A Federal Court Just Rolled Back a USCIS Policy Mid-Case: The Policy-Version Audit Every Immigration Firm Should Run in 2026

On August 3, 2026, a federal district court in Maryland stayed a USCIS Policy Alert and reinstated an earlier version of the Policy Manual while litigation proceeds. Days earlier, USCIS tightened evidence standards. For immigration firms the lesson is structural: the rulebook your paralegal used in March may not be the rulebook the officer applies in September. Here is the policy-version audit that keeps pending files defensible.