1
Resume immigration adjudication processes immediately.
- Prioritize individuals whose applications have been delayed or placed on hold.
- This would help mitigate further economic and personal harm.
Policy Recommendations
The path forward
These recommendations address immediate harms and structural issues driving instability among highly skilled immigrants.
2
Treat timely work authorization issuance as a critical priority.
- Adjudicate Form I-765 without further delay where applicants remain eligible.
- Prevent job loss and employer disruptions tied to expired or pending EADs.
3
Resume I-131 adjudication and prioritize humanitarian travel cases.
- Apply expedite criteria liberally for medical emergencies and bereavement.
- Address cases involving separation from minor children or urgent family care.
4
Provide transparent and regularly updated processing timelines.
- Publish clear expectations for applicants delayed beyond six months.
- Proactively communicate status changes with mechanisms in place to ensure accountability for prolonged inaction.
5
Establish clear and accessible exemption pathways.
- Use a standardized and transparent exemption framework that applicants can navigate.
- Reduce discretionary ambiguity that prolongs uncertainty.
6
Create targeted relief for OPT and STEM-OPT participants.
- Consider flexibilities comparable to COVID-era policies for students and recent graduates.
- Similar protections should extend to STEM OPT participants to ensure continuity of employment and skill development.
7
Refund premium processing fees for unprocessed cases.
- Return fees when guaranteed processing timeframes were not met because of the pause.
- Acknowledge the financial burden of expedited filings that did not receive timely action.
8
Strengthen oversight to prevent future adjudication freezes.
- Require congressional review before future broad adjudication pauses.
- Mandate public reporting on scope, duration, and humanitarian impact of any future holds.