Swansenreport

More than 2,200 Wisconsin families are waiting on pending family-based green card applications — and a new federal policy shift is adding uncertainty to an already backlogged system.

A recent analysis by Manifest Law, an immigration firm that examined U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services data on family-based I-485 and I-130 applications, identified 2,262 pending cases tied to Wisconsin field offices as of fiscal year 2025. Nationally, pending family green card applications reached 543,486 last year — the highest level on record and up 180 percent since 2015.

The Wisconsin figure comes from Manifest Law’s breakdown of USCIS data by field office. The Swansen Report has reached out to both Manifest Law and USCIS for independent confirmation and comment. This post will be updated when responses are received.

The backlog arrives alongside a significant policy change. On May 21, USCIS issued policy memorandum PM-602-0199 directing immigration officers to treat adjustment of status — the process that allows eligible immigrants already in the United States to apply for a green card without leaving the country — as a matter of discretion rather than an automatic right. The agency’s own press release said USCIS “will grant Adjustment of Status only in extraordinary circumstances.”

Immigration attorneys have pushed back on that framing. The memo does not change the underlying law. What it does is instruct officers to more carefully weigh both positive and negative factors in each case — including whether an applicant violated prior visa conditions, overstayed, or entered the U.S. with the pre-existing intent to apply for permanent residency.

For Wisconsin families already in the queue, the practical effect remains unclear. Cases already filed are not automatically disqualified. But the shift in discretionary guidance adds another layer of uncertainty for the thousands of people waiting on decisions that shape where — and with whom — they get to live.

The Swansen Report has requested comment from Manifest Law and USCIS. This story will be updated.

Sources: APG Wisconsin; Manifest Law analysis of USCIS I-485/I-130 data (FY2025); USCIS Policy Memorandum PM-602-0199, May 21, 2026; Boundless Immigration, June 10, 2026