Collection and Use of Biometrics by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
Document type: Proposed Rule Publication date: 2025-11-03 Document number: 2025-19747
Abstract
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) proposes to amend its regulations governing biometrics use and collection. DHS proposes to require submission of biometrics by any individual, regardless of age, filing or associated with an immigration benefit request, other request, or collection of information, unless exempted; expand biometrics collection authority upon alien arrest; define “biometrics;” codify reuse requirements; codify and expand DNA testing, use and storage; establish an “extraordinary circumstances” standard to excuse a failure to appear at a biometric services appointment; modify how VAWA self-petitioners and T nonimmigrant status applicants demonstrate good moral character; and clarify biometrics collection purposes.
Official sources
- Federal Register HTML page — searchable text version
- Federal Register PDF — official publication of record
Why this matters for immigrants
Federal Register publications under the Immigration topic tag have binding legal effect on:
- USCIS (immigration benefits, asylum, naturalization)
- ICE (enforcement, removal, detention)
- EOIR (immigration courts and the Board of Immigration Appeals)
- CBP (border admissibility and inspection)
Final Rules (“Rule” document type) become binding law on the effective date stated in the document. Proposed Rules are not yet binding and may be modified or withdrawn after public comment. Always verify the most current version of any rule at federalregister.gov before relying on it for legal or filing decisions.
Related procedural information
- USCIS form library — federal immigration forms (I-130, I-485, N-400, etc.)
- Immigration court by state (EOIR) — courts that apply these rules
- BIA-recognized legal help by state — free representation
- Find an immigration attorney — for case-specific impact analysis
Last verified: 2026-05-27. General procedural information — not legal advice. Federal Register rules change frequently; always verify the current version at the source URL.
Recent fee, deadline, and contact context (2025-2026)
Key lines stay here: verify every USCIS fee at uscis.gov/g-1055 before filing; USCIS Contact Center 1-800-375-5283; comments on proposed rules go to regulations.gov under the docket number. The shared context for every rule on this site — the H.R.1 / OBBBA fee changes, how Federal Register effective dates and comment periods work, and the USCIS, ICE and EOIR contact lines — is maintained once, on the policy changes hub.