On February 4, 2008, the associate director of the USCIS issued a memorandum which stated that applicants with pending adjustment of status applications and waiver applications could be approved if the FBI name check has been pending for 180 days or more and the case is otherwise approvable.  This does not apply to naturalization applications, though.  He went on to say that if negative information comes to light after the case is approved, that the approval could later be revoked.  This is positive news for thousands of people who have been stuck in limbo for years.  The actual method of identifying these cases has yet to be determined.  As for cases pending at service centers, attorneys have been asked to hold off on inquiring for a couple of months while the USCIS attempts to identify these cases.  As for cases pending at local offices, no method has yet been released as to how they will identify these cases or have them brought to their attention.  Nevertheless, it appears, now, that relief has arrived and these cases will soon be finalized.