On June 5, 2026, the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island issued a decision striking down several USCIS policies that had paused or restricted the adjudication of immigration benefit applications for individuals from certain countries subject to recent travel restrictions. In the 135-page decision, the court ruled that the challenged USCIS policies violated the Administrative Procedure Act and ordered that they be vacated.  

The now-vacated policies affected adjudications of various immigration benefits, including asylum-related applications, employment authorization, adjustment of status, naturalization, and other affirmative benefit requests filed by nationals of the designated countries. At this time, it remains unclear how USCIS will implement the decision in practice. It is expected that the government will seek an appellate review or a stay of the decision, and USCIS has not yet issued public guidance regarding the decision’s impact on pending or future filings.  

Foster LLP is closely monitoring developments and will provide additional updates as USCIS announces implementation guidance or further litigation affects the ruling. Individuals who may have been impacted by these policies should continue to monitor case updates and reach out to a Foster LLP attorney to discuss any case-specific questions. Foster LLP will also continue to track and provide updates about any developments via Immigration Updates©, articles, and blogs on our website at www.fosterglobal.com.