The US has tightened checks for "Green Cards" and immigration visas — CBS News
Employees of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services are prohibited from approving any application that has not undergone enhanced scrutiny.
Security checks have been strengthened for individuals applying for immigration benefits in the United States. CBS News reported this, citing internal documents.
At the time these changes are being implemented, the processing of certain cases is being temporarily suspended.
According to the documents, last week, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) instructed its employees to resubmit pending applications for immigration benefits, such as asylum, green cards (permanent residency), and U.S. citizenship, to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) database for enhanced background checks. Employees were directed not to approve any application that has not undergone these expanded checks.
It was reported that USCIS has previously used FBI databases to screen immigration applications from a national security and public safety standpoint. However, the new documents indicate that the intensification of these checks is due to broader access to the FBI's criminal history database. This decision was made under an executive order signed by Trump in February.
In accordance with this order, the Department of Justice must ensure USCIS has access to the criminal history database "to the fullest extent permitted by law."
The U.S. President's executive order emphasizes that "such criminals may include foreign nationals who have entered or remained in the country in violation of U.S. immigration laws, or who are attempting to commit other criminal offenses."
The enhanced checks apply to applications requiring fingerprint submission, including green card and naturalization (citizenship) processes. Additionally, sponsorship applications filed by U.S. citizens or green card holders for close relatives or intended spouses are also subject to these checks.
USCIS employees have been instructed to resubmit fingerprint-based checks if the FBI data for a case was obtained before April 27. Resubmission is not required if the application is planned to be denied.
The new measures are seen as the latest step in the Trump administration's policy aimed at more rigorously screening applicants for immigration benefits and restricting access to the U.S. immigration system.
Since Trump returned to power, USCIS has implemented a series of policies focused on deeper scrutiny of immigration applications. This includes beginning to check applicants' "anti-American" views or activities on social media.
Furthermore, the second Trump administration has slowed down or completely halted the processing of many immigration cases. Specifically, a temporary pause has been placed on all asylum cases handled by USCIS, and the acceptance of legal immigration applications from citizens of 39 countries listed in the presidential executive order has also been suspended. These restrictions are known as the "travel ban."
