The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) denied 35,767 work allow functions from overseas nationals in search of Green Cards between April and June 2026, as the rejection rate climbed to 44%.
The figures, overlaying April to June 2026, symbolize the third quarter of the US authorities’s 2026 fiscal yr, which runs from October 1, 2025, to September 30, 2026.
The denial rate rose to roughly 44% in the course of the interval, in contrast with about 25% recorded within the first two fiscal quarters mixed, overlaying October 2025 to March 2026.
The improvement highlights rising challenges for overseas nationals in search of employment authorisation whereas awaiting choices on their everlasting residency functions.
Work allow denials attain 44%
USCIS obtained 153,039 Form I-765 functions underneath the Adjustment of Status class in the course of the quarter, approving 46,405 and denying 35,767.
Form I-765 permits eligible overseas nationals to acquire an Employment Authorization Document (EAD), which permits them to work legally within the United States.
Pending functions on this class reached 671,362, with a median processing time of 6.4 months.
Form I-129, used for non permanent overseas staff together with H-1B applicants, recorded 39,560 denials towards 143,748 approvals, pushing its rejection rate to roughly 22%.
Family-based immigration petitions filed by means of Form I-130 recorded 16,661 denials, representing about 17% of selections.
Immigrant employee petitions underneath Form I-140 recorded 7,069 denials and 37,975 approvals, with a rejection rate of roughly 16%.
However, employment-based Green Card functions filed by means of Form I-485 maintained a comparatively secure denial rate of seven%, regardless of elevated rejection charges throughout different immigration classes.
Citizenship denial rate hits 19%
The figures additionally confirmed an increase in citizenship utility denials in the course of the interval. USCIS obtained 140,179 Form N-400 naturalisation functions, approving 54,974 and rejecting 12,591.
This pushed the citizenship rejection rate to roughly 19%, in contrast with 13% in the course of the previous two quarters.
Pending naturalisation functions reached 727,371, whereas the median processing time stood at 9.5 months.
US tighten greencard necessities
The rising rejection charges come amid broader adjustments to US immigration insurance policies affecting overseas staff, worldwide college students and everlasting residency applicants.
In August 2026, Nairametrics reported that the US government introduced stricter financial assessments for certain Green Card applicants, with immigration authorities contemplating components such as revenue, belongings, well being and reliance on public advantages when figuring out eligibility.
The administration has additionally moved to enhance immigration-related prices. Effective October 16, USCIS will implement higher fees for asylum applications, employment authorisation and Temporary Protected Status, as a part of annual inflation changes.
More lately, the Department of Homeland Security proposed a $70,000 fee for universities recommending international students for Optional Practical Training (OPT), alongside a $30,000 charge for programme extensions.
