News & Resources
In November 2025, USCIS announced it will re-review the cases of and potentially re-interview all individuals resettled as refugees from January 21, 2021 through February 20, 2025, and in January 2026 the Trump administration began unlawfully targeting and detaining refugees.
Reviewing the contents of a refugee case file and broader immigration file can be an important and helpful step while preparing for possible USCIS interviews. A Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request (or for lawful permanent residents (LPR), a Privacy Act (PA) request) will usually be the only way to obtain a copy of the file because refugee applicants generally do not receive a copy of the refugee application (I-590) or other documents prepared during U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) processing. However, due to a number of recent policy changes impacting U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) FOIA processing that were made public in a recent whistleblower complaint, FOIA requesters have faced new challenges, including an increasing number of initial rejections of requests and more widespread withholdings of refugee file documents that should be released under FOIA.
For legal practitioners, HIAS and IRAP have co-authored a practice advisory that explains in detail how to file a USCIS FOIA request for a refugee case file, respond to increased denials and withholdings, and analyze the content of a refugee case file.
For impacted individuals and communities, IRAP has created a guide on how to request a copy of a refugee application, available in English, Arabic, Spanish, Farsi / Dari, French, Haitian Kreyol, Pashto, and Somali. Translations into other languages will be available through IRAP’s legal information website.
You can view and download the Practice Advisory here or below.
This resource is intended for a legal practitioner and legal advocacy audience; it is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. If you would like more general legal information about refugee resettlement in English, Spanish, Arabic, Dari, Pashto, and other languages, or to request help from IRAP, please use IRAP’s Legal Information website.
This resource was published on January 16, 2026 and does not reflect any legal changes since publication. Please see IRAP’s Legal Practitioner Resources page for our latest resources and additional information for legal practitioners.
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