This information is reprinted from AILA Doc. No. 26042805: 4/30/2026. We are a private immigration law firm providing support and guidance.
4/30/26 AILA Doc. No. 26042805. Adjustment of Status, Asylum & Refugees, Business Immigration, DACA, Family Immigration, T & U Status, VAWA
Updated 4/30/26
On April 27, 2026, AILA members began reporting that USCIS field and asylum offices across the country were notifying applicants and attorneys that adjudications were subject to a hold. Reports indicated that this was impacting adjustment of status cases and asylum cases, but that it could be a much broader hold impacting all USCIS adjudications.
AILA has learned through various credible sources that this hold is as a result of a new security vetting process that took effect on April 27, 2026. The new vetting process will require fingerprints to be resubmitted for almost all pending cases (with the possible exception for Naturalization applicants with scheduled oath ceremonies) for which fingerprints were previously submitted for FBI checks prior to April 27, 2026. Once those cases have completed the updated vetting process, new cases would be submitted for fingerprint checks. It is unclear how long of a delay this new process will cause or how many applications are impacted.
CBS News reports that the change in practice was a result of the FBI granting USCIS “greater access to its criminal history database” in response to Executive Order 12385, which requires Federal criminal justice agencies to give DHS access to criminal history record information to the full extent permitted by law. The “enhanced” checks will impact all pending applications which require fingerprint submission, including adjustment of status, naturalization, and family sponsorship petitions. Officers were directed that resubmission is not required for applications they intend to deny. USCIS confirmed to the outlet that new security checks were implemented, but stated processing is “ongoing” and that delays in decision issuance “should be brief and resolved shortly.”
