U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued memorandum PM-602-0194, which expands its "suspension and review" policy. This policy pauses the adjudication of many immigration benefit applications filed by nationals or people born in countries included in the Expanded Immigration and Travel Ban.

Countries included in the ban (as of January 2026):

Afghanistan, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Cuba, Dominica, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Gabon, Gambia, Haiti, Iran, Laos, Libya, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Myanmar, Niger, Nigeria, holders of Palestinian Authority travel documents, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Tanzania, Togo, Tonga, Turkmenistan, Venezuela, Yemen, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

For nationals of countries not on this list, all immigration benefit processes remain available and can be filed and awarded under regular procedures, without country-based suspension.

The memorandum also defines exceptions to the suspension of awards, allowing certain benefits to continue being processed normally. These include:

• Form I-90: Application to Replace Permanent Resident Card (Green Card)
  Form N-565: Application for Replacement of Naturalization or Citizenship Document

• Form N-600: Application for a Certificate of Citizenship
• Form I-765: Application for Employment Authorization, when filed under:
  • (c)(8) Asylum-based category
  • (c)(11) Limited categories of parole
  • (c)(14) Limited categories of deferred action
• Form I-910: Application for Designation as a Civilian Physician (only for physicians who are U.S. citizens or nationals)
• Athletes and Support Staff: Applications for benefits for athletes, team members, coaches, essential support staff, and immediate family members participating in major international sporting events, as determined by the Secretary of State
• Cases that Serve the U.S. National Interest: Applications in which it is determined that the applicant's entry or stay benefits the national interest
• Automatic Terminations due to Change of Status: Applications for ancillary benefits that are automatically closed when a person obtains lawful permanent residence or naturalizes as a U.S. citizen

In summary, although the expanded ban and USCIS suspension affect certain nationals and applications, they remain in place. exceptions for essential services and cases of national interestPeople from countries not included in the list They retain access to all migration processes under standard procedures.

If you need guidance on the process, you can contact IACO – Immigration and American Citizenship Organization for assistance. For more information, call us at 973-472-4648 or write to us at info@iacoimmigration.org.