U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has reduced green card approvals by roughly half and slowed the processing of pending applications across multiple immigration categories, according to an analysis by the libertarian think tank Cato Institute.
The study found that approvals for lawful permanent residence fell in most categories, excluding employment-based visas, with overall green card grants dropping by roughly half from earlier levels.
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Family-based green card approvals fell 54 percent between July 2025 and January 2026, while total approvals in January 2026 were 22 percent lower than in January 2025, according to the analysis.
Family-sponsored green card approvals were 30,699 in January 2025 when Trump returned to office, rose to 52,181 in July 2025 after Joseph Edlow was confirmed as head of USCIS, and then plummeted to 23,847 in January 2026, the report said.
The report also found that some humanitarian categories saw steep reductions, including refugee admissions and Cuban adjustment cases. During the same period, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrests of Cuban parolees rose 463 percent, coinciding with what the analysis described as a near shutdown in Cuban green card approvals.
Cato’s analysis says the declines were not evenly distributed. Employment-based immigration was comparatively stable, while humanitarian pathways, including refugees, asylees, and parole-based applicants, experienced the steepest cuts.
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The decline in approvals and slower processing times is likely to extend already long wait periods for applicants, particularly in family-based and humanitarian categories, according to the analysis.
As cases remain pending for longer, applicants may face prolonged uncertainty over their legal status, work authorization, and ability to travel, while some risk losing underlying protections if their temporary status expires before a decision is made.
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