On April 11, 2025, the United States and Citizenship Services (USCIS) implemented an “Alien Registration” process. In short, many noncitizens need to register with, and be fingerprinted by the federal government if their stay in the United States is longer than 30 days. The following link provides additional information: https://www.uscis.gov/alienregistration
Who is Already Registered
In general, most noncitizens who entered the United States in a lawful status, or applied for certain immigration benefits, have already registered and do not need to take any further action. Persons who entered the US after a visa issuance and who were 14 years or older in L-1, H-1B, TN, O-1, E-1/E-2/E-3, F-1, B-1/B-2, Visa Waiver/ESTA, and all other nonimmigrant statuses are generally treated as having been registered. The same is true for all legal permanent residents (“green card holders”) who receive their status at 14 years of age or older.
Noncitizen children under 14 are also generally treated as having been registered if they have been issued an I-94 form. Noncitizen children under 14 who have not been issued an I-94 form must be registered by their parents. However, fingerprinting is not required until the child’s 14th birthday.
All children must be re-registered and fingerprinted within 30 days of their 14th birthday. This includes children who have a green card or I-94 but were under the age of 14 when they received this status.
The complete list of noncitizens who have already registered at a consulate abroad during their border entry, or when applying for certain immigration benefits (excluding those who turned 14 years of age since their status was initially granted) that do not have to register includes:
- Noncitizens in the United States for less than 30 days;
- Certain Native Americans born in Canada;
- Lawful permanent residents (“green card holders”) (I-551);
- Noncitizens that have applied for lawful permanent residency using forms I-485, I-687, I-691, I-698, or I-700 and have been fingerprinted (unless waived) even if their applications were denied;
- Noncitizens who have entered the United States on a valid nonimmigrant visa (Canadians are visa exempt) and issued I-94 forms, even if expired;
- Noncitizens on A or G visa status;
- Noncitizens issued an employment authorization document (“EAD”) (I-765);
- Noncitizens with Crewmen’s Landing Permit (I-95) or Alien Crewman Landing Permit and Identification Cards (I-184);
- Noncitizens issued a Nonresident Alien Canadian Border Crossing Card (I-185) or Nonresident Alien Mexican Border Crossing Card (I-186);
- Noncitizens in removal proceedings (I-221, I-221S, I-862, or I-863); or
- Noncitizens paroled into the United States
Who Must Register
Those that are required to register their stay include:
- Noncitizen children who recently turned 14 years of age and have not been fingerprinted since then, regardless of prior registration;
- Noncitizens who entered the United States without inspection, including children under 14 years of age;
- Canadian visitors who entered through a land border and did not receive an I-94 form (drove into the US – did not fly in), including children under 14 years of age; or
- DACA and TPS recipients who were never issued official registration evidence.
How to Register
The registration must be done by creating an online USCIS account. The applicable form is a G-325R which can only be completed online. Fingerprinting will then be scheduled at a later date by USCIS at an Application Support Center (ASC). The following link will direct you to the necessary form – https://www.uscis.gov/g-325r
When in doubt, register.
Special Instructions when Registering
Each foreign national submitting Form G-325R must have their own individual USCIS online account. This includes foreign nationals under the age of 14 who are not exempt from registration as listed above. If you are the parent or legal guardian of a foreign national under the age of 14 who needs to register, you will need to set up an individual USCIS online account on your child’s behalf and in their name.
Each foreign national who needs to register must submit Form G-325R through their USCIS online account. Form G-325R can only be submitted by the person named in the USCIS online account, or the parent or guardian for children under 14 years old.
The registration asks whether a foreign national entered the United States without inspection. If you entered the United States in a lawful status, even if now expired, you should leave this question blank – do not select that you entered without inspection, even though that may be the default option.
Carry Immigration Documents With You
The new rule also requires noncitizens over the age of 18 to always carry proof of their registration. This may include an original of a receipt notice for an immigration benefit, original green card, original EAD (Employment Authorization Document), or printed copy of I-94 and original passport. We acknowledge that these documents are more likely to get lost or destroyed if they are with a person daily. But we encourage you to comply with the law.
Change-of-Address
Every foreign national is required to notify USCIS in writing of each change-of-address and new address within 10 days from the change-of-address. The form is an AR-11. The AR-11 may be filed online or via mail. https://www.uscis.gov/ar-11
Penalties for Not Registering
Failure to register, failure to carry documents, and failure to report change of address is considered to be noncompliance, which is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $5,000 or imprisonment for not more than 30 days, or both. In addition, any foreign national who has failed to comply with the change-of-address notification requirements is deportable unless the alien establishes that such failure was reasonably excusable or was not willful.