Pending family-based green-card applications are at an all-time high, with more than 2000 pending applications filed with the Cleveland office of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, according to a new study.
USCIS has put a pause on green-card approval for applicants from certain countries. That pause, combined with frequent changes to green-card policies under the Trump administration have caused a backlog on applications, said attorney Gabriela Urizar, an immigration attorney at the New York-based law firm, Manifest Law, which produced the report.
“I wake up and the law has changed for immigration. It's a back and forth, back and forth and then you see it at the court system,” Urizar said. “People are required to go to a very extensive vetting, and they have always been required to go through a very extensive vetting. The big difference now is all of these complex executive orders.”
A family-based application for a green card – or lawful permanent residency – is applying based on having a family member who is a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident such as a spouse, a parent or a child.
According to the study, about 42% of all green-card approvals through the Cleveland field office were family-based.
The data also shows the number of family-based green-card applications approved in 2025 increased by 73% nationwide compared to 10 years ago and the number of denials increased by 101%.
Receiving a green card is a lengthy process, which is a reason why Urizar said the approvals were so high. She said many of the applications approved in 2025 had likely been in the pipeline for years.
Urizar said the increase of denials reflects stricter green-card guidelines created since 2025 including a travel ban from certain countries, understaffing at USCIS, heightened background checks and increased vetting on applicants. She said it’s reasonable to think the denials could increase even more.
“Previously, if you send an application and let's say you miss a check or didn't sign a page or made an error, USCIS will have rejected the application and given you a chance to fix it,” Urizar said. “Now, USCIS made an announcement saying that that's going to be a denial. Less flexibility, way more strict.”
Last month, USCIS announced another green-card policy change indicating that foreigners temporarily living in the U.S. seeking green cards will have to leave for their home countries to go through the application process, “except in extraordinary circumstances.”
Urizar said this policy is an example of the added complexity and confusion of the process.
“Everyone is just scrambling around for guidance. We don't know what they mean by ‘extraordinary circumstances.’ We don't if people have to go abroad. We don't know if you have to file for adjustment status here or send our clients abroad,” Urizar said. “There is a need for guidance.”
