Joy As Court Orders USCIS To Restart Processing of Delayed Green Card and Work Permit Applications
- A federal judge in Ohio granted a preliminary injunction ordering USCIS to restart processing frozen green card and work authorisation applications
- US District Judge Algenon L. Marbley ruled that USCIS policies tied to Trump's travel restrictions unlawfully stalled immigration benefit applications
- The ruling could benefit immigrants from Ghana, Burma, Canada, Iran, Nigeria, Syria, Tanzania and others who have lived and worked in the US for years
A federal judge in Ohio has ordered US immigration authorities to resume adjudicating thousands of immigration benefit applications that had been frozen under policies linked to President Donald Trump's travel restrictions.
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US District Judge Algenon L. Marbley issued a preliminary injunction on Monday, July 6, 2026, in a case brought by 25 foreign nationals whose applications for green cards, work authorisation and other immigration benefits had been held up by US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).'
Judge rules against USCIS freeze policies
In his written ruling, Judge Marbley described the challenged policies as ones that "indefinitely pause USCIS's final adjudication of pending immigration benefit applications submitted by foreign nationals from certain countries," while simultaneously treating nationality from those countries as a "significant and negative factor" during the adjudication process.
He determined that such a blanket freeze exceeded the administration's authority.
The plaintiffs, who are nationals of Burma, Canada, Iran, Nigeria, Syria, Tanzania and Venezuela, include individuals who have resided in the United States for years and, in many cases, already held prior authorisation to work.
Marbley highlighted the range of individuals affected, noting they included a hospital pharmacist, a registered nurse, a cancer researcher receiving federal funding, college graduates with job offers in science and engineering, a university professor, and families raising children in the country.
The judge was explicit in distinguishing the plaintiffs from those seeking entry from abroad.
"These foreign nationals are not outside the country; they reside across the United States," he wrote.
What the ruling means for affected immigrants
USCIS administers a broad range of immigration benefits, covering adjustment of status applications for permanent residency, employment authorisation requests, citizenship applications and asylum claims.
When those processes stall, applicants can spend months in legal and professional uncertainty, unable to confirm their status or take up employment.
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Immigration advocates have long argued that broad application freezes place eligible applicants in limbo despite their having followed established legal procedures throughout the process.
The Ohio ruling adds to a series of judicial decisions in which federal courts have questioned the scope of authority the Trump administration can exercise in imposing sweeping immigration application holds.
For those with cases pending before USCIS, the injunction represents a significant development that could finally move long-delayed decisions forward.
Below is the Facebook post announcing the new ruling ordering USCIS to process stalled green card applications
Man deported for lying to obtain green card
Earlier, YEN.com.gh reported that Fordjour, a Ghanaian man who had been in the United States of America for three decades, had been deported to his home country.
The Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA), the highest administrative court responsible for applying and interpreting US immigration laws, ruled against him in his quest to continue living in the country.
This came after it was found that he had fathered two children on the side while still married to the American woman who filed for his green card.
Source: YEN.com.gh
