• U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced availability of biometric appointments reschedule via telephone. Biometric appointments are habitually required prior to adjudication of multiple immigration proceedings, including those for permanent immigration to the U.S. Since appointment dates are randomly picked by the government, applicants frequently need to reschedule them due to business and personal reasons. Traditionally, these appointments needed to be rescheduled via a written request to the USCIS. However, applicants, petitioners, requestors and beneficiaries may now call the USCIS at 1-800-375-5283 to reschedule their biometric services appointments at USCIS Application Support Centers. Callers must establish good cause for rescheduling and must call in advance of the date and time of their scheduled appointment. If an applicant fails to call before the scheduled appointment or does not establish good cause, USCIS may consider the application subject to the biometrics taking abandoned and deny it. With these high stakes of a phone call that may be hard to prove should USCIS fail to properly acknowledge it or consider the reasons for a reschedule sufficiently “good cause,” consult your immigration legal counsel regarding the best way to request the appointment postponement. In some instances, the tried and tested route of a written notification to USCIS may still be preferable.
  • As of May 17, 2021, USCIS is temporarily suspending the biometrics requirement for several categories of applicants submitting Form I-539, Application to Extend/Change Nonimmigrant Status. USCIS will adjudicate Form I-539 Applications for foreign nationals requesting an extension of stay or a change of status to H-4, L-2, E-1, E-2, and E-3 based on biographic data provided by the applicants and the background checks without requiring a standalone appointment to collect fingerprints and photos. The suspension is currently set to expire on May 17, 2023. Importantly, the suspension applies only to the applications pending as of May 17, 2021 that have not yet been scheduled for biometrics and to applications postmarked or submitted electronically on or after that date. USCIS retains discretion on a case-by-case basis to require biometrics for applicants who meet the criteria above, and any applicant may be scheduled for an application support center appointment for biometrics taking. Consequently, any applicants that receive biometric appointment notices should attend their appointments as scheduled or request reschedule as per the above. Form I-539 applicants whose applications fall under the biometrics requirement suspension, should no longer be submitting the $85 biometric services fee between May 17, 2021 and May 17, 2023. USCIS will begin rejecting mailed in Form I-539 applications postmarked May 27, 2021 or later if applicants that are not subject to the biometrics requirement submit a single payment covering both the filing fee and the $85 biometrics services fee.