Stricter green card screening under the Trump administration is affecting marriage-based applications, with some USCIS applicants waiting months for a biometrics appointment. Several marriage-based adjustment of status applicants say more than 100 days have passed without any progress.
According to M9 News on November 12, one applicant who filed in July said their case had been stuck at the National Benefits Center (NBC) for over 100 days with no biometrics notice. NBC, which reviews and sorts family- and employment-based cases before sending them to local offices, had not moved their file despite all documents being submitted on time. The applicant filed a Tier 2 service request two months earlier but received no response.
Similar complaints have appeared on Reddit. One user said they filed a marriage-based AOS on July 30 and still had no fingerprint appointment after 100 days. A screenshot of a USCIS response said the case remained under review at NBC and was last reviewed on August 22, with biometrics still unscheduled. The user said they contacted the agency again in September but received no update and did not know if the delay was routine or tied to internal security checks.
Another applicant who filed on June 27 received their receipt quickly but heard nothing afterward. They said a congressional office told them delays worsened after the federal government shutdown in October. Some applicants reported waiting more than 200 days and said the process felt “effectively frozen.”
Immigration information site CitizenPath states that biometrics notices typically arrive within five to eight weeks, usually no later than two months. USCIS does not list an official processing time, but past averages placed biometrics around one month after filing.
Experts say the recent backlog reflects more than routine administrative delay. Immigration service changes introduced under the Trump administration, including revised marriage-based green card forms and stricter document checks, have added time to the process. Online immigration service Boundless Immigration reported that new requirements this year—such as mandatory use of the latest versions of Form I-130, Form I-485, and other marriage-based forms, and stricter rules on document consistency and separate fee payments—have increased returns and re-filings. The shutdown in October also contributed to slower case handling.
A report from immigration law firm Akalan Law on November 16 noted that USCIS remains open because it is funded by fees, but the shutdown halted or slowed work at partner agencies, including parts of the Department of Labor (DOL) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), delaying background checks and data verification.
Immigration attorney Wanseok Oh said applicants cannot receive an Employment Authorization Document (EAD) or Advance Parole until biometrics are completed. Without those approvals, they cannot work legally or travel abroad.
BY HANKIL KANG [kang.hankil@koreadaily.com]
