How will Trump’s Immigration Bad affect applications that are pending with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services? That is a question we have been getting many times every day. What if you have a naturalization application (N-400)? What if you applied for adjustment of status (I-485)?
Sadly, we have received early indications that all applications by affected foreign nationals will be placed on indefinite hold.
As most know by now, President Trump signed an Executive Order barring citizens of Iran, Iraq, Syria, Sudan, Libya, Yemen and Somalia. As of yesterday, January 29, 2017, the Department of Homeland Security had clarified that greencard holders (lawful permanent residents) from those countries will not be barred.
So far there has been no formal guidance on how the ban will impact nationals from those countries who have pending USCIS applications. We have received two unconfirmed reports, however, that all such applications will be placed on indefinite hold.
That is both good and bad news.
The bad news is obvious. If you are from Iran, Iraq, Syria, Sudan, Libya, Yemen or Somalia, you will be unable to complete any USCIS process that is currently pending. If you applied for naturalization or adjustment of status, the application will not be approved until there is a change in policy. Even if you were scheduled for an interview, or have had your interview, it appears the application will be stopped.
On the other hand, the initial information suggests that pending applications will not be denied. Nor will these individuals automatically be referred for deportation proceedings. Instead, the application will simply be placed on hold.
We will update this post when formal guidelines are made public.[cta id=’2522′]
