Two updates on 39-country travel ban: no USCIS guidance on national interest exceptions, and lawsuit orders Trump Administration to un-pause green card applications for plaintiffs

There are two recent updates on the 39-country travel ban imposed by the Trump Administration last year: 

USCIS guidance on national interest exception: On March 30, 2026, USCIS released an update on the travel ban that is currently barring extensions of stay in the United States for citizens of 39 countries. In the update, USCIS confirmed that they will not be issuing guidance on how foreign nationals can obtain a national interest exception to the ban. Applicants must instead look to the ten exceptions listed in USCIS’s January 30, 2026 memo to see if an exception applies.  

Read the USCIS update here. 

Lawsuit for green card applicants: Last month, two lawsuits in Maryland and Massachusetts federal district courts held that the Trump Administration must un-pause adjustment of status (green card) applications for more than 250 foreign national plaintiffs from countries subject to the 39-country travel ban. The judges in both lawsuits disagreed with the Trump Administration’s characterization of the pauses being “temporary,” as many of the plaintiffs’ applications have been paused for months and with no end in sight. 

The lawsuits’ rulings unfortunately will only un-pause adjustment of status applications for plaintiffs who are a part to the lawsuit. 

Read more about the lawsuits from Newsweek here.