Federal Court Blocks Trump USCIS Restrictions on 39 Countries: 2026 Update

A federal court has blocked several U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) policies that had significantly expanded the impact of the Trump Administration's travel restrictions on foreign nationals inside the United States. The ruling in Dorcas v. USCIS found that USCIS exceeded its legal authority and failed to comply with federal agency rulemaking requirements when implementing these internal policies. The court vacated four specific USCIS policies: the Benefits Hold Policy, the Global Asylum Hold Policy, the Comprehensive Re-Review Policy, and the Country-Specific Factors Policy. These policies had allowed USCIS to pause adjudication, reopen previously approved benefits, and apply additional scrutiny to applicants from designated countries — causing prolonged delays for properly filed applications. For EB-3 applicants and other employment-based immigrants from affected countries, the most direct impact involves Adjustment of Status (I-485) applications that were paused or placed under heightened review. USCIS is now required to resume normal adjudication of these filings, potentially accelerating cases that had been stalled. Other affected benefit types include H-1B, L-1, O-1 petitions, and Employment Authorization Documents (EADs). However, applicants must understand the limits of this ruling. It does not eliminate the underlying travel restrictions or the Department of State's January 2026 visa issuance restrictions at U.S. consulates abroad. Consular processing, entry restrictions, and international travel risks for nationals of designated countries remain unchanged and are subject to separate ongoing litigation. Affected foreign nationals with pending USCIS applications should monitor their case status and consult immigration counsel to assess whether delays in their specific case were caused by the now-vacated policies. Those outside the United States or planning travel should seek individualized legal guidance before making any international travel decisions.