On December 2, 2016, the American Association of Immigration Lawyers (AILA) reported that it contacted the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) HQ regarding issues with FBI background checks for pending naturalization cases. AILA explains that on November 28, 2016, “a computer coding error impacted the accuracy of the FBI background checks for about 15,000 … pending naturalization cases.” Of these 15,000 naturalization cases, approximatively 3,000 cases were pending at a USCIS field office “either to be interviewed, waiting on a decision post-interview, or waiting to be scheduled for an oath ceremony.”

In response to the computer coding error, the USCIS cancelled oath ceremonies for “about 550 people” who were slated to take the oath on November 29, 2016. The USCIS has resubmitted the names of the 15,000 individuals impacted by the computer coding error to the FBI, and has asked the FBI to expedite new background checks. The USCIS explained to AILA that naturalization interviews will proceed, but individuals affected will not be scheduled to take the oath until the background checks clear.

See AILA Doc. No. 16120261

Please see the Citizenship and Naturalization category on our website to learn more about applying for naturalization in the United States [see category].

Please visit the nyc immigration lawyers website for further information. The Law Offices of Grinberg & Segal, PLLC focuses vast segment of its practice on immigration law. This steadfast dedication has resulted in thousands of immigrants throughout the United States.

Legal Articles Additional Disclaimer

Lawyer.com is not a law firm and does not offer legal advice. Content posted on Lawyer.com is the sole responsibility of the person from whom such content originated and is not reviewed or commented on by Lawyer.com. The application of law to any set of facts is a highly specialized skill, practiced by lawyers and often dependent on jurisdiction. Content on the site of a legal nature may or may not be accurate for a particular state or jurisdiction and may largely depend on specific circumstances surrounding individual cases, which may or may not be consistent with your circumstances or may no longer be up-to-date to the extent that laws have changed since posting. Legal articles therefore are for review as general research and for use in helping to gauge a lawyer's expertise on a matter. If you are seeking specific legal advice, Lawyer.com recommends that you contact a lawyer to review your specific issues. See Lawyer.com's full Terms of Use for more information.