“The secret of getting ahead is getting started.”
— Mark Twain
On May 21, 2026, a policy memorandum issued by USCIS sent shockwaves through the immigration law community. Lawyers panicked. Applicants panicked. Social media filled with alarm. And honestly? Some of that reaction was understandable.
Here is why. In a single document, without a formal rulemaking process, without notice, and without any advance guidance to the very officers tasked with implementing it, USCIS attempted to reframe nearly seven decades of statutory and case law. Adjustment of status, a benefit created by Congress and applied as ordinary discretionary relief for generations, was suddenly characterized as something extraordinary. Officers found out about the memo the same way we did: when it was released. No training. No guidance. No warning. And yet interviews continued.
We have attended adjustment of status interviews across multiple states since the memo dropped. The officers adjudicating these cases are doing their best under genuine uncertainty while they await direction from headquarters. In that environment, additional questions are being asked. The bar, at least in perception, has been raised.
So what do you do with that?
The Answer Is Not Panic
Panic is understandable. It is also useless.
Here is what we know: this policy is unlikely to survive legal challenge. It conflicts with the plain text of the Immigration and Nationality Act. It bypassed the notice-and-comment rulemaking process that the law requires for changes of this magnitude. The federal courts will almost certainly have something to say about it, and litigation is already being organized across the immigration bar.
“In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.” — Albert Einstein
But here is what we also know: even if the policy stands, the answer is the same.
Be extraordinary.
What Extraordinary Actually Means
If you volunteered once at your local church or synagogue and are planning to list that on your application as evidence of good moral character, we say this with respect: that is not extraordinary. That is performative. Officers see it every day, and it does not move the needle.
Extraordinary is not a checkbox. It is a life.
Get involved in your community because it matters to you, not because your attorney told you to. Join organizations. Show up consistently. Build relationships. Mentor someone. Coach a youth team. Serve on a board. Volunteer not once but repeatedly, over time, in ways that leave a mark. That kind of record is not manufactured. It cannot be faked. And it speaks for itself in any interview, under any policy, before any officer.
Surround yourself with people who push you to be better. Invest in your career, your skills, and your family. Live your life with intention. Put down your phone. Go outside. Be present in the community that you are asking to be a permanent part of.
That is what an extraordinary adjustment of status application looks like. Not a stack of form letters. A life well lived, documented honestly.
Choose Attorneys Who Have Been in the Room
This is not a moment for attorneys who are reading about the new policy landscape from the same articles you are. It is a moment for attorneys who have sat across from officers conducting post-memo interviews, who know what questions are now being asked and why, and who can translate that firsthand knowledge into a preparation strategy tailored to your case. Some step back. We step up.
When you walk into that interview room, you should walk in being prepared. You should know the record of your case cold. You should be able to speak to your life, your community ties, your moral character, and your reasons for seeking permanent residence with confidence and without hesitation. That level of readiness does not happen on its own. It is the product of preparation, and preparation requires a team that has done this work under the current conditions.
Ask the attorneys you are considering where they were on May 22nd. Ask them how many post-memo interviews they have attended. Ask them what officers are saying in those rooms right now. The answers will tell you everything you need to know.
The policy may be in flux. The law is being contested. The adjudication environment is uncertain.
None of that changes what you can control.
Be extraordinary. Start now.
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