A federal judge in California has ordered the Trump administration and US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to resume processing pending adjustment of status applications filed by beneficiaries of the Fiscal Year 2026 Diversity Visa Program.
The order was issued on August 28, 2026, by the United States District Court for the Northern District of California in Medani, et al. v. Trump, et al., Case No. 26-cv-6332.
The ruling temporarily suspended the USCIS policy contained in Policy Memorandum PM-602-0193, which had placed a hold on certain Diversity Visa adjustment of status applications while additional national security and public safety reviews were conducted.
Under the court’s order, USCIS must take all reasonable steps, “to the extent practicable and in good faith,” to resume routine adjudication of the affected applications during the current Diversity Visa fiscal year.
The agency must process the applications without relying on the suspended policy memorandum.
The judge also partially granted the plaintiffs’ request for class certification. The certified group covers FY-2026 Diversity Visa selectees and their derivative beneficiaries who were affected by the USCIS hold imposed under PM-602-0193.
The ruling could therefore provide an opportunity for hundreds of Diversity Visa winners and eligible family members already living in the United States to have their pending applications processed.
However, the court’s decision does not represent a final resolution of the broader legal dispute.
USCIS disagrees with court ruling
USCIS has confirmed that it will comply with the order, although the agency said it disagrees with the judge’s decision.
The agency said it “strongly disagrees with the Court’s order but will follow its terms pending possible further judicial review.”
This leaves open the possibility that the Trump administration could challenge the ruling through further court proceedings.
The suspended memorandum had required additional scrutiny of Diversity Visa adjustment applicants before their cases could proceed. USCIS had justified the measure on national security and public safety grounds.
With the memorandum temporarily suspended, affected applications must now be considered under the standard adjudication framework that applied before PM-602-0193 was introduced.
The court’s injunction applies during the FY-2026 Diversity Visa fiscal year, while litigation over the policy continues.
The development is significant for Diversity Visa beneficiaries because the programme operates within a specific fiscal-year window, meaning delays in processing can affect applicants’ ability to complete the immigration process before the programme year expires.
USCIS reminder on two-year Green Cards
Separately, USCIS has reminded certain permanent residents holding two-year Green Cards that conditional permanent residence comes with additional requirements.
Conditional permanent residents generally cannot renew their two-year cards in the same manner as holders of standard permanent resident cards.
Instead, eligible conditional residents must take the appropriate immigration step before their conditional status expires to seek removal of the conditions and obtain regular permanent resident status.
For Diversity Visa beneficiaries affected by the suspended processing policy, the California court’s order means USCIS is now required to resume adjudication of the covered applications while the legal battle over the policy continues.
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