After your USCIS biometrics appointment, your fingerprints, photo, and signature go to the FBI and other federal databases for background and security screening, and your case sits in that screening phase until the checks come back clean. Most of the waiting you’ll do between biometrics and a decision is this screening, and the online case status page usually won’t reflect it. What matters during this stretch is staying reachable, following the rules for travel and work tied to your specific application, and responding fast to anything USCIS sends you.
What USCIS Does With Your Prints
The fingerprints collected at the Application Support Center are sent to the FBI’s Next Generation Identification system, which is interoperable with DHS’s Automated Biometric Identification System.1U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Exchanging Biometric Data The screening looks for criminal history, prior immigration violations, and national security concerns that could affect your eligibility. Your digital signature also serves as your attestation, under penalty of perjury, that the information in your application is complete and correct.2U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Preparing for Your Biometric Services Appointment
How Long the Wait Usually Runs
FBI fingerprint checks are the fast part and often come back within days. The slower piece is the FBI’s National Name Check Program, which searches a broader set of investigative files and can take considerably longer depending on how common your name is and how many records need manual review. Most applicants see their checks resolved within a few months, but complex cases stretch further.
Your fingerprints stay valid for 15 months from the date the FBI processes them.3U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Chapter 2 – Background and Security Checks If your case hasn’t been decided by the time that window closes, USCIS schedules you for a new biometrics appointment at no additional filing cost. You don’t need to request it; USCIS initiates it automatically. In years with heavy backlogs, this is more common than applicants expect.
Checking Your Case Status
USCIS runs an online case status tracker at egov.uscis.gov. You’ll need the 13-character receipt number from your USCIS notices, which starts with a three-letter prefix like EAC, WAC, LIN, SRC, NBC, MSC, or IOE, followed by 10 digits.4U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Receipt Number Enter it without dashes.5U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Case Status Online
The messages are fairly plain. “Case Was Received” means USCIS has your filing. “Case Is Being Actively Reviewed by USCIS” means an officer has picked it up. “Request for Evidence Was Sent” means you have homework and need to check the mail. Don’t read anything into weeks of no updates. Background checks run silently, and the status page doesn’t move while they’re in progress. The tool is useful for catching action items, not for tracking every internal step.
Keep USCIS Informed of Where You Live
If you move while your case is pending, you’re required to notify USCIS within 10 days by filing Form AR-11. Failure to report can result in fines, imprisonment, or removal proceedings.6U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Form AR-11 – Alien’s Change of Address Card Practically, an unreported move also means every USCIS notice goes to the wrong mailbox. Miss an RFE deadline or an interview notice because you never got it, and the consequences fall on you.
Travel and Work While You Wait
Two questions come up right after biometrics: can I leave the country, and can I work? The answers depend on which benefit you filed for.
Traveling Abroad
If you have a pending Form I-485 for adjustment of status, leaving the United States without an advance parole document generally means USCIS considers your application abandoned.7U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. While Your Green Card Application Is Pending with USCIS You would return to find the green card case dead. To avoid that, file Form I-131 (Application for Travel Documents) and have the advance parole approval in hand before you leave. Many applicants file I-131 and I-765 alongside their I-485, so this document may already be in process.
Applicants in other categories, such as those holding valid H-1B or L-1 status, may be able to travel on the underlying visa without advance parole. The rules vary by visa type, so confirm the guidance for your specific status before booking anything.
Working While You Wait
If you filed Form I-485, you can apply for employment authorization by filing Form I-765.8U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Employment Authorization Document The Employment Authorization Document lets you work for any U.S. employer while your green card case is pending. Processing times for EADs move around; check the USCIS processing times page for the current estimate at your service center.
Notices That May Arrive After Checks Clear
Once background screening is complete, your file goes into the adjudication queue. Depending on what the officer sees, one of several notices may land in your mailbox.
Request for Evidence
A Request for Evidence means the officer needs more documentation to decide. A required form may have been missing, a document may have expired since you filed, or something in your application needs clarification.9U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Request for Evidence (RFE) An RFE is not a denial. It’s an opportunity to fill in the gaps before a decision.
Notice of Intent to Deny
A Notice of Intent to Deny is more serious. USCIS issues a NOID when the evidence in your file points toward denial but the agency is giving you a final chance to respond. NOIDs are common when little or no supporting evidence was submitted, or when eligibility requirements appear unmet. USCIS may also issue a NOID when an applicant meets the basic requirements but hasn’t shown they deserve a favorable use of discretion. USCIS can also deny outright, without an RFE or NOID, if the officer determines there is no legal basis for approval and no additional evidence would change that.10U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Chapter 6 – Evidence
Interview Notice
Green card and naturalization cases typically require an in-person interview. If yours is scheduled, you’ll receive an Interview Notice (Form I-797C) with the date, time, and location. Some employment-based green card categories may see the interview waived and the case approved on the written record.
Approval or Denial
If everything checks out, you’ll receive an Approval Notice (Form I-797). For green card applicants, this triggers card production. A denial notice explains the specific reasons for the unfavorable decision and describes your options for challenging it.11U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Chapter 11 – Decision Procedures
Responding to an RFE or NOID
Deadlines depend on the notice type and your form. For an RFE, the standard response window is 84 calendar days for most form types and 30 calendar days for Form I-539 (Application to Extend/Change Nonimmigrant Status). The 84-day window is the maximum; USCIS cannot grant an extension beyond it. For a NOID, the maximum response time is 30 days regardless of form type.10U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Chapter 6 – Evidence When USCIS mails either notice, three extra calendar days are added for mail delivery.
Submit everything together in a single package along with the original RFE or NOID notice.10U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Chapter 6 – Evidence Keep copies of every document you send. A cover letter itemizing what’s enclosed helps the officer match your evidence to each item requested. Miss the deadline and USCIS can deny your application as abandoned or decide it on the existing record alone.
Requesting Expedited Processing
If normal processing would cause serious harm, you can submit an expedite request. USCIS considers these case by case and evaluates the totality of the circumstances. Qualifying situations include severe financial loss to a person or company, urgent humanitarian situations, government interest cases involving public safety or national security, and clear USCIS errors. Job loss can sometimes qualify as severe financial loss, but simply needing an EAD without other compelling circumstances is not enough.12U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Chapter 5 – Expedite Requests Bring strong documentation; requests without supporting evidence get denied quickly.
If Your Case Is Denied
A denial notice will explain which eligibility requirements you didn’t meet, cite the relevant laws and regulations, and describe any available next steps.11U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Chapter 11 – Decision Procedures Options depend on the application type.
For many case types, you can file Form I-290B (Notice of Appeal or Motion) to challenge the decision. The filing deadline is 30 calendar days after personal service, or 33 calendar days if the decision was mailed. For revocation decisions on immigrant petitions, the window is shorter: 15 days after personal service or 18 days if mailed.13U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Chapter 3 – Appeals Miss those deadlines and the appeal is rejected as untimely.
Some denials, including certain adjustment of status decisions, don’t carry a right to appeal. In those cases, you can file a motion to reopen (presenting new facts) or a motion to reconsider (arguing the decision misapplied the law). If you file an untimely appeal that meets the requirements for a motion, USCIS may treat it as a motion instead of rejecting it outright.13U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Chapter 3 – Appeals The filing fee for Form I-290B is $800 as of 2025; check the USCIS fee schedule for the current amount before filing.