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Data as of June 10, 2026 · 189 approved survey responses in the live database. Methodology

How to explore the data

  • Interactive Data — filter by state, industry, impacts, and more; click charts or use the filter builder. Share URLs with your filter selections.
  • Digest Insights — severity index, risk cohorts, and targeting views for decision-oriented summaries.

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Interactive Data

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Infographic highlights

Narrative-first visuals for key findings across demographics and impact domains.

Highlights

From 24+ countries: The geographic reach of the USCIS adjudication pause
Birth-region grouping (country of birth) to preserve respondent anonymity. Click slices or labels to filter.
Based on 146 responses

Individuals from high-representation regions account for the majority of the filtered sample.

Data: USCIS Adjudication Pause Impact Survey, 2026 | N=146. Figures represent country of birth as self-reported by survey participants.

The pulse of the workforce: Tech and healthcare hit hardest
Click a row to filter by sector.
Based on 118 responses

The pause primarily destabilizes the top represented sectors, with all other industries making up the long tail of the affected workforce.

130
Industry or SectorCount
Technology or IT30
Healthcare29
Finance or Banking10
Engineering9
Other9
Nonprofit7
Research or Academia7
Education5
Construction4
Consulting4
Hospitality4

Industry impact: darker cells indicate higher representation within the filtered sample.

A high-skilled crisis: Educational background of affected individuals
Click bars to filter by educational attainment.
Based on 149 responses

Advanced degree holders represent a significant pool of talent currently sidelined by processing delays.

Note: Educational data is based on 149 unique respondents.

Sidelined: employment impacts of the adjudication pause
Click bars to filter by an employment impact category.
Based on 235 responses

The adjudication pause is causing an immediate workforce depletion, with professional growth stalled across multiple job categories.

Created natively from survey responses. Counts represent respondents selecting each employment impact.

The psychological toll of the adjudication pause
Among respondents directly affected by the pause, many reported anxiety, depression, stress, or related health strain.
Based on 130 responses

89.2%

...report anxiety or depression

87.7%

...report increased stress

72.3%

...report sleep problems

40.0%

...report physical health deterioration

24.6%

...cannot afford mental health treatment

Data: USCIS Adjudication Pause Impact Survey, 2026 | N=130. Percentages reflect share of respondents reporting each impact.

Additional impact domains

Financial impacts
Distribution of direct financial strain reported by respondents. Click bars to filter.
Based on 125 responses
Housing impacts
Share by housing disruption type. Click slices or rows to filter.
Based on 112 responses
Legal and immigration impacts
Heat-ranked legal consequences among affected respondents. Click rows to filter.
Based on 133 responses
ImpactCount
Immigration status more uncertain110
Cannot travel outside U.S.100
Cannot visit home country for emergency80
Worried about deportation78
Fell out of status or at risk61
Family impacts
Household and relationship disruptions linked to the pause. Click bars to filter.
Based on 130 responses
Education impacts
Progress-style share bars by education disruption type. Click rows to filter.
Based on 110 responses

Deep dive analytics

Drill-down views for geographic and tenure analysis not duplicated in highlights.

The sunk cost of residency: high financial stakes of the adjudication pause
Nearly half of all respondents have invested over $5,000 in Attorney Fees (46%) and USCIS Application Fees (43%). Despite these "High-Tier" investments, applicants remain in prolonged legal limbo due to the adjudication pause.
Low (under $2,500)Mid ($2,500-$4,999)High ($5,000+)

USCIS Fee Expense

29.2
27.74
43.07

Attorney Expense

37.31
16.42
46.27

Other Immigration Expense

82.96
8.89
8.15

Data: USCIS Adjudication Pause Impact Survey, 2026 (USCIS n=142 · Legal n=141 · Other n=135). Survey questions asked respondents about their total spending in three categories: (1) USCIS filing fees only, (2) legal or attorney fees, and (3) other expenses including medical exams, document translations, and travel for interviews. Percentages reflect answered rows in each expense category and exclude “do not know” responses.

These respondents are taxpayers: Federal and state tax contributions since arriving in the U.S.
Largest federal bracket is $5,000 to $14,999 with 28 respondents; values are respondent counts, not percentages.

Federal Taxes

Less than $5,000

16

$5,000 to $14,999

28

$15,000 to $29,999

22

$30,000 to $49,999

18

$50,000 to $99,999

20

$100,000 to $199,999

11

$200,000 or more

10

State Taxes

Less than $2,000

12

$2,000 to $9,999

29

$10,000 to $19,999

17

$20,000 to $39,999

16

$40,000 to $79,999

10

$80,000 or more

9

My state has no income tax

26

Source: USCIS Adjudication Pause Impact Survey, 2026. Respondents reported cumulative federal and state income taxes paid since arriving in the U.S. Values reflect number of respondents per bracket, not dollar amounts. For state taxes, respondents reside in states with no income tax.

Over two-thirds of applicants filed before December 2025
Over two-thirds of applicants (73%) filed before December 2025 (102 of 140 answered rows).
120
100
80
60
40
20
102
14
9
10
5
Before December 202512/1/20251/1/20262/1/2026After February 2026

Source: USCIS Adjudication Pause Impact Survey, 2026 (N=140). Each data point reflects respondents whose most recent USCIS application was filed within the indicated time period.

Not entry-level: The professional experience lost to the adjudication pause
Click a USA or Worldwide bar to filter by that experience band.
Based on 288 responses

Affected respondents are not new arrivals. The largest groups show meaningful U.S. experience alongside longer global careers.

USAWorldwide

Less than 1 year

1 to 2 years

3 to 5 years

6 to 10 years

11 to 15 years

16 to 20 years

21 or more years

The adjudication pause is not just affecting entry-level workers. It is sidelining professionals with specialized knowledge across U.S. and worldwide experience bands.

Self-reported stress (0–10)
Outcome metric — display only. Stress distribution shifts as you apply filters above.
Based on 127 responses
U.S. state of residence
Click a state on the map or use the list below to filter.
Based on 145 responses

Use this list if the map is difficult to operate with a keyboard or screen reader.