On April 30, 2026, a federal court in Massachusetts issued a significant ruling ordering the U.S. government to lift its blanket hold on certain U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) immigration applications for approximately 200 plaintiffs from specific countries. The court found that two key USCIS policies, which have been responsible for freezing cases for months, are likely unlawful. While this marks an important legal victory, the decision currently applies only to the individuals involved in the case. Thousands of other applicants remain subject to these policies and may need to take additional steps to obtain relief.
The court found that:
- USCIS likely does not have the authority to freeze applications indefinitely based on nationality;
- Using nationality as a negative factor is likely inconsistent with immigration law;
- The government did not follow proper rulemaking procedures before implementing these policies; and
- Applicants suffered real and immediate harm, including:
- Loss of work authorization
- Disruption of lawful status
- Financial and personal hardship
The decision signals the type of relief other litigants may be able to pursue through similar lawsuits. The court held that:
- USCIS must resume processing applications for certain plaintiffs;
- USCIS must stop applying these policies to those individuals; and
- The court will determine whether additional plaintiffs are also entitled to relief.
The affected countries include Afghanistan, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burma (Myanmar), Burundi, Chad, Congo-Brazzaville (Republic of the Congo), Côte d’Ivoire, Cuba, Dominica, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Gabon, The Gambia, Haiti, Iran, Laos, Libya, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Palestinian Authority (those using P.A.-issued documents), Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Tanzania, Togo, Tonga, Turkmenistan, Venezuela, Yemen, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
