Is the Green Card paused? The short answer is no. The United States has not stopped the entire Green Card system, and it has not canceled existing Green Cards as a group. Still, three separate developments in 2025 and 2026 created understandable confusion. USCIS placed adjudication holds on certain benefit requests connected to 39 countries. The Department of State paused immigrant visa issuance for nationals of 75 countries. Separately, the Department paused Diversity Visa issuance.
As of September 10, 2026, the USCIS hold associated with the 39-country group is not in effect following federal court rulings. The 75-country immigrant visa issuance pause also ceased to apply on August 21, 2026. Turkey appeared on neither list. However, updated State Department guidance dated August 31, 2026 again pauses Diversity Visa issuance for applicants of every nationality. That narrower DV action does not stop family-based, employment-based, and investment-based immigration as a whole.
Readers who first need the basic framework can review Clinch Law’s guide to what a Green Card is and how to apply.
Is the Green Card Paused? Three Policies, Three Different Answers
The word “pause” does not identify the responsible agency, the affected application, or the procedural stage. USCIS adjudicates adjustment of status and many immigration benefits inside the United States. The Department of State issues visas through embassies and consulates. A court ruling about one agency’s hold does not automatically invalidate a different policy administered by another agency.
| Policy | Scope | Initial operation | Status on September 10, 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| USCIS 39-country holds | Certain USCIS benefit requests linked to designated nationals | Policy memoranda issued in December 2025 and January 2026 | Vacated or enjoined by federal courts; USCIS announced compliance |
| 75-country immigrant visa pause | Immigrant visa issuance to listed nationals at consulates | Effective January 21, 2026 | No longer in effect as of August 21, 2026 after CLINIC v. Rubio |
| Diversity Visa issuance pause | DV issuance regardless of nationality | Current guidance dated August 31, 2026 | In effect; applications and interviews may continue, but visas are not issued |
Other restrictions can still affect a case. These include country-specific entry restrictions, security checks, public-charge review, annual numerical limits, and individual administrative processing. Petition approval and immigrant visa issuance are also distinct events. Clinch Law’s overview of ways to obtain a Green Card helps place those stages in context.
What Was the 39-Country USCIS Hold?
Presidential Proclamation 10998 expanded full or partial entry restrictions to nationals of 39 countries and separately addressed travel documents issued or endorsed by the Palestinian Authority. Turkey was not included. The proclamation regulated entry for specified groups. Later USCIS policy memoranda held final decisions on certain immigration requests involving people connected to the designated countries. Although the policies were related, an entry restriction and an internal adjudication hold were not the same legal action.
The USCIS policies reached more than Green Card applications. They affected final decisions on some employment authorization, asylum, adjustment, and naturalization matters. USCIS could accept filings, schedule biometrics, or conduct interviews while withholding the final decision. Therefore, reports that “all Green Cards held by people from 39 countries were canceled” were inaccurate. Existing permanent resident status was not collectively terminated. The central problem involved pending requests left without adjudication.
On June 5, 2026, the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island vacated several USCIS policies after finding that the agency had exceeded its authority and acted unlawfully. Later compliance and injunction orders required USCIS to resume adjudication. Appeals may still shape the litigation. Nevertheless, the broad 39-country adjudication freeze should not be described as operative on September 10, 2026.
A case may remain pending for other reasons. Ordinary processing times, security screening, requests for evidence, interview scheduling, and case-specific review did not disappear with the ruling. Applicants should identify the recorded reason for delay before assuming that the old nationality-based hold still controls.
What Was the 75-Country Consular Pause?
Beginning January 21, 2026, the State Department paused immigrant visa issuance to nationals of 75 countries while reviewing public-benefit reliance and public-charge screening. Affected applicants could submit applications and attend interviews, but officers generally could not issue the immigrant visa unless an announced exception applied. The Department also stated that the guidance did not revoke existing visas and did not apply to tourist visas.
Turkey was not among the 75 listed countries. The list included Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Brazil, Egypt, Georgia, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tunisia, and many others. Still, absence from the list never guaranteed issuance. Every applicant remained subject to the financial sponsorship, admissibility, medical, security, and category-specific requirements that normally apply.
Following the federal court order in CLINIC et al. v. Rubio et al., the State Department updated its official page. The Department now states that the January 2026 pause has not been in effect since August 21, 2026. Accordingly, a current article should not say that immigrant visas for all nationals of those 75 countries remain frozen. Public-charge law and individual financial review may continue, but the country-based blanket issuance pause ended.
Affidavit of Support requirements can still be decisive in family cases. Clinch Law’s update on the new Form I-864 edition explains the sponsor’s separate obligations.
