December 4, 2025
USCIS Pauses Immigration Processing for 19 Countries: What Employers Need to Know
*This information reflects guidance available as of December 3, 2025. Immigration policies are subject to change; please refer to the official USCIS website for the most current updates.
On Dec. 3, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced an immediate pause on the processing of immigration applications for individuals from 19 designated countries. This will impact candidates outside and inside the USA from one of the designated countries.
According to an internal policy memorandum referenced in recent national news reporting, USCIS will temporarily halt final adjudications for green cards, naturalization applications, asylum cases, and other immigration benefits for applicants from 19 countries. The agency also stated it will begin re-reviewing and, in some cases, re-interviewing applicants from these countries whose cases were previously approved.
Key Updates from USCIS
Countries Included in the Pause
The pause applies to applicants from all 19 countries previously identified under federal travel restrictions:
Afghanistan, Myanmar (Burma), Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen, Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela.
What the Pause Covers
- Final decisions on green card, naturalization, asylum, and other immigration benefit applications for individuals from these countries are temporarily suspended.
- Already scheduled naturalization oath ceremonies and adjustment of status interviews may be postponed or canceled.
- Previously approved applications for individuals from these countries may be re-reviewed, and some applicants may be re-interviewed, potentially going back to cases approved as early as 2021.
Duration
USCIS has not announced an end date. The pause remains in place until the agency issues updated guidance outlining revised vetting procedures.
What This Means for Healthcare Employers
If Your Candidates Are From One of the 19 Countries
- Their immigration applications may experience delays due to the temporary pause.
- Final adjudications, including approvals, are on hold.
- Previously completed steps (e.g., interviews, approvals) may be subject to re-review.
- Timelines for immigration benefits will remain paused until USCIS provides further instruction.
If Your Candidates Are From Any Other Country
- According to available reporting, no changes have been announced for applicants outside the list of 19 countries.
- Case processing for these candidates is expected to continue as normal unless USCIS issues additional updates.
What Employers Can Do Now
- Continue standard onboarding and workforce planning for candidates not affected by the pause.
- Anticipate possible delays for candidates from the impacted countries and review staffing contingencies where needed.
- Stay connected to WWHS for real-time updates as additional federal guidance is released.
- Avoid making final workforce decisions based solely on anticipated immigration timelines for impacted candidates until USCIS clarifies next steps.
Our Commitment to Supporting Clients
WorldWide HealthStaff Solutions (WWHS) will continue monitoring all official updates from DHS and USCIS and will share new information as soon as it is confirmed. Our priority is to help healthcare employers understand policy changes that may impact their workforce planning and to provide accurate, timely information based on publicly available sources.
For questions about how this immigration pause may affect your current or future staffing pipeline, please contact us directly: https://client.healthstaff.org/contact-us
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