On June 5, 2026, a federal district court halted the administration’s unlawful policy of refusing to process immigration applications submitted by people from countries targeted by its sweeping travel bans. If your client is a national of one of the 39 travel-ban countries and has a stalled green card, work permit, asylum, or other immigration benefit application, this ruling removes a categorical block to adjudication. This is the most significant immigration court decision of 2026 so far for affected populations.
What changed
In Dorcas International Institute of Rhode Island v. USCIS, a federal district court ruled the administration’s policy of refusing to process immigration applications submitted by people from countries targeted by travel bans unlawful. The court declared four challenged policies invalid and set them aside.
The four vacated policies are:
- Benefits Hold Policy. Froze adjudication of green card, work permit, and other immigration benefit applications for nationals of Travel Ban countries.
- Global Asylum Hold Policy. Suspended adjudication of all asylum and withholding-of-removal applications, regardless of country of origin.
- Comprehensive Re-Review Policy. Required re-examination of already-approved benefits for Travel Ban country nationals who entered the U.S. on or after January 20, 2021.
- Country-Specific Factors Policy. Directed USCIS officers to treat an applicant’s national origin as a “significant negative factor” when adjudicating discretionary benefits.
While USCIS continued to collect filing fees from applicants, it refused to process a wide range of applications, including those for green cards, work permits, and other immigration benefits. Applicants who had filed properly, paid their fees, completed biometrics, and attended interviews were left waiting for months with no decision, and in many cases lost work authorization, jobs, and legal status while their cases sat frozen.
Why it matters
This ruling is binding and has immediate, practical effect on USCIS case adjudication. Unlike earlier preliminary injunction wins in other districts, which have generally limited relief to the named plaintiffs, the remedy here is vacatur of the underlying policies themselves, which carries far broader effect.
For your clients from the 39 travel-ban countries:
- Frozen cases should resume. If your work permit expired during the freeze, or your green card or naturalization application has been sitting without a decision, today’s ruling means USCIS should now resume processing your case.
- Legal uncertainty is removed. No longer can USCIS refuse adjudication based on nationality or country of origin alone.
- Discretionary factors are back in play. Cases must now be evaluated on their individual facts and law, not categorically rejected.
- Asylum applicants get parity. The blanket hold on all asylum applications (regardless of origin country) is gone.
However, note two caution flags:
- The government has discretion to appeal this decision and is expected to do so. It could also ask the Court of Appeals for the First Circuit to issue a stay of this district court decision while the appeal is litigated. If a stay is granted, USCIS would be permitted to continue enforcing the policies that the district court ruled are unlawful while the appeal is pending.
- It remains unclear how long it will take USCIS to work through the pending cases subject to the freeze. The agency was permitted during the freeze to continue processing cases up to, but not including, a final decision, which may mean the backlog is less severe than if processing had been completely halted.
Way forward
- Pull all stalled cases from your client files dated December 2025 onward where the client is a national of one of the 39 travel-ban countries. Confirm with USCIS whether the case is still frozen or has resumed adjudication.
- Monitor for stay orders. Subscribe to the First Circuit appellate docket for Dorcas International v. USCIS or follow immigration law listservs (AILA, etc.) for news of any emergency stay motion by DOJ.
- Prepare for resumption. If a case is still stalled, prepare to ask USCIS for expedited adjudication or to file a mandamus motion if processing does not resume within a reasonable period.
- Advise on next steps. Clients with expired work permits should expect USCIS to complete adjudication of pending EAD applications; those can then apply for new work permits. Green card applicants can expect interviews or decisions to proceed. Do not advise immediate travel or assumption of work authorization until USCIS formally approves the application.
Disclaimer
Fola is a software company, not a law firm. This article is not legal advice. Always consult a licensed immigration attorney licensed to practice in your state before relying on any information here. Policy can change without notice. Verify all information against the primary source, the June 5, 2026 court opinion in Dorcas International Institute of Rhode Island v. USCIS, linked in the source URL above.