What to expect at a biometrics (ASC) appointment?

More than 22 million foreign born non-citizens live in the United States.  If you are one of them, you probably have filed one or more immigration petitions for yourself or your family members for one reason or another.  It is also inevitable that you are required to attend a biometrics (or ASC) appointment for your immigration petition. 

What is a Biometrics Appointment?
Depending on what stage your application is at, you may have received a notice from USCIS scheduling a time and place to take your biometrics. This means that your fingerprints, pictures, and other information will be collected for the purpose of background investigation.  After the 911 terrorist attacks, the United States government has greatly tightened its security policy.  

Typically, the notice for biometrics or ASC appointment should arrive in the mail within 3-4 weeks after an application has been submitted to the USCIS.   The appointment notice will provide the date, time and place for the biometrics appointment.  If you use the services of a lawyer in filing the application, your lawyer should also receive a copy of the appointment notice.  The appointment is also called an ASC appointment.  ASC stands for Application Support Center.

How to Prepare for an ASC Appointment?
Some applicants wonder how they should prepare for the biometrics appointment. What kind of questions will they be asked? The function of the ASCs are to provide fingerprinting and related services; they are not involved in the actual examination of the immigration application.   Only simple questions about applicants' name, address, date and place of birth, etc., will be asked.  There will be no questions about the substance of the underlying application.

Still, one must take the appointment seriously. Failure to show up for the appointment will result in the denial of the application.  One must bring a valid photo ID such as passport and driver's license with them, in addition to the USCIS appointment notice. (Note: The ASC workers usually ask to see an applicant's passport if it is available. So bring it with you.)   Applicants applying for green card renewals must also bring their original green cards to the appointment.

Try to make it to the appointment if at all possible.  Rescheduling is possible but it is not recommended as it will cause unnecessary delay.

What to expect at the ASC Appointment?

If you live in a metropolitan area, unless you get up before sunrise, you could approach the ASC facility to find a line of people stretching from the door to the end of the block, then finally enter to a room stuffed with people waiting for their number to be called. If you are really lucky (or live in Hawaii), you could walk into a quiet room with a handful of people spread out on rows of vacant chairs.  Follow instructions and go with the flow, and you should be able to get out within a few hours.