USCIS Revises Policy On Background Checks

There has been a significant backlog and delay in the processing of petitions for adjustment of status because of delays in the processing of FBI background checks for prospective immigrants. This has left many intending immigrants and there family members in limbo for even longer than usual. The FBI background check has been a standard component of the immigration process for a long time and has not always created such a long delay. However, the dramatic increase in the USCIS filing fees in July 2007 created a surge of case filings because everyone wanted to file with the lower fees.

Fortunately, the USCIS announced this week that it would process all adjustment of status cases that were otherwise approvable and had been pending for 180 days waiting for FBI clearance. This move should help speed up the processing of adjustment of status petitions that have been experienced extraordinary processing delays.

In a follow up announcement, the USCIS announced that it would conduct "sweeps" of its current backlog of AOS cases and pull out those that have been waiting for 180 days for FBI clearance and process those under the newly revised rule.

So if you've filed and adjustment of status petition and you've been waiting forever, hang on a bit longer because this should speed things up.