This summer, United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) expanded options for applicants and attorneys to schedule appointments online with local USCIS field offices in two significant ways.
Biometric Service Appointments Can Now Be Rescheduled Online
In June 2023, USCIS began allowing applicants and attorneys to reschedule most biometrics appointments (appointments for fingerprints, photograph, or signatures) online through a new self-service tool without having to call the USCIS Contact Center. This tool can be accessed via a USCIS online account by individuals who have an existing account or those who create a new account. The biometric services appointment rescheduling tool can be accessed regardless of whether the pending case was submitted online or in person.
A few types of appointments cannot be rescheduled on-line and must be done through the USCIS Contact Center. These include appointments that have already been rescheduled two or more times; appointments scheduled within 12 hours; and expired appointment dates.
In-Person Appointments at Local Field Offices Can Be Scheduled Online
In August 2023, USCIS launched a new online request form for applicants and attorneys to request in-person appointments at local USCIS field offices for many services, including ADIT stamps, Emergency Advance parole, and Immigration Judge Grants.
At the time of the request, USCIS will review documents submitted with the request and determine appointment availability. Specific requests for dates can be made, however, they are not guaranteed. USCIS will then confirm and schedule the individual for an appointment.
We are hopeful that these two new tools will help our clients schedule and reschedule appointments at their local field office in a much more time-efficient and hassle-free manner than calling the USCIS Contact Center, which was the only option previously available.
Please reach out to Bousquet Holstein PLLC with any questions regarding this policy alert or about immigration in general.