USCIS Confirms It Will Comply With the Dorcas Vacatur of the Country Hold Policies

On June 5, 2026, the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island decided Dorcas International Institute of Rhode Island v. USCIS, No. 26-cv-132-JJM-PAS, holding that USCIS violated the Administrative Procedure Act when it indefinitely paused adjudication of immigration benefit requests for nationals of thirty-nine designated countries. The court vacated and set aside the policies behind that pause, which USCIS has identified as Policy Memorandum 602-0192, Policy Memorandum 602-0194, and Policy Alert 2025-26. Final judgment entered on June 11, 2026.

On June 12, 2026, USCIS posted a public notice confirming how it intends to respond. The agency stated that it “strongly disagrees with the Court’s order but will follow its terms pending possible further judicial review.” It further confirmed that, with final judgment entered, the vacatur is “effective immediately” and “applies agency-wide,” and that the three policies “should be treated as if they are not in effect.” The full notice is available on the USCIS website at https://www.uscis.gov/newsroom/alerts/court-order-on-hold-policies.

For applicants from the affected countries, this means USCIS should no longer pause adjudications or treat a high-risk country designation as a significant negative factor while processing pending applications. USCIS has said it will issue updated instructions as the litigation develops, so the operational picture may continue to shift in the coming weeks.

The government has already filed a notice of appeal in Dorcas and has signaled that it intends to ask the First Circuit for a stay. Federal courts have continued to grant individual, follow-on relief even after a nationwide vacatur, recognizing that a vacatur entered in one circuit can be stayed or narrowed on appeal at any time. Applicants who have been harmed by the hold policies should consider speaking with counsel about the impact of the Dorcas order on their case and whether additional actions should be taken at this time.