USCIS Expands Biometric Data and Vetting Before Resuming Asylum

(WASHINGTON, D.C.) The U.S. government has frozen all USCIS asylum information page nationwide and is preparing to demand broader biometric data and tougher security checks before any cases move forward again, following a November shooting in the nation’s capital that officials linked to a man previously granted asylum. As of late November 2025, asylum seekers of every nationality face an open-ended pause on final decisions, with no public timeline for when the agency will resume approvals or denials.

Pause announcement and reason

The halt was confirmed on November 22, 2025, when USCIS Director Joe Edlow told staff that asylum adjudications were being paused indefinitely after two National Guard soldiers were shot in Washington, D.C. An Afghan man who had earlier received asylum status has been alleged in connection with the attack, prompting an immediate internal review of vetting procedures for humanitarian protection cases.

According to an internal directive obtained by CBS News and confirmed by multiple sources, USCIS asylum officers were instructed to stop making final calls in any case. The order covers approvals, denials, and closures of applications. Officers may continue interviewing applicants and reviewing files, but once they reach the point where a decision would normally be issued, they must “stop and hold” the case.

“USCIS has halted all asylum decisions until we can ensure that every alien is vetted and screened to the maximum degree possible,” Edlow said. “The safety of the American people always comes first.”

That message, shared across the asylum division, sets the tone for what officials describe as a sweeping tightening of security reviews.

New vetting priorities: biometrics and background checks

USCIS has signaled it will not restart asylum decisions until new, stricter vetting systems are in place. These changes are expected to center on expanded biometric data collection and more intense background checks, covering every asylum applicant in the USCIS pipeline.

While the agency has long collected fingerprints and photos as part of standard biometrics, internal guidance now points toward additional identifiers and extra layers of screening. Officials expect to roll out expanded biometric data collection that may include:

• More detailed fingerprints
• Facial recognition tools
• Possibly iris scans

These measures, described in agency guidance, would go beyond the standard biometrics now in use. The goal is to support deeper identity checks and to close any gaps that may have existed in how people were screened before receiving asylum protection.

Enhanced background checks

The planned security steps do not stop with new biometrics. USCIS has also indicated that asylum applicants will face enhanced background checks, including:

• Closer review of travel history
• Scrutiny of social media activity
• Examination of any links to what U.S. officials call “countries of concern”

While the exact tools and databases have not been spelled out publicly, the agency has made clear that these checks must be fully in place before asylum decisions resume.

Country-specific vetting guidance

Country-specific vetting is another major pillar of the shift. USCIS has already issued guidance letting asylum officers cite the difficulty of properly vetting applicants from certain countries as a reason to deny protection.

The guidance specifically names these countries:

In these places, identity documents are often unreliable and central government control is weak or contested. Under the guidance, the inability to confirm someone’s identity or background through trusted records can itself lead to a negative decision once adjudications restart.

What is currently happening to cases and interviews

For now, almost every part of the asylum decision pipeline is frozen.

• All in-person asylum appointments have been canceled until further notice.
• Interviews that do go forward (in person or by video) can be conducted and recorded, but they cannot end with a formal grant or denial.
• Files will instead sit in a pending state while the agency works out how to apply the new biometrics and security checks to both new and existing cases.

The pause applies to every nationality and every program, including Afghans who came to the United States 🇺🇸 under President Biden’s “Operation Allies Welcome” initiative. That program, designed to help people who worked with U.S. forces and agencies after the fall of Kabul, encouraged many to seek asylum or other forms of protection. Those cases are now caught in the same freeze as all others, with no exceptions spelled out in the directive.

Timeline, public guidance, and uncertainty

USCIS has not published any schedule for when asylum decisions might resume. Officials say timing will depend on how quickly the agency, working with the Department of Homeland Security and other federal partners, can build, test, and deploy the new security rules. In internal discussions, the message has been that safety and thorough screening will take priority over the speed of processing.

People seeking asylum and their lawyers are closely watching for details on what the new biometric data rules will look like in practice. The directive states that the “exact nature and scope” of the new requirements is still being finalized, leaving many practical questions unanswered, such as:

• How often will people need to appear for biometrics?
• Will past applicants be called back for extra scans or checks?
• What specific databases and tools will be used for enhanced checks?

According to analysis by VisaVerge.com, the combination of an indefinite pause and expanded vetting has raised concern among advocacy groups already worried about long asylum backlogs. While the directive focuses on security, the everyday effect for applicants is more waiting, with no clear sense of when their cases will move forward again or how the new standards will change their odds of approval.

Public statements vs. internal memos

The agency has kept its public statements narrow. It has reiterated that the safety and security of the American people are the top priority, and that every USCIS asylum case will be subject to tougher screening before a decision is issued.

Beyond those broad points, most detail remains inside internal memos and staff briefings rather than in public regulations or formal policy notices. Applicants looking for official information on existing asylum procedures must still rely on resources such as the USCIS asylum information page, which has not yet been fully updated to reflect the latest freeze on decisions. That gap between internal directives and public guidance has added to the uncertainty facing people who fled war, political persecution, or other dangers and are now waiting in legal limbo.

Practical effects on applicants and officers

For applicants:

• Those whose interviews were already completed before November 22 now face indefinite delays—even strong cases close to approval cannot move to a final decision.
• Applicants preparing for interviews have seen appointments canceled.
• People expecting denials and preparing appeals cannot proceed because asylum decisions are on hold, blocking access to the next stage.

For asylum officers:

• They can still take testimony, review documents, and draft internal recommendations.
• They must stop short of making the formal decision that applicants are waiting for.
• Officers are caught between the push for tighter vetting and a growing backlog of undecidable cases until the new USCIS vetting system is fully defined and launched.