USCIS Review Process Update: Will It Affect Your Case?
September 25, 2025
USCIS Review Process Update: Will It Affect Your Case?
United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) has announced several important policy changes this August that affect how applications and petitions are reviewed:
- Discretion & Anti-American Activity (Aug. 19, 2025) Read more here.
- USCIS will now look more closely at social media and other records.
- If someone has supported terrorist groups, anti-American, antisemitic, or extremist activities, this will hurt their immigration case.
- Applies to investor cases, fraud cases, and national security concerns.
- Family-Based Petitions (Aug. 1, 2025) Read more here.
- USCIS is making sure marriages and family petitions are real and not used to commit fraud.
- New rules explain what documents and interviews are required.
- Petitions filed abroad by U.S. citizens (including military) are included.
- A petition alone does not give legal status or stop deportation.
- Neighborhood Checks for Citizenship Read more here.
- USCIS has restarted “neighborhood checks” for people applying for citizenship.
- Officers may talk to neighbors, employers, or coworkers to confirm good moral character.
- If applicants don’t send strong evidence, they could face delays.
The Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) issued several key decisions in August and September that clarify fees, bond eligibility, and requirements for relief. Here are the highlights:
- Matter of Garcia Martinez (Aug. 2025) - If someone has a lawyer, the BIA says they are expected to pay filing fees.
- Matter of Yajure Hurtado (Sept. 5, 2025) - People who entered the U.S. without being admitted or paroled cannot ask an Immigration Judge for a bond hearing.
- Other BIA Decisions (Aug. 2025):
- Hardship cases: General financial or emotional problems are not enough for cancellation of removal.
- Asylum cases: If testimony is not believable and there’s no strong evidence, the claim can be denied.
- Drug cases: A recent drug-related arrest can be enough to deny bond.
- Torture claims: Old or vague threats are not enough to win.
Wheeler Law is available to answer any other questions you may have, and/or help you take the next steps to your, or your loved ones, future. At Wheeler Law, we find creative solutions to break down the barriers holding you, or a loved one, back from obtaining legal status in the United States. Call us now to schedule a consultation: (602) 586-5625.
Follow us on social media for more updates.
El 19 de septiembre de 2025, se firmó una proclamación presidencial que introdujo una
tarifa única de $100,000 para todas las nuevas solicitudes de visa H-1B.
On September 19, 2025, a presidential proclamation was signed introducing a one-time $100,000 fee on all new H-1B visa applications.
VAWA ayuda a las sobrevivientes a recuperar su autonomía al eliminar la necesidad de
depender del patrocinio de su abusador.
The VAWA is a federal law that helps survivors regain autonomy by removing the need to rely on their abuser for sponsorship...
USCIS anunció varios cambios importantes en sus políticas este Agosto que afectan la forma en que se revisan las solicitudes y peticiones
A partir del 20 de octubre de 2025, USCIS administrará el nuevo Examen de Educación Cívica para la Naturalización 2025...
Beginning October 20, 2025, USCIS will administer the updated 2025 Naturalization Civics Test to applicants who file Form N-400.
Cuando las autoridades de inmigración detienen a alguien, una de las primeras preguntas es si puede obtener la libertad bajo fianza mientras su caso está pendiente.
When someone is detained by immigration authorities, one of the first questions is whether they can be released on bond while their case is pending.
La semana pasada, un juez federal decidió que el intento del gobierno de cancelar el TPS para venezolanos fue ilegal. Las protecciones siguen vigentes—por ahora.