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ARTICLE · 10 MAY 2021

USCIS To Suspend Biometrics Requirement For Certain Nonimmigrant Dependent Applications

Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart
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On May 3, 2021, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services' (USCIS) acting associate director of the Service Center Operations Directorate, Connie L. Nolan, indicated in a court filing that USCIS is finalizing a policy.

United StatesImmigration
Ayumary Fitzgerald
Ayumary Fitzgerald
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On May 3, 2021, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services' (USCIS) acting associate director of the Service Center Operations Directorate, Connie L. Nolan, indicated in a court filing that USCIS is finalizing a policy that will temporarily suspend the requirement to submit biometrics for certain individuals filing Form I-539, Application to Extend/Change Nonimmigrant Status. The suspension will be applicable to individuals requesting extensions of stay or changes of status for H-4, L-2, and certain dependent E nonimmigrant visa holders. The suspension is expected to begin on May 17, 2021.

The change in policy comes in response to the unprecedented processing backlog of Form I-539 applications that USCIS is currently experiencing. USCIS also cited the backlog's domino effect of inevitably delaying the processing of Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization, for the impacted visa holders.

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