in the provided policy summary beyond these limited carve-outs.

Practical effects on applicants and stakeholders

Key impacts described or implied in the memo include:

1. Delays and uncertainty

– Pending cases remain in administrative limbo with adjudication paused.
– Applicants who planned around expected processing timelines may have work, family, education, or travel decisions disrupted.

1. Disruption of routine USCIS appointments

– Reports indicated naturalization ceremonies and immigration interviews for affected applicants were canceled starting the first week of January 2026.
– Cancellations create logistical strain for applicants who may have taken time off work, traveled, or arranged childcare.

1. Employment and status implications

– Non-immigrant matters covered by the hold can intersect with employment authorization and overall status stability.
– Adjustment of status applicants can be prevented from securing long-term residence, prolonging reliance on temporary status arrangements.

1. Citizenship and asylum consequences

– Naturalization cases may be delayed despite eligibility.
– Asylum and refugee adjudications are included, adding uncertainty to long-term safety and lawful presence determinations.

1. Administrative workload

– The memo emphasizes mandatory re-interviews, indicating a substantial additional workload for USCIS as it reviews held cases and revisits older approvals.

Operational and policy context

DHS and USCIS presented the changes as an escalation building on the December 2025 freeze and the December 16, 2025 proclamation. The policy memo ties its rationale to:

• Overstay rates
• Fraud concerns
• Screening and vetting gaps

“USCIS has determined the operational necessity to ensure all aliens from high-risk countries of concern who entered the United States do not pose a threat to national security or public safety. [The proclamations] restricted the entry of foreign nationals from countries lacking adequate screening and vetting information,” the memo said.

Officials framed the wider effort as one that aims to “restore integrity” to the immigration system by heightening scrutiny and requiring additional vetting steps.

Missing details and government disclosures

The available material did not provide:

• A timeline for how long the adjudicative hold will remain in place.
• Quantified figures for how many cases are currently pending or how many will be affected.
• Broader categories of exceptions beyond the limited carve-outs referenced.

Broader implications

• By increasing the number of affected nations to 39, plus the Palestinian Authority, the policy widens the population subject to delayed outcomes across multiple immigration tracks.
• The inclusion of both immigrant and non-immigrant benefits means the hold can apply across a wide range of filings, from long-term immigration pathways to time-limited statuses tied to travel, work, or study.
• Employers, educational institutions, and families that track immigration milestones may face operational and planning disruptions, though the policy description did not quantify the effects.

Conclusion and framing used by DHS/USCIS

DHS and USCIS consistently framed the measure as risk-based and tied to national security and public safety. The memo repeatedly emphasized stopping “the flow of aliens” from countries it links to overstay and fraud concerns, and it stated the need to ensure applicants “do not pose risks to national security or public safety,” as DHS and USCIS move forward with the expanded hold under PM-602-0194.