(UNITED STATES) Refugee admissions under the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program remain largely paused despite the end of the federal shutdown, with the USRAP suspension still in place following the January 2025 executive order that halted most processing and travel. Officials have allowed a narrow restart only for a limited group of refugees who were already on track to travel when the pause began, but for most applicants, the pipeline remains closed and cases are still on hold across the system.
What the executive order did and the immediate effects
The White House order led to a halt that formally took effect on January 27, 2025, stopping new refugee admissions except for a specific group: people who had been conditionally approved and had confirmed travel arranged before January 20, 2025.
A federal court issued a preliminary injunction in mid-2025 requiring the government to resume work on those cases, creating a small, court‑mandated lane through the shutdown of regular processing. Government filings indicate the review includes roughly 160 refugees whose flights had been booked shortly after the suspension took effect, along with others who meet the same criteria but were not yet ticketed.
Current status of the broader program
Even with that court-ordered carve-out, the broader program remains paused. Interviews, security checks, medical exams, and flight scheduling for most refugees are not moving forward. That includes new referrals and cases that had not reached the conditional approval and travel‑planning stage before the cutoff dates.
Agencies involved in overseas screening and U.S. resettlement networks continue to tell applicants that refugee admissions are not broadly restarting at this time.
Impact on linked programs: Welcome Corps and family reunification
- The Welcome Corps program remains suspended, with its application portal closed and no new sponsorship filings accepted.
- Cases tied to Welcome Corps fall under the same rules as the general refugee program: only sponsorships with conditional approval and confirmed travel by January 20, 2025 are being reviewed because of the court order.
- For everyone else, sponsorship processing is on hold and there is no new timeline for when it might resume.
Family reunification routes attached to refugee status are also on hold. Refugees who were trying to bring immediate family members through the follow-to-join process report stalled steps and canceled travel. Officials say those cases will not move unless they fall within the limited exception.
- People asking about the Form I-730, Refugee/Asylee Relative Petition can find the form and current guidance on USCIS: Form I-730, Refugee/Asylee Relative Petition.
- For most families, travel cannot be scheduled while the suspension remains active.
Oversight, reviews, and the 90-day cycle
The administration has tied any broader restart to periodic reviews. Under the executive order, the Secretary of Homeland Security must submit reports every 90 days assessing whether resuming refugee admissions aligns with U.S. interests.
As of late 2025, no full resumption has been announced, and that oversight cycle continues. Official background on the refugee program, including how admissions normally work in partnership with the U.N. and resettlement groups, is available from the State Department: U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP).
What’s happening for the small group covered by the injunction
For the narrow set of people covered by the injunction, the government has been taking these steps:
- Contacting resettlement partners to verify files.
- Clearing pending security and administrative checks.
- Rebooking canceled flights where possible.
The review focuses on people who were already through core screening and had firm travel. Officials stress that restarting those steps takes time after a sudden stop. Caseworkers report many refugees have faced repeated delays since the pause, with missed medical exam windows and expired checks requiring new clearances before boarding can happen.
Analysis and reporting from outside groups
According to analysis by VisaVerge.com, the practical outcome is stark: while narrow processing has resumed for a defined set of people, the USRAP suspension still blocks the vast majority of cases.
- VisaVerge.com reports that Welcome Corps is not accepting new applications.
- Pending sponsorships are not moving unless they meet the same conditional approval and pre‑cutoff travel criteria.
Their summary matches what resettlement offices across the country are seeing: phones remain busy with calls from families asking for updates that have not arrived.
Human impact
This prolonged pause has real human costs. Refugees who spent years completing interviews and background checks now face indefinite wait times. Parents separated from children describe rechecking email every morning for news, while sponsors in local communities say they’ve kept apartments on hold, unsure how long they can afford to wait.
The court‑ordered exceptions have helped some people move forward, but they have not changed the larger picture: the pipeline for refugee admissions remains narrowed to a sliver.
Key timeline (concise)
- January 20, 2025 — Cutoff date for confirmed travel and conditional approvals to qualify for the exception.
- January 27, 2025 — USRAP suspension formally took effect.
- Mid-2025 — Federal court issued a preliminary injunction creating a limited restart for qualifying cases.
- Late 2025 — No full resumption announced; 90-day review cycle ongoing.
Guidance for refugees and sponsors
- If you had conditional approval and confirmed travel as of January 20, 2025:
- Watch for messages from your caseworker.
- Keep contact details current.
- Be prepared to refresh medical exams or clearances if instructed.
- If you do not meet those criteria:
- You are being asked to wait for official updates.
- Sponsors tied to Welcome Corps:
- Communicate with your group coordinators and hold off on planning until the program resumes.
Important: Without another court order or a new executive-branch decision, most steps — new referrals, interviews, approvals, medical exams, and flight scheduling — will stay on pause.
For now, the facts remain unchanged: the USRAP suspension took effect January 27, 2025; a court carved out an exception for a narrow set of cases; and there has been no broader reopening. Families waiting to reunite, sponsors hoping to welcome newcomers, and refugees still in transit hubs will have to keep watching the 90‑day review cycle for any sign that a wider restart is coming.
This Article in a Nutshell
An executive order in January 2025 led to a USRAP suspension effective January 27, pausing most refugee admissions. A mid-2025 federal injunction created a limited carve-out for roughly 160 refugees who had conditional approvals and confirmed travel before January 20, 2025. Interviews, security vetting, medical exams, and flight scheduling for most applicants remain halted. Welcome Corps and follow-to-join family reunification routes are suspended. The administration will review reopening every 90 days, but no full resumption has been announced.
