Per new internal guidance given to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) employees, immigration applicants need additional security checks. Per the internal guidance, USCIS officers refrain from approving pending immigration cases if they haven’t undergone extended background checks. The new guidelines went into effect on April 27, 2026.

According to Reuters, the new guidance gives the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) access to criminal history record information (CHRI). USCIS officers must resubmit fingerprints for pending cases to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) database. The additional immigration security checks help agents better identify potential public safety and national security threats.

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