U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has directed its officers to resubmit pending applications for asylum, green cards and U.S. citizenship to enhanced FBI background checks, according to internal guidance distributed to staff. Officers were instructed not to approve any pending cases that have not undergone the expanded screening.

The enhanced checks apply to pending applications for benefits requiring fingerprints, including green card and naturalization requests, as well as sponsorship petitions filed on behalf of relatives or fiancées of U.S. citizens or green card holders. Officers were directed to resubmit fingerprint-based screenings if the FBI information for the cases was received before April 27. Resubmissions are not required if officers intend to deny an application.

"We have implemented new security checks to strengthen the vetting and screening of applicants through expanded access to federal criminal databases," said Zach Kahler, USCIS spokesperson. "Processing is ongoing as we apply these enhanced background check requirements. Any delay in decision issuance should be brief and resolved shortly."

The expanded screenings followed an executive order President Trump issued in February directing the Justice Department to provide USCIS access to its criminal history database to the maximum extent permitted by law. The FBI subsequently granted the agency greater access to the database. "Such criminal actors may include foreign nationals with criminal histories who have entered or remained in the United States in violation of the immigration laws of the United States or who otherwise seek to violate the criminal laws of the United States," Trump said in the order.

USCIS has long used FBI databases to vet immigration applications for potential national security or public safety concerns. Since Trump returned to the White House, the agency has implemented multiple policies to scrutinize immigration applications for evidence on social media that applicants have engaged in anti-American views or activities.

The administration also enacted a pause on all asylum cases overseen by USCIS and froze all legal immigration requests filed by nationals of the 39 countries listed on the presidential proclamation known as the travel ban. Last month, the asylum pause was scaled back but remained in place for immigrants from those 39 countries.