The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced a major policy change that will take effect on July 3, 2025, affecting how it evaluates spousal applications tied to refugees and asylees.

Going forward, only legally registered civil marriages will be recognized for immigration benefits.

Religious, traditional, or customary unions will no longer qualify unless they are also formally registered under civil law.

“We are updating guidance in the USCIS Policy Manual, Volume 4, on valid marriages between a principal asylee or principal refugee and their claimed spouse,” USCIS said.

“All marriages… must be legally valid under the law of the jurisdiction where the marriage was celebrated.”

The new rule applies to all applications filed on or after July 3, 2025, and also to pending cases that haven’t been decided. The shift is expected to impact applicants from countries like Nigeria, Uganda, India, Afghanistan, and Somalia—where non-civil marriage practices are common.

Three groups will be most affected: refugees and asylees in the U.S. trying to reunite with spouses; spouses applying for immigration benefits based on marriage to a refugee or asylee; and applicants from countries where marriages are often not legally registered.

USCIS says the change aims to reduce fraud and ensure marriages used for immigration purposes are legally valid.

The agency also noted that the update aligns with Executive Orders 14148 and 14163, signed during the Trump administration to reform immigration policies.

Couples are now urged to obtain civil marriage certificates, even if they’ve had traditional or religious weddings.

USCIS recommends submitting government-issued marriage documents and supporting evidence such as proof of cohabitation, joint bank accounts, or shared children.