Use Biometrics To Unlock

[Mireille Duhon]

Yourrescheduling request must be made before the date and time of your original appointment and establish good cause for rescheduling. If you do not follow these requirements and do not appear for your originally scheduled appointment, USCIS may consider the related application, petition, or request abandoned and, as a result, we may deny it.

After you file your application, petition, or request, if you need to provide your fingerprints, photograph, or signature, we will schedule your biometric services appointment at a local Application Support Center (ASC). We have the general authority to require and collect biometrics from any applicant, petitioner, sponsor, beneficiary, or other individual residing in the United States for any immigration and naturalization benefit. See 8 CFR 103.2 (b)(9).

Your appointment notice (Form I-797C, Notice of Action) will include the date, time, and location for your ASC appointment. The biometrics you provide during your ASC appointment allow us to confirm your identity and run the required background and security checks.

You may obtain a copy of your own FBI Identity History Summary using the procedures outlined in 28 CFR 16.32. The procedures to change, correct, or update your FBI Identity History Summary are outlined in 28 CFR 16.34. For additional information, please visit the Identity History Summary Checks and Privacy Act Statement pages on the FBI's website.

For certain forms, you must submit a digital signature to reaffirm the contents of your application, petition, or request, even if you already signed the certification on the paper or electronic form. By signing, you reaffirm that your submitted application, petition, or request (including one that you provided on behalf of your derivative beneficiary or one submitted on your behalf) and all documents filed with and in support of the application, petition, or request, were complete, true, and correct at the time of filing.

If you have submitted a Form I-90, Application to Replace Permanent Resident Card, (also known as a Green Card), we also use your biometrics to produce your replacement Green Card. If you have submitted a Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization, we also use your biometrics to produce your Employment Authorization Document.

Your attorney or an accredited representative does not need to go with you to the ASC, even if they submitted your application, petition, or request to USCIS. Your notice will provide specific instructions on what you should bring to your ASC appointment.

We recommend that you print or save a copy of your completed application, petition, or request for your records. We also recommend that you review this copy before you come to your ASC appointment. We cannot provide you with a copy at your appointment.

When you appear for your appointment, you will submit your biometrics on machines designed to collect biometrics. When you provide your digital signature, you will also be attesting, under penalty of perjury, that the information in your application, petition, or request (or one submitted on your behalf), and all documents filed in support of your application, petition, or request, were complete, true, and correct at the time of filing.

If you need language help during your ASC biometrics appointment, we have information and instructions available in several languages in the PDFs below. You should review this before your ASC appointment.

At your appointment, you will be signing your name on a biometrics machine under the attestation called the "Acknowledgement of Appointment at USCIS Application Support Center." This statement will be in both English and Spanish. If you need another language, please refer to the documents below:

We generated your ASC appointment notice based on the information you provided on your application, petition, or request. We cannot change your name or other personal information during your ASC appointment.

If you are unable to attend your scheduled biometric services appointment for good cause, you may request to reschedule your appointment through your USCIS online account or by calling the USCIS Contact Center at 800-375-5283 (TTY 800-767-1833). You must make your request before the date and time of the original appointment, and you must establish good cause for rescheduling.

Requests to reschedule through your USCIS online account must be made at least 12 hours before your scheduled appointment time. If your request to reschedule your biometric services appointment is less than 12 hours from your appointment time or you have missed your scheduled appointment, please call the USCIS Contact Center.

If you fail to request to reschedule before your existing appointment or fail to establish good cause, USCIS may consider your application, petition, or request abandoned and, as a result, it may be denied.

If you have a serious ongoing medical condition and you cannot leave your home/hospital, you may request a mobile biometrics/homebound appointment by following the instructions in the Notice for People with Disabilities section of your appointment notice.

For biographic information related to your race and ethnicity, the ASC staff may need to limit the information to a single race or ethnic category due to system limitations. However, the race and ethnicity you selected on your application, petition, or request will remain a part of your permanent record.

For general information and to find the ASC closest to you, see the USCIS Service and Office Locator webpage. You can also call the USCIS Contact Center at 800-375-5283 (TTY 800-767-1833). Representatives are available to help in English and Spanish.

Biometrics are unique physical characteristics, such as fingerprints, that can be used for automated recognition. At the Department of Homeland Security, biometrics are used for detecting and preventing illegal entry into the U.S., granting and administering proper immigration benefits, vetting and credentialing, facilitating legitimate travel and trade, enforcing federal laws, and enabling verification for visa applications to the U.S.

DHS provides biometric identification services to protect the Nation through its Office of Biometric Identity Management (OBIM), which supplies the technology for matching, storing, and sharing biometric data. OBIM is the lead designated provider of biometric identity services for DHS, and maintains the largest biometric repository in the U.S. Government.

This system, called the Automated Biometric Identification System or IDENT, is operated and maintained by OBIM. IDENT currently holds approximately 300 million unique identities and processes more than 400,000 biometric transactions per day.

Through biometric interoperability with the Department of Defense (DoD) and the Department of Justice (DoJ), DHS shares critical biometric information using advanced data filtering and privacy controls to support the homeland security, defense, and justice missions.

Although automated biometric systems have only existed for a few decades, they are based on ideas that are hundreds and thousands of years old. In the mid-1800s, the rapid urbanization of the industrial revolution increased the need for formal methods of identifying people, creating a boom in biometrics. Today, biometrics are employed in law enforcement, commercial applications, migration control, civil identification, healthcare, and more.

In 2011, the U.S. Department of Defense and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security signed a Memorandum of Understanding that provided the policy framework for interoperability between the DoD's Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS) and IDENT.

Biometrics collected by DoD are handled by the Defense Forensics and Biometrics Agency (DFBA). DFBA consolidates and coordinates forensics and biometrics throughout DoD in support of identity activities across a range of military operations. The ability to identify individuals using biometric technologies and forensic exploitation enhances many different mission areas, enabling DoD to:

Protect U.S. borders through biometrics support to joint, interagency, intelligence, and international partners from groups and individuals attempting to enter the country and do harm to the Nation and its citizens.

With the need for improved homeland security, biometrics were identified as a key enabling technology. NIST (because of its mission and track record) supports the government-wide effort to increase the collection of good quality biometrics, to see that the data collected is appropriately shared with other agencies, and to ensure that biometric systems are accurate and interoperable.

Biometrics are body measurements and calculations related to human characteristics and features. Biometric authentication (or realistic authentication) is used in computer science as a form of identification and access control. It is also used to identify individuals in groups that are under surveillance.

Biometric identifiers are the distinctive, measurable characteristics used to label and describe individuals. Biometric identifiers are often categorized as physiological characteristics which are related to the shape of the body. Examples include, but are not limited to fingerprint,[1] palm veins, face recognition, DNA, palm print, hand geometry, iris recognition, retina, odor/scent, voice, shape of ears and gait. Behavioral characteristics are related to the pattern of behavior of a person, including but not limited to mouse movement,[2] typing rhythm, gait, signature, behavioral profiling, and voice. Some researchers have coined the term behaviometrics to describe the latter class of biometrics.[3]

More traditional means of access control include token-based identification systems, such as a driver's license or passport, and knowledge-based identification systems, such as a password or personal identification number. Since biometric identifiers are unique to individuals, they are more reliable in verifying identity than token and knowledge-based methods; however, the collection of biometric identifiers raises privacy concerns about the ultimate use of this information.

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