POLICY & ANALYSIS

Policy updates

Follow U.S. immigration policy, filing changes and official announcements.

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Humanitarian programs

USCIS Updates Guidance on Validity of Alien Refugee and Asylee Marriages

We are updating guidance in the USCIS Policy Manual, Volume 4, on valid marriages between a principal asylee or principal refugee and their claimed spouse. Under the updated guidance, all marriages between principal asylees or principal refugees and their claimed derivative spouses must be legally valid under the law of the jurisdiction where the marriage was celebrated in order to be considered valid for immigration benefit purposes.

Policy update
Citizenship & naturalization

Update to Policy on Disability Exceptions to Naturalization Requirements

Under this guidance, USCIS is changing how we process Form N-648 by focusing greater attention on the veracity of medical certifications and identification and prevention of fraud, thereby enhancing the integrity of the process. Across the country and over the decades, there have been numerous instances where the medical certification process has been exploited.

Policy update
Fees, forms & filing

Revised Guidance for Form N-648 Submission and Review Process

USCIS is changing how the Medical Certification for Disability Exceptions ( Form N-648 ) is processed by focusing greater attention on the veracity of medical certifications and identification of fraud, thereby enhancing the integrity of the process.

Policy update
General policy

USCIS Issues Guidance Regarding Disclosure of Derogatory Information

States that, if we plan to rely on derogatory information that a benefit requestor is unaware of, we will generally provide a detailed description of the derogatory information in a Notice of Intent to Deny, Request for Evidence, or Notice of Intent to Revoke; and Clarifies when we may not disclose information, such as information that may be classified, sensitive, privileged, or otherwise subject to statutory protections and in other limited circumstances, such as when the information is provided in a third-party record or is subject to disclosure limitations.

Policy update
General policy

Derogatory Information Unknown to the Benefit Requestor

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is issuing policy guidance in the USCIS Policy Manual to address how and when USCIS may or may not disclose derogatory information before issuing an adverse decision to benefit requestors. This update provides USCIS officers with clear guidance on disclosure procedures and ensures that benefit requestors have the opportunity to rebut derogatory information in an adverse decision.

Policy update
General policy

Updating References to Notice to Appear Memorandum

This technical update revises references in the Policy Manual to refer to the memorandum Issuance of Notices to Appear (NTAs) in Cases Involving Inadmissible and Deportable Aliens , issued on February 28, 2025.

Policy update
Fees, forms & filing

USCIS Changes Validity Period for Any Form I-693 Signed on or after Nov. 1, 2023

We are updating Volume 8 of the USCIS Policy Manual to clarify that a Form I-693, Report of Immigration Medical Examination and Vaccination Record, signed by a civil surgeon on or after Nov. 1, 2023, is only valid while the application the Form I-693 was submitted with is pending. If the application a Form I-693 was submitted with is withdrawn or denied, that Form I-693 is no longer valid. This guidance is effective immediately and applies to applications pending or filed on or after June 11, 2025.

Policy update
Fees, forms & filing

Validity of Report of Immigration Medical Examination and Vaccination Record (Form I-693)

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is making a necessary change to its policy to reflect that the Report of Immigration Medical Examination and Vaccination Record ( Form I-693 ) is generally valid only for the immigration benefit application for which it was submitted, such as the Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status ( Form I-485 ). Current policy jeopardizes public health by allowing the submission of a Form I-693 tied to any previous immigration benefit application or request, which could include instances where the medical examination results are outdated or where aliens failed to follow up on necessary or recommended medical treatment for tuberculosis.

Policy update
General policy

Litigation-Related Update: Supreme Court stay of CHNV Preliminary Injunction

On May 30, 2025, the Supreme Court of the United States issued an order lifting the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts’s April 14, 2025 Preliminary Injunction that stayed parts of the March 25, 2025 Federal Register notice titled, “Termination of Parole Process for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans (CHNV).

Policy update
General policy

Special Immigrant Juvenile Classification and Deferred Action

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is issuing policy guidance in the USCIS Policy Manual to eliminate automatic consideration of deferred action (and related employment authorization) for aliens classified as Special Immigrant Juveniles (SIJs) who are ineligible to apply for adjustment of status to lawful permanent resident (LPR) status due to visa unavailability.

Policy update
Humanitarian programs

DHS Terminates Temporary Protected Status for Nepal

The Department of Homeland Security today posted a Federal Register notice on the termination of Temporary Protected Status for Nepal. After reviewing country conditions and consulting with the appropriate interagency partners, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem determined that conditions in Nepal no longer meet the statutory requirements for TPS.

Policy update
General policy

Rescission of the USCIS Statelessness Policy

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is rescinding policy guidance in the USCIS Policy Manual regarding stateless aliens present in the United States.

Policy update

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