USCIS Implements Nationwide Hold on Asylum Applications: What It Means for High-Risk Country Applicants

Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

December 2025

Sverdloff Law Group, P.C.

Chicago, Illinois

Sverdloff Law Group Issues Statement on New USCIS Policy Placing Immediate Hold on All Asylum Applications and Heightened Review of Applicants from Nineteen High-Risk Countries

Sverdloff Law Group, a leading U.S. immigration law firm, is issuing this formal press statement in response to the newly released U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) policy memorandum, PM-602-0192, dated December 2, 2025. This memorandum implements a nationwide hold on all pending asylum applications and creates an enhanced re-review system for immigration benefit applicants who list birth or citizenship in any of the nineteen countries identified under Presidential Proclamation 10949. The new directive also requires USCIS to re-evaluate already approved immigration benefits for individuals from those countries who entered the United States on or after January 20, 2021.

According to USCIS, this policy mandates mandatory interviews for affected applicants without the possibility of waiver, expanded national-security vetting, possible re-interviews, and the potential for referrals to other federal agencies. The memorandum emphasizes that these measures apply not only to asylum seekers but also to applicants with pending adjustment of status filings, green card renewals, travel document applications, removal of conditions petitions, and certain naturalization-related filings. The full memorandum is available on the USCIS website.

The nineteen designated countries named in Presidential Proclamation 10949 include Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Cuba, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, North Korea, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Venezuela, and Yemen. Individuals with pending cases who are connected to any of these countries should anticipate longer processing times, broadened background checks, and an overall increase in the depth of USCIS review.

Attorney Julia Sverdloff, founder of Sverdloff Law Group, stated: “This memorandum represents a substantial shift in national immigration procedure and one of the broadest USCIS security reassessment efforts in recent years. Our firm is advising clients to prepare for extended processing timelines, intensified interview requirements, and the possibility of re-review even for prior approvals. We remain committed to guiding asylum seekers, families, and long-term residents through these new requirements with clarity, precision, and strong legal advocacy.”

Sverdloff Law Group will continue monitoring implementation of the memo and providing updated guidance to affected individuals and community partners. The firm encourages all applicants who believe they may be impacted to schedule a legal consultation to assess how this USCIS action applies to their particular case.

For media inquiries or client consultations, please contact Sverdloff Law Group.