A petition tool and stories collective
Tell your senators what the USCIS pause is doing to Iranians in America.
Since Policy Memos PM-602-0192 and PM-602-0194, more than 12,000 Iranian students and tens of thousands of pending applications have been frozen indefinitely. Write a personal email to your representatives in under five minutes — or read what others are living through.
How it works
- Tell us who you are
- Find your reps
- Share your story with our AI
- Review & send the email
- Optionally share anonymously
Takes about 5 minutes. We never sell your data. Stories are reviewed by AI for personal information before they appear publicly, and you confirm the anonymized text before it’s shared.
Recent stories
I am an ophthalmologist specializing in retinal surgery and ocular oncology. After completing a demanding 2.5-year research fellowship at a medical institution, I was eager to apply my expertise, especially in an area of critical medical need in the U.S. However, a specific US…
I am a Ph.D. candidate. Since 2022, contributing to our community by teaching graduate courses and conducting vital research. I've always followed the rules, maintained my F-1 status, and paid my taxes, hoping to build a future here. I applied for permanent residence and work …
I am an F-1 PhD student in School Psychology in Illinois. I came to the US lawfully, first for my master's, then my PhD. I married a wonderful US citizen, and we were building our life together, planning our future, even hoping to start a family. Then, everything changed with …
Why this matters
USCIS Policy Memoranda PM-602-0192 and PM-602-0194, issued in December 2025 and January 2026, placed an indefinite “hold and review” on virtually all pending immigration benefit applications (I-485, I-140, I-129, I-765/OPT, N-400) from nationals of ~39 countries including Iran. Presidential Proclamation 10998 (effective January 1, 2026) compounded this by banning issuance of all visas to Iranian nationals — F-1 student visas included for the first time.
The pause has no end date. Students who paid the $470 OPT filing fee receive no decision, leaving graduates stuck in F-1 status without work authorization. Roughly 1,800 Iranian students per year use OPT — new approvals could drop to zero this cycle.
Your senators and House representative have direct authority to press USCIS for action. Even one well-written constituent email gets logged and counted. Hundreds of them get attention.