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ImmigrationClock explains · Rulemaking

What an interim final rule is

In force first, comments after.

The facts

  1. An interim final rule takes effect without a comment period beforehand. The agency invokes an exception to notice-and-comment rulemaking, most often a finding of good cause, and states its reasons in the rule.
  2. It is binding from its effective date, like any final rule.
  3. The agency generally accepts public comments after publication and may later issue a further final rule that confirms, revises or withdraws the interim one.
  4. ImmigrationClock records an interim final rule as a rule in force from the effective date it states, and links the document so the comment instructions can be read in the original.

Why it matters

The word "interim" reads as "temporary" or "not yet". It means neither. The rule applies now; what is still open is whether it changes later.

Sources

Every sentence above was written by a person from these sources and last checked against them on Sep 2, 2026.

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