Have you ever had the bad experience of being stuck on hold for hours with USCIS just trying to reschedule your fingerprint appointments? Managing partner Paris Lee recently returned from the Annual Immigration Lawyers Conference in Florida last month, where attorneys were given a sneak peak at four new changes coming to the online system to help increase efficiency. On June 28, USCIS announced the public release of one of those new tools—and it’s a great one. Now, instead of having to call USCIS to reschedule your biometric fingerprint appointments, applicants and their attorneys will now be able to reschedule them through the applicant’s online account. This will save countless hours of time.
There are a couple stipulations to be aware of though. Most importantly, the online option will not be available to individuals to reschedule an appointment that has already been rescheduled two or three times, is within 12 hours, or that one has already missed. Applicants can still call 1-800-375-5283 to speak with customer service if they wish to reschedule an appointment, but given the interminable time one has to wait to be able to speak with someone, it certainly makes more sense to reschedule directly online.
Speaking of fingerprints, USCIS also updated its Policy Manual to detail what would constitute “good cause” to reschedule biometrics. Some reasons include but are not limited to:
- Illness, a previously scheduled medical appointment, or hospitalization
- Previously planned travel
- A “significant life event” such as wedding, funeral, or graduation
- Inability to secure transportation to the appointment location
- Inability to take time off from employment or caregiver responsibilities; and
- Late delivered or undelivered biometric services appointment notice.
Some other exciting changes coming to the online tools to be aware of include:
- Text Ahead
- Change of Address
- Online Appointment Request (instead of having to call customer service to book an INFOPASS appointment)
If one has not already, applicants should go ahead and create an online account with USCIS. If you are already our client and have problems with computers or technology, don’t worry. Our office can help you establish one.