USCIS “Notice Sent” Update After Biometrics: What the FBI Privacy Letter Means

Some applicants who have provided biometrics are seeing an unsettling update in their USCIS online case history: “Case Required USCIS To Send A Notice.” The accompanying message may say, “On [date], we issued a notice for your Form [form type], Receipt Number [number].” In cases brought to the Murthy Law Firm’s attention, the mailing that follows has been a notice titled “FBI Privacy Requirements for Biometrics Collection by USCIS.” The online message alone does not identify what was mailed, so applicants should read the actual notice before drawing conclusions about their case.

What Does the Notice Say?

Notices reviewed by the Murthy Law Form explain how USCIS collects and uses fingerprints and photographs for Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) criminal history checks. It describes USCIS’s transition since 2017 from point-in-time checks toward a process it calls Continuous Immigration Vetting. It also explains the applicant’s privacy rights, including the right to seek a copy of an FBI identity record and to challenge information believed to be inaccurate or incomplete. Most importantly for recipients, the letter expressly says: “You do not need to take any further action at this time. You will receive a separate notice if USCIS needs any additional information.”

The FBI explains that individuals whose fingerprints are checked for noncriminal justice purposes, including immigration matters, must receive written information about their privacy rights and how to seek correction of an FBI criminal history record. USCIS also explains that biometrics can be used to confirm identity and conduct required background and security checks. Those seeking more detail may consult the FBI’s Non-Criminal Justice Applicant’s Privacy Rights and USCIS’s Preparing for Your Biometric Services Appointment.

Does the Case Status Mean There Is a Problem?

Not necessarily. For applicants who receive this particular privacy notice, the “Case Required USCIS To Send A Notice” update reflects that USCIS issued a mailing. The privacy notice itself is not a request for evidence, a new biometrics appointment, an approval, or a denial. Nor does receipt of the notice, by itself, establish that background checks have been completed or indicate when USCIS will decide the underlying application or petition. The same general online wording may accompany other types of notices, so applicants should not assume every such update concerns the FBI privacy letter.

What Should Applicants Do?

Open and retain the mailed notice, compare its form and receipt information with the pending case, and send a copy to immigration counsel if represented. If it is the FBI privacy notice described above, there is no response to submit solely because of that letter. Continue to monitor the case for separate requests, appointments, or decisions, and follow any instructions and deadlines in those communications. If the mailed document is something other than the privacy notice, its own instructions control.

If the case status says USCIS mailed a notice but it does not arrive, check that USCIS has the correct address. USCIS advises contacting the agency when a case-status update says a notice other than a receipt notice was sent more than 14 days earlier and the applicant has not received it. See While My Case is Pending for further information.

Conclusion

A generic “notice sent” update can be alarming, but the September 2026 FBI biometrics privacy letter is informational and expressly requires no immediate action. The safest course is to confirm what was actually mailed, preserve it with the case records, and seek individualized advice if the notice is different or raises a case-specific concern.

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