USCIS Prioritizes National Security With New Screening Rules For Asylees And Refugees
USCIS Reestablishes Screening and Vetting Standards for Asylees and Refugees
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced a significant update to its policy for screening and vetting asylees and refugees. The agency is reestablishing a “uniform baseline” of standards for interviews, a move it says will enhance national security and program integrity. This change, effective immediately, modifies the criteria for permanent residency applications (Form I-485) for these populations and their family members.
According to a press release issued today, the policy update is intended to better detect fraud, misrepresentation, national security threats, and public safety risks. USCIS spokesperson Matthew Tragesser stated, “We owe every American the right to feel safe and secure… We are returning to the toughest and most secure enhanced screening and vetting policies for our asylum and refugee processes.”
The new guidance aligns with Executive Order 14161, which focuses on protecting the United States from foreign terrorists and other national security threats.
Key Interview Criteria
The updated USCIS Policy Manual clarifies specific conditions that will trigger an interview for an asylum seeker or refugee seeking to adjust their status to permanent resident. An interview will be required in cases where:
- An officer cannot verify the applicant’s identity through existing records.
- The applicant claims a new identity or has conflicting identities.
- Immigration records are insufficient to confirm refugee status, or there is evidence of fraud.
- The applicant’s FBI fingerprint check reveals a record that may lead to inadmissibility, or if two fingerprint submissions are unclassifiable.
- An interview is necessary to clarify an applicant’s admissibility or to resolve an unclear response to a request for evidence.
- The applicant is a citizen of or habitually resided in a country that is a state sponsor of terrorism.
- There are “articulable concerns” related to national security or terrorism-related grounds of inadmissibility.
This policy shift marks a return to stricter oversight, emphasizing enhanced scrutiny throughout the residency application process for these specific groups. The agency’s goal is to ensure that all individuals seeking to live in the United States “uphold the highest sense of integrity and morals and adhere to our rules and regulations,” according to Tragesser.
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