What Happens at a USCIS Biometrics Engagement

When you apply for a benefit from U.Southward. Citizenship and Clearing Services (USCIS) — such as a work permit, citizenship, dark-green card or fifty-fifty a green bill of fare renewal — a standard part of the process is a biometrics engagement (also known every bit a biometrics screening). Information technology may audio scary, but it shouldn't be a concern for most people. Regardless, it'due south important to empathise what happens at your USCIS appointment, what to look, and who should be concerned.

The technical definition of "biometrics" means that a person'south unique physical and other traits are detected and recorded as a means of confirming identity. In simple terms, USCIS will obtain your photo, fingerprints and take you sign your name. This procedure confirms your identity and so that USCIS provides benefits to the correct person and facilitates the necessary criminal groundwork check. A biometrics screening is not an interview.

biometrics appointment or screening at USCIS

USCIS Biometrics Appointment Notice

biometrics appointment notice (Form I-797)

USCIS will mail you the biometrics appointment discover after y'all submit your application or petition. The appointment will have place before yous receive any benefits or a card in the mail. The alphabetic character will make it as an "Application Support Center (ASC) Appointment Notice" (Form I-797C, Notice of Action) and volition include information nearly the date, time and location for your ASC appointment. The appointment itself takes nearly people 15 to 30 minutes.

USCIS recommends that you attend the biometrics appointment at the Awarding Back up Center that has been scheduled for you. If the location of this ASC is not convenient for you, some applicants have been able to reschedule the appointment at an culling ASC. A change in location is at the discretion of USCIS. For a list of ASCs, see the USCIS Service and Office Locator.

Once more, USCIS will schedule the time and location for you lot. USCIS recommends that you appear at the ASC which has been assigned to yous.

ASC Biometrics Find Codes

You may notice that your ASC Biometrics Appointment Find includes a lawmaking in the elevation correct role of the letter. The lawmaking is intended to indicate the type of biometrics processing to be performed. The possible values are:

  • Lawmaking 1 – fingerprinting for x prints but
  • Lawmaking 2 – photograph, signature and alphabetize finger press-impress
  • Code 3 – photo, signature, index finger printing-print and fingerprinting for x prints

Rescheduling a Biometrics Appointment

USCIS generally recommends that you attend the appointment that they schedule for you. Yet, you lot may reschedule the appointment if necessary. USCIS no longer accepts written requests to reschedule the date. Instead, yous must call USCIS at one-800-375-5283 (TTY 1-800-767-1833) before the date and time of your original appointment and constitute adept cause for rescheduling. If you lot neglect to call before your scheduled engagement or neglect to constitute good cause, USCIS may not reschedule the appointment. If yous fail to announced for your originally scheduled biometric services engagement and the date is not rescheduled, they will consider the related application, petition, or asking abandoned and, as a effect, USCIS may deny information technology.

Depending on the type of application, region of the country, and workload, USCIS may initially schedule the biometrics appointment on solar day within 3 to viii weeks of filing your USCIS form. USCIS Application Support Centers cannot reschedule the appointment for more than 30 days. Therefore, information technology's likely they volition a reschedule date within a xxx-day time frame from the date of the reschedule asking.

Rescheduling your appointment will filibuster your example. Information technology is likely that the awarding/petition you lot accept filed will be denied if biometrics is not satisfied within a reasonable time frame as scheduled by USCIS.

application support center for biometric screenings

Families with Biometrics Appointments

If you have more than 1 person in your family that requires a biometrics screening, it'due south more than user-friendly to accept them scheduled together. USCIS will attempt to schedule your family's biometrics appointments together. Unfortunately, this doesn't ever happen.

If you take received your appointment discover, only your dependent(s) take non, information technology may be possible for your family members to nourish your appointment. The USCIS ASC may agree to capture their biometrics on the aforementioned day even if they do not have scheduled appointments. The decision to combine the biometric screenings is at the discretion of the ASC. The ASC may refuse to practise so.

Generally, children under fourteen years of age are exempt from biometrics fee. However, your child must notwithstanding appear at the ASC if a biometrics date has been scheduled by USCIS. Yous cannot ignore this notice. It's likely that your child is being called in for a "Code 2" biometrics appointment. For children who are adjusting condition, this information is necessary for the generation of the permanent resident carte du jour (besides known as a green carte du jour).

How to Prepare for the USCIS Biometrics Engagement

When you get your biometric services appointment notification, information technology will also include a list of items to bring to the date. In improver to the appointment observe itself (Form I-797C), you volition be required to bring photo identification. Typically, acceptable documents include:

  • Permanent resident bill of fare (greenish menu)
  • Passport or national photo identification issued by your habitation country
  • Commuter's license
  • Armed forces photograph identification
  • Land-issued photo identification card

fingerprint to be used as part of a criminal background check

When you appear for your biometrics appointment, USCIS volition digitally capture your fingerprints, photograph and signature on a LiveScan car. When it is time to sign your proper name, USCIS will inquire y'all to attest to the truth of the following statement:

I declare under penalization of perjury that I have reviewed and understand my application, petition, or asking as identified past the receipt number displayed on the screen above, and all supporting documents, applications, petitions, or requests filed with my application, petition, or request that I (or my attorney or accredited representative) filed with USCIS, and that all of the information in these materials is consummate, truthful, and correct.

The linguistic communication is but displayed in English or Castilian. If yous require a dissimilar foreign language, USCIS recommends that you select the advisable linguistic communication translation and review it earlier you announced for your ASC appointment.

When to Exist Concerned About a Biometrics Appointment

Most people don't need to worry about the USCIS biometrics appointment and subsequent FBI groundwork bank check. USCIS will process this information through the FBI database in order to bank check for whatever criminal records.

However, if yous think you lot might have a criminal tape, contact an immigration lawyer before going to a USCIS biometrics appointment. (If you recollect you might have a criminal record, y'all should contact an immigration lawyer before filing any USCIS form.) Some crimes will make you ineligible for immigration benefits. A lawyer can request a background check earlier USCIS does and bargain with it equally necessary.

After a Biometrics Date

Once yous have completed your biometrics appointment, you will exist given a stamp on your engagement notice confirming that yous attended. Go along this document safe. It serves as proof if USCIS cannot find its tape stating that you attended the date.

USCIS biometrics stamp

The next footstep depends on the blazon of awarding you filed. Some, similar marriage cases, require an interview; others, such as employment-based petitions, may only crave interviews when there are issues that need farther inquiry.

If you get another biometrics appointment find in the post-obit weeks, don't panic. This is usually the result of smudged prints, and fingerprints will need to be retaken to complete the groundwork cheque. USCIS will not accuse an boosted fee.

Depending on your awarding type and the service center processing information technology, information technology may be several weeks (or months) earlier you hear from USCIS again. Remember, you tin can ever check the condition of your example online.

Boosted Biometrics Appointments

In that location are many reasons USCIS may require an additional biometrics engagement for y'all. Biometrics information is considered valid for a catamenia of 15 months. Therefore, information technology's very mutual for applicants to nourish multiple biometrics engagement. This can occur if an application or petition is pending for several months or the person has requested a separate immigration benefit from USCIS.

Biometrics Engagement FAQs

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