adjustment of status

On December 23, 2025, the State Department announced that it has stopped issuing new Diversity Immigrant Visas to previous winners of the Diversity Lottery. This follows the December 18th announcement by the Department of Homeland Security directing USCIS to stop processing applications by previous Diversity Lottery winners for adjustment of status to permanent residence. While existing visas that have already been issued to previous Diversity Lottery winners should not be affected, it is not clear whether the lottery will be opened to new registrants, since the State Department still has not announced the official registration dates for the 2027 Diversity Lottery. Read more

On June 9, 2025, USCIS issued a memo authorizing immigration officers to resume processing applications filed by parolees. This follows the federal District Court’s May 28th order directing DHS to lift the suspension that had been in effect since February 14. This means that USCIS has resumed processing applications from parolees for work permits, TPS, asylum, green cards, and other immigration benefits. Although the District Court's ruling is good news for Ukrainian parolees seeking more stable immigration statuses and employment authorization, parolees who filed applications in the past 5-10 months could still see long wait times due to major application backlogs. Additionally, re-parole requests and related work permits may not be approved for all applicants due to the White House's restrictions on humanitarian parole grants. Read more

Adjustment of Status is the process by which a noncitizen who is already in the United States can apply for Lawful Permanent Resident status (a Green Card) without having to leave the country. However, strict legal requirements limit the eligibility for this process for humanitarian parolees and other categories of applicants. Read more

The Ukrainian Adjustment Act was introduced on June 7, 2023 in the U.S. House of Representatives. Currently, it is awaiting further movement from the House Committee on the Judiciary. Read more