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Biometric Appointment Letter Time
The biometric appointment is scheduled after an average of 17 to 20 days from the date of filing. It does vary for the type of application and the workload at the ASC center close to your residential address.
- i-485 biometric appointments take about an average of 10-90 days.
This article will discuss:
Documents Required
- Biometric appointment notice (Form I-797C)
- Valid photo identification – Original – Green Card, Passport, US driver’s license, or state ID card
An appointment letter will be issued irrespective of EAD and AP approval.
Do not miss your fingerprinting appointment as it may lead to denial of your application.
Appointment Notice
There is no separate USCIS biometrics form.
You just fill out the i485, i765, and i131 forms and USCIS automatically creates an appointment for you.
This is a sample Biometric appointment notice sent by USCIS for the H4 extension application.
Your appointment notice (Form I-797C, Notice of Action) will include the date, time, and location for your ASC (Application Support Center) appointment.
What Happens at Biometric Center?
There is no dress code for Biometrics. Cell phones are not allowed inside the ASC center and should be left in your car.
The fingerprint process is simple:
- Fill out an application information worksheet at the Biometric Center. Write your name, DOB, eye and hair color, height, and weight.
- You are given a token number.
- Wait for your turn and then they click your photo and take fingerprints.
- Make sure that your signature matches the one you did on your form application while filing the application.
- They stamp your biometric appointment letter.
- The status on the USCIS site may change to ‘Fingerprint Review was completed‘.
This stamped letter can be used in your child’s school leave application as a reason for taking off.
Reschedule Appointment
You can choose to re-schedule the Biometrics appointment if the ASC center is too far from your home.
We have seen that people are receiving an appointment at a center which is somewhere in Illinois which is 10 hour’s drive from where the person is physically located i.e. in Tennessee.
This could happen if your attorney used his OWN address instead of the user’s physical address to fill out the form.
Fee Refund
There is no USCIS biometrics fee refund if you do not appear for your fingerprint appointment.
You can only reschedule your appointment without paying the new fee of $85.
EAD Processing Time After Biometric
i-485 EAD and AP can be approved without appearing for a Biometric appointment too. The general processing time is 15-30 days after taking your fingerprints.
FAQ
Biometrics are not required for i-485 EAD and advance parole either.
The biometrics fingerprinting process takes about 10 minutes to finish at the ASC center.
Walk-ins are allowed at the USCIS ASC center as long as you have an appointment letter.
You can visit earlier than your appointment date and preferably between 2 PM to 3.30 PM as the ASC centers have less traffic during this time. The COVID restrictions will affect walk-ins at each center. Please check with your ASC center before walk-in.
You can visit any ASC center closer to your home irrespective of the center where the appointment has been fixed.
One user shared that they gave fingerprints by walk-in to an ASC center in California even when her appointment was set up at Dallas Center.
Source: USCIS
