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29 April 2026

United States | Certain applications pending with USCIS impacted by new vetting process

On 27 April 2026, the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) began receiving reports that US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has placed a new processing hold on certain applications, including green card and asylum applications. Several news outlets have since confirmed that USCIS has circulated internal guidance directing officers not to adjudicate certain pending applications until newly-mandated enhanced security checks are completed. On 6 February 2026, President Donald Trump issued an executive order directing the Attorney General to provide the Department of Homeland Security and its agencies, including USCIS, with access to criminal history record information (CHRI) available to or maintained by the Department of Justice. The enhanced security checks mandated by the new USCIS guidance will require resubmission of applicants’ fingerprints for pending cases in which the CHRI was received by USCIS prior to 27 April 2026, with the possible exception of Naturalization cases where the applicant has already been scheduled for their oath ceremony.

A Tax Alert prepared by EY Law LLP group, and attached below, provides additional details.

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Attachment

Full text of Tax Alert

Document ID: 2026-0956

 
 

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