Why Diversity Visas Require a Separate Analysis
The Diversity Visa program produces immigrant visas, which is why it is commonly called the Green Card lottery. Yet it operates under a strict fiscal-year deadline and has its own selection and issuance rules. The State Department states that a December 2025 DV issuance pause ceased to apply on August 28, 2026, following the order in Medani v. Trump. Three days later, the Department issued new guidance that again paused all DV issuances for security and vetting review.
Under the August 31 guidance, applicants may file documents, receive appointments, and attend interviews. Consular posts may not issue Diversity Visas, and the Department lists no exception. DV-2026 eligibility also ends on September 30, 2026. Therefore, a DV-2026 selectee chargeable to Turkey may face the current worldwide DV pause even though Turkey was absent from both the 39-country and 75-country lists.
The distinction matters because a court order that removed an earlier policy does not prevent an agency from issuing a new policy on a stated legal basis. The new action can face its own challenge, but applicants should follow the operative official instruction unless a court or the Department changes it.
Is Turkey on Either Country List?
No. Turkey is not one of the 39 countries identified for full or partial entry restrictions in Proclamation 10998. It was also absent from the State Department’s 75-country January 2026 immigrant visa issuance list. Turkish citizenship alone therefore did not trigger either blanket hold.
Citizenship, country of birth, dual nationality, and the passport used can have different legal consequences. Visa Bulletin chargeability usually follows the country of birth, subject to technical exceptions. Travel restrictions may turn on nationality and the document presented. The 75-country guidance also described an exception for certain dual nationals applying with a valid passport from an unlisted country. A careful review should identify each relevant connection rather than rely on a single label.
The immigration category matters too. A Turkish national pursuing a family case, employment petition, investment case, or Diversity Visa follows a different sequence. Clinch Law’s May 2026 Visa Bulletin update illustrates why a category and priority date must be read together.
What to Do at Each Stage of a Case
If Form I-485 or another request is pending with USCIS
Review the online account, the latest notice, and the published processing time. A case previously held under the 39-country policy should again be adjudicated, but the court order does not promise immediate approval. Respond to biometrics, interview, address, and evidence requests. Filing a duplicate application based only on a headline can create conflicting records and unnecessary fees.
If the case is at NVC or a consulate
Monitor CEAC messages, document qualification, and the embassy appointment. Although the 75-country blanket pause ended, individual public-charge, security, or document review may continue. Preference-category applicants must also have an available visa number. The monthly Visa Bulletin can advance, retrogress, or make a category unavailable.
If the case is DV-2026
Attend a scheduled interview unless the post gives different instructions, and submit requested documents on time. At the same time, understand that the current guidance prevents issuance. The September 30 statutory deadline makes delay unusually serious. Official updates and litigation orders should be checked frequently because a late change may leave little practical time.
If the person already holds a Green Card
The three pause policies did not collectively cancel existing permanent resident cards. Separate issues, such as prolonged absence, abandonment, certain criminal grounds, or removal proceedings, may affect status through individual legal processes. The plastic card’s expiration date is also not identical to the termination of lawful permanent resident status.
Frequently Asked Questions
Did the United States stop all Green Card applications?
No. Family, employment, and investment immigration continue. Specific nationality-based holds and a separate DV issuance pause affected narrower groups and stages.
Is Turkey on the 39-country list?
No. Turkey does not appear in Proclamation 10998’s list reviewed on September 10, 2026.
Is Turkey on the 75-country list?
No. Turkey did not appear on that list. In addition, the 75-country blanket issuance pause is no longer in effect.
Did the court rulings end every Green Card pause?
No. Courts addressed different USCIS and State Department policies. The August 31, 2026 worldwide Diversity Visa issuance pause is a separate, later action.
Was my existing Green Card canceled?
Not by these blanket policies. Ending permanent resident status requires an individual legal basis and process.
Should I sue because my case is delayed?
There is no universal delay threshold. Normal processing time, security review, administrative processing, and the procedural posture of current litigation require case-specific analysis.
Conclusion
The statement “the Green Card is paused” is misleading unless it identifies the agency, category, nationality, and date. The USCIS 39-country adjudication hold and the State Department’s 75-country immigrant visa issuance pause are not in effect as of September 10, 2026. Turkey appeared on neither list. A newer, worldwide Diversity Visa issuance pause remains in effect.
Applicants should evaluate nationality, country of birth, dual citizenship, immigration category, case location, and priority date together. Official agency notices, court orders, and case-specific communications provide a more reliable answer than a broad social media headline.
Legal Information Notice
This article provides general information and is not individualized legal advice or a guarantee of any result. Agency guidance and litigation can change quickly. Citizenship, place of birth, dual nationality, application type, and procedural stage may produce different outcomes.
