Fingerprints came back "positive"

[mk1023]

Hello,

thanks for this great resource for AOS applicants like us.
I have a question about the fingerprint check. My wife's background check was o.k. but the USCIS officer told us that her fingerprint-check came back "positive" from the FBI. Her case is therefore now delayed. What could that be and what do we have to expect now? She has no criminal history whatsoever, not in the U.S. nor in any other country.

She had issues once at the airport because her fingerprint did allegedly not match the fingerprint she gave a year before when returning from a trip. After waiting for 20 minutes in an office she was cleared to go.
Will there be a problem? How long will this delay the decision and is there something we can do to clarify things or to speed up the process?

Thank You so much for your help!

Marc

[MrsAllen2b]

More than likely, the earlier discrepancy is what set off the red flags on your wife's check.

What some people fail to realize is that your fingerprints can be slightly different given varying factors at different times. If your wife was retaining water or swelling from travel or too much salt, it could have caused a slight change in the pressure or width, etc., of the pattern. If it was just enough to cause a problem at the border, a scanner could have picked it up as a red flag. That's not to say human error in the processing isn't possible!

Since she has no criminal history, it's likely that your case will be reviewed and the problem looked at, but it shouldn't be much to worry about.

Good luck!