On January 22, 2025, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued an alert announcing the waiver of “any and all requirements” for adjustment of status applicants to provide evidence of COVID-19 vaccination.
This decision marks a reversal of USCIS’s October 1, 2021, policy that mandated COVID-19 vaccination for all applicants submitting medical examinations.
According to the January 22, 2025 alert, USCIS will neither issue a Request for Evidence (RFE) nor a Notice of Intent to Deny (NOID) based on an applicant’s failure to submit proof of COVID-19 vaccination. Additionally, Form I-485, Application to Adjust Status, will not be denied on these grounds.
As a background, while Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) Section 212(a)(1)(A)(ii) does not deem applicants inadmissible for failing to obtain the COVID-19 vaccine, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) continues to require COVID-19 vaccinations in its Technical Instructions for Panel Physicians.
USCIS has not updated its website or Policy Manual regarding the changes to the COVID-19 vaccination requirement other than publishing the alert.
We will continue to monitor and share additional updates related to adjustment of status applications.
At HSD Immigration Lawyer, we specialize in complex employment-, investment- and family-based immigration matters. Contact one of HSD Immigration Lawyer offices in Chicago, IL, Naperville, IL, Raleigh, NC, or Clark, NJ, for additional information about this recent announcement and for questions related to adjustment of status applications.