If you have a pending green card application, work permit, or naturalization case at USCIS right now, you’re likely watching the news closely and wondering whether your case is moving at all. The current environment has been deeply unsettling for hundreds of thousands of applicants caught in what amounts to a broad slowdown marked by extra background checks, unexplained delays, and in some categories, what appears to be a near-complete pause on adjudications.
But there are glimmers of good news worth sharing. Approvals are happening. Not across the board, and not without complication but real cases with real people are moving forward. Here’s what’s been approved recently and what it signals about where things stand.
Are USCIS Work Permits Still Being Approved During the Current Adjustment of Status Processing Pause?
Yes, and this is one of the more encouraging recent developments. At least one Employment Authorization Document based on a pending adjustment of status application filed under category C9, which covers applicants with a pending I-485, has been approved despite the broader slowdown affecting green card cases.
This matters because work permits are a critical lifeline for applicants mid-process. Many people in adjustment of status proceedings depend on their EAD to maintain employment legally while their green card application is pending. The fact that at least some of these are clearing the extra FBI background checks and moving to approval is a meaningful sign that the system hasn’t completely seized up at every level.
If your work permit renewal is pending, this is a reason for cautious optimism, though timelines remain unpredictable and cases are not moving uniformly.
Are I-751 Removal of Conditions Cases Being Approved for Two-Year Green Card Holders Right Now?
There has been at least one confirmed I-751 approval in recent weeks and notably, it was a divorce waiver case, which tends to be among the more complex removal of conditions filings. In this case, the applicant had biometrics on file from years prior and was seeking to convert their two-year conditional green card to a 10-year permanent green card without a joint sponsor, based on the good-faith marriage waiver.
That this type of case, a waiver filing, not a straightforward joint petition, moved to approval is significant. It suggests that USCIS adjudicators are continuing to work through at least some of the I-751 backlog even during the current pause, and that cases with older biometrics on file are not automatically being held indefinitely. If you have a pending I-751 removal of conditions case, particularly one that has been in the queue for an extended period, there is reason to believe it could still move forward.
Are I-130 Family Petition Cases From Travel Ban Countries Still Moving Forward at USCIS?
This is an area where there has been genuinely encouraging movement. Several I-130 immigrant visa petitions filed on behalf of family members from countries currently subject to travel bans have been approved at the USCIS level in recent weeks. These are cases where approval of the petition itself is only the first step; the beneficiary still needs to complete consular processing at a US embassy abroad to receive their actual immigrant visa and enter the country.
The travel ban complicates the consular processing stage significantly, and there are separate legal battles playing out around what the ban covers and how embassies are implementing it. But the approval of the I-130 petition portion for nationals of travel ban countries is meaningful, it keeps the case alive, and positions it to move forward once consular processing pathways are clarified or restored.
For families with pending I-130 petitions involving travel ban countries, this is a signal that USCIS is continuing to adjudicate at least the petition stage rather than holding everything indefinitely.
Are Naturalization and Citizenship Cases Moving Forward and What Role Are Federal Lawsuits Playing?
This is where the picture gets more complicated, but also where some of the most important legal developments are happening. Straightforward naturalization cases that have simply been caught in the pause are not broadly moving to approval on their own. Outside of litigation, there are very few reports of stalled citizenship cases being approved without some form of legal intervention.
However, federal lawsuits are producing results. At least one colleague has reported a citizenship case that had been stopped and stalled moving forward after a lawsuit was filed in federal court. And this tracks with what is being seen across immigration courts more broadly, judges are increasingly pushing back on the government’s authority to simply halt adjudications without a lawful basis. Multiple federal judges have questioned whether USCIS has the legal authority to impose a blanket pause on case processing, and some have ordered specific cases to move forward.
The legal argument being made successfully in some of these cases is straightforward: the government cannot simply stop adjudicating applications that people have filed, paid fees for, and have a legal right to have decided. Courts are taking that argument seriously, and it is producing results case by case, through litigation.
Should You File a Federal Lawsuit if Your Green Card or Citizenship Case Has Been Stalled by the USCIS Processing Pause?
That depends entirely on your individual circumstances, how long your case has been pending, what category it falls into, what stage it’s at, and what your timeline and priorities look like. Mandamus lawsuits, which compel federal agencies to act on unreasonably delayed applications, have become an increasingly common and increasingly effective tool for applicants stuck in prolonged USCIS delays. The current environment has accelerated that trend significantly.
Filing a lawsuit is not the right move for every stalled case, and it’s not something to pursue without careful legal analysis. But for applicants who have been waiting for months or years with no movement and no explanation, the federal court option is real, it is being used, and it is producing approvals that would not otherwise be happening.
What Do These Approvals Tell Us About Where USCIS Processing Stands Right Now?
The honest answer is that the picture is uneven and rapidly evolving. Adjustment of status green card approvals outside of litigation remain rare. Naturalization approvals without court involvement are not being broadly reported. But work permits, I-751 removal of conditions cases, and I-130 petitions, including from travel ban countries, are moving in at least some instances.
The broader legal battle over the government’s authority to pause USCIS processing is ongoing, and the outcome of that battle will shape what happens to hundreds of thousands of pending cases. Courts are increasingly skeptical of the government’s position, and that skepticism is translating into real movement for some applicants.
If your case is stalled, the most important thing you can do right now is work with an experienced immigration attorney who is tracking these developments in real time and can advise you on whether your case is a candidate for litigation or whether patience and monitoring are the right approach.
Download our free Ultimate Marriage Green Card Guide at MarriageImmigrationLaw.com, join Attorney John Khosravi live every Tuesday at 4 PM PT / 7 PM ET on YouTube, LinkedIn, Instagram, and TikTok for a free Q&A, or book a one-on-one consultation to talk through your specific situation.
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