The US Citizenship and Immigration Services and products (USCIS) denied 35,767 paintings allow programs from overseas nationals searching for Inexperienced Playing cards between April and June 2026, because the rejection price climbed to 44%.
The figures, overlaying April to June 2026, constitute the 3rd quarter of the USA executive’s 2026 fiscal yr, which runs from October 1, 2025, to September 30, 2026.
The denial price rose to roughly 44% all through the length, when put next with about 25% recorded within the first two fiscal quarters blended, overlaying October 2025 to March 2026.
The improvement highlights rising demanding situations for overseas nationals searching for employment authorisation whilst looking forward to choices on their everlasting residency programs.
Paintings allow denials succeed in 44%
USCIS gained 153,039 Shape I-765 programs underneath the Adjustment of Standing class all through the quarter, approving 46,405 and denying 35,767.
Shape I-765 permits eligible overseas nationals to acquire an Employment Authorization File (EAD), which lets them paintings legally in america.
Pending programs on this class reached 671,362, with a mean processing time of 6.4 months.
Shape I-129, used for transient overseas employees together with H-1B candidates, recorded 39,560 denials towards 143,748 approvals, pushing its rejection price to roughly 22%.
Circle of relatives-based immigration petitions filed thru Shape I-130 recorded 16,661 denials, representing about 17% of selections.
Immigrant employee petitions underneath Shape I-140 recorded 7,069 denials and 37,975 approvals, with a rejection price of roughly 16%.
Alternatively, employment-based Inexperienced Card programs filed thru Shape I-485 maintained a moderately solid denial price of seven%, in spite of higher rejection charges throughout different immigration classes.
Citizenship denial price hits 19%
The figures additionally confirmed a upward thrust in citizenship software denials all through the length. USCIS gained 140,179 Shape N-400 naturalisation programs, approving 54,974 and rejecting 12,591.
This driven the citizenship rejection price to roughly 19%, when put next with 13% all through the previous two quarters.
Pending naturalisation programs reached 727,371, whilst the median processing time stood at 9.5 months.
US tighten greencard necessities
The emerging rejection charges come amid broader adjustments to US immigration insurance policies affecting overseas employees, world scholars and everlasting residency candidates.
In August 2026, Nairametrics reported that the US government introduced stricter financial assessments for certain Green Card applicants, with immigration government making an allowance for components similar to source of revenue, belongings, well being and reliance on public advantages when figuring out eligibility.
The management has additionally moved to extend immigration-related prices. Effective October 16, USCIS will implement higher fees for asylum applications, employment authorisation and Brief Secure Standing, as a part of annual inflation changes.
Extra just lately, the Division of Native land Safety proposed a $70,000 fee for universities recommending international students for Optional Practical Training (OPT), along a $30,000 rate for programme extensions.