RHODE ISLAND — A federal judge in Rhode Island issued a 135-page decision blocking a policy by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services that paused the processing of nonimmigrant benefit applications for individuals from 40 countries and territories. U.S. District Judge John J. McConnell Jr. found that the paused policy was unlawful, partly because it discriminated against applicants based on their country of origin. He ordered U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to resume evaluating the paused applications.

The agency had paused the processing of nonimmigrant benefit applications via memos issued in December 2025 and January 2026. The paused applications included Optional Practical Training applications and green card applications. Optional Practical Training allows international students to work in the U.S. after completing their degrees. The processing pause remained in effect for seven months prior to the court ruling.

The agency initially stated the pause would continue until new vetting processes were implemented. In late April, the agency modified the policy to allow case-by-case exceptions for physicians. International medical students frequently begin four-year residency programs under Optional Practical Training. Some applicants had paid additional fees for expedited processing before the pause was announced, and the agency stated it would not refund these fees until the pause was lifted.

The agency said, "USCIS strongly disagrees with the Court's order but will follow its terms pending possible further judicial review."

Ignacio, an F-1 student who recently graduated from a Master of Business Administration program, had a job offer at a technology company. He stated that his employer delayed his start date once while awaiting Optional Practical Training approval. Ignacio said he would lose $14,000 in wages by the end of June due to the processing pause. He also incurred thousands of dollars in legal fees and premium processing costs and won the H-1B visa lottery, with that visa scheduled to begin in October. Ignacio said, "The harm for them has been really big, because they were expecting me to come over to a senior position and take over a product in the company. The other teammates are having to lift my weight until I’m able to start."