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03 December 2025

USCIS announces holds on processing of certain immigration benefit requests, Policy Manual updates, and retroactive reviews of certain approvals

On 2 December 2025, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued a Policy Memorandum (the 2 December memo) directing its personnel to (i) place a hold on all Applications for Asylum and for Withholding of Removal (Form I-589) regardless of the applicant’s country of nationality; (ii) place a hold “on pending benefit requests” for foreign nationals from countries listed in Presidential Proclamation 10949, which was issued in June 2025 and created full and partial restrictions on entry to the United States for nationals of 19 countries; and (iii) conduct a “comprehensive re-review of approved benefit requests” for foreign nationals from those 19 countries who entered the United States on or after 20 January 2021.

A Tax Alert prepared by EY Law LLP group, and attached below, provides additional details.

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Attachment

Full text of Tax Alert

Document ID: 2025-2413

 
 

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