Background Checks
Published Tuesday, March 10, 2009, 4:19 PM
Updated Thursday, July 23, 2009, 5:31 PM
Larger Text
Print
E-mail
Make a comment
FBI Name Checks: The records maintained in the FBI name check process consist of administrative, applicant, criminal, personnel and other files compiled by law enforcement.
Initial responses to this check generally take about two weeks. In about 80% of the cases, no match is found. Of the remaining 20%, most are resolved within six months. Less than 1% of cases subject to an FBI name check remain pending longer than six months.
For most applicants, the process outlined above allows USCIS to quickly determine if there are criminal or security related issues in the applicant's background that affect eligibility for immigration benefits. Most cases proceed forward without incident.
