USCIS has announced that it will rerun background checks on pending immigration applications, including green cards, naturalization, asylum, and family-based petitions. This change, effective immediately, follows internal guidance issued last week and is a result of a February executive order that expanded USCIS’s access to FBI criminal history data.
Key Details:
- Background checks will now include enhanced FBI screening for all pending applications.
- This change affects a wide range of immigration cases, including green cards, naturalization, asylum, and family petitions.
- USCIS anticipates that delays will be brief, although the structural shift in processing is significant.
- The agency is now utilizing a deeper federal criminal database for fingerprint checks on all cases in the queue.
This policy change may lead to temporary delays for applicants as USCIS implements the new screening process. Need help with your immigration case? Visit QuickFiling.us for professional immigration services.
Source: Kevin J. Andrews