According to reports, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has “quietly” lifted processing holds in the United States on pending immigration benefit applications for physicians. This includes H-1B petitions filed by U.S. employers for physician employees and J-1 waiver-related adjustment of status applications.
Physicians were added on June 12, 2026, to the USCIS list, which includes individual or group cases with an established internal process for lifting holds that requires “comprehensive review by multiple offices.” The list is included in Update on USCIS’ Strengthened Screening and Vetting.
