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US Citizenship and Immigration Services
Trends
- 1USCIS Clarifies When an Applicant Counts as Under 21▼USCIS Answers Thorny Question of When an Alien ‘Is Under 21 Years of Age’
US Citizenship and Immigration Services has issued guidance defining exactly when an immigrant applicant is considered 'under 21 years of age', resolving a question with major consequences for age-out rules in family and employment-based visa categories. The clarification matters because children who turn 21 can lose eligibility to immigrate alongside their parents, making the precise cutoff date critical for thousands of pending cases. Immigration observers are weighing how the new interpretation will affect applicants near the threshold.