When a pending case is outside of processing time, the beneficiary can make an inquiry through the USCIS customer service line (1-800-375-5283). One should be aware of the following USCIS rules before he/she makes an inquiry:

• Inquiries are not accepted until your case is more than 30 days outside of the posted processing time for the appropriate service center. If your I-485 Application to Adjust Status has a current priority date AND was filed more than 30 days before the posted processing date for your service center, you or your attorney will be allowed to place an inquiry on your case.
• If you or your attorney made an inquiry in the last 60 days, another inquiry will not be accepted.
• If you are the applicant, you will be asked to supply your current address. If you are asking your attorney to call on your behalf, you will need to make sure that they have up-to-date contact information. It is a good idea to send along you current address if you are asking your attorney to make an inquiry.
• If your case falls into the guidelines discussed above, an inquiry will be placed on your pending case. Once an inquiry has been placed, you should receive a written response from USCIS within approximately 30-60 days. No information is given over the phone.
• As always, if you case is stuck in FBI name checks, all that can be done is to wait. There is currently no way to contact the FBI to check their processing as they have discontinued the use of both the 800 number and email address to address this issue.