Thousands of immigrants waiting for Green Cards inside the United States are trying to understand how a new USCIS policy could affect their applications. Immigration lawyers say the new guidance does not automatically reject pending Green Card cases, but it could lead to tougher reviews, more paperwork requests, and longer wait times for many applicants.
The policy, called PM-602-0199, was issued by US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) on May 22, 2026. It tells immigration officers to apply stricter “discretionary review” when deciding Adjustment of Status applications.
