Green Card Political Screening 2026: USCIS Pauses All Pending Cases Under New Vetting Rule

The American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) has reported that USCIS effectively paused adjudication of almost all pending immigration cases beginning April 27, 2026. The pause is tied to the rollout of a new, expanded security vetting protocol that the agency is now applying broadly across its pending caseload. Under the new process, nearly all applicants who have cases currently awaiting a decision must re-submit their fingerprints. These biometrics will be used by immigration officers to run applicants through updated background and security databases, which reportedly may include checks related to political affiliations or views — a process that has drawn significant concern from immigration attorneys and advocacy groups. For EB-3 applicants, this pause has immediate practical implications. Cases at various stages — including I-485 adjustment of status applications and potentially I-140 petitions in certain pipelines — may see significant additional delays while USCIS processes the re-fingerprinting requirement. Applicants should expect interview scheduling and final decisions to be postponed until the new vetting is completed. AILA has flagged the breadth of this pause as highly unusual, noting that applying a new vetting layer retroactively to already-pending cases is an unprecedented administrative step. Legal advocates are monitoring the situation closely for constitutional and procedural concerns. Applicants with pending cases are advised to watch for official USCIS notices requesting new biometric appointments and to consult an immigration attorney if they have concerns about how the new screening criteria may affect their specific case.