U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) recently implemented a sweeping new security vetting process that has effectively paused adjudications across a wide range of immigration case types. Employers and their foreign national employees should understand what this means for pending and future applications, and how to plan accordingly.
What Happened
Beginning April 27, USCIS field and asylum offices across the country began notifying applicants and attorneys that adjudications were subject to a hold while the agency rolls out enhanced fingerprint-based background checks. The change stems from Executive Order 14385, signed February 6, 2026, which directs federal criminal justice agencies to share criminal history record information with the Department of Homeland Security to the full extent permitted by law. In response, the FBI granted USCIS expanded access to its criminal history databases, triggering a requirement that pending cases undergo re-vetting under the new system.
Under the updated protocol, USCIS must resubmit fingerprint information for most pending applications in which biometrics were collected prior to April 27, 2026. In most cases, USCIS will use fingerprints already on file rather than requiring applicants to attend new Application Support Center appointments. Already-scheduled interviews are expected to proceed; however, the issuance of final approvals is largely paused until the new checks are completed.