Biometric Requirements Suspended for H-4, L-2 and E Nonimmigrants

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"The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) recently announced the suspension of the biometric requirements for H-4, L-2, and E nonimmigrant visa applicants for 24 months, starting May 17, 2021."

Written by My Visa Source Team
Published on: Sep 17, 2021

The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) recently announced the suspension of the biometric requirements for H-4, L-2, and E nonimmigrant visa applicants for 24 months, starting May 17, 2021.

The requirement to submit biometric information to obtain these visas was causing prolonged processing delays for both these visas and the Employment Authorization Document related to these visa categories. This effort will reduce the processing time for these visa categories back to around 90 days.

What Is the Biometric Requirement for the H-4, L-2, and E Nonimmigrant Visas?

Your biometric information for immigration purposes includes the collection of fingerprints, photographs, and digital signatures. The USCIS has complete authority to request biometric information of a visa applicant. Biometric information is collected at the Application Support Centers (ASCs) across the US and its territories. Starting from March 11, 2019, the USCIS made the collection of biometric information mandatory to complete Form I-539, Application to Extend/Change Nonimmigrant Status. This form is filed by nonimmigrants wanting to extend or change their visa classification.

However, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, all ASCs were temporarily closed to the public on March 18, 2020. They were partially reopened on July 13, 2020. This resulted in a considerable backlog of pending biometric appointments.

What Is the Current Backlog for the H-4, L-2, and E Nonimmigrant Visas?

Since the ASCs were only partially operational, Forms I-539 related to the H-4 and L-2 Visa categories were delayed. This led to a backlog in the processing of Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization related to these visa categories. This is because the USCIS can not issue an EAD without the approval of Forms I-539. This has caused a current backlog of 123,000 applications for extension or change in nonimmigrant status. Also, there are 57,500 cases pending approval for EADs related to the H-4 and L-2 Visas.

How Does the USCIS Plan to Clear this Backlog?

This current backlog will be cleared by temporarily suspending biometric requirements for H-4, L-2, and E Nonimmigrant Visa applications filing Form I-539 to request the following:

Extension or change in status of H-4 nonimmigrant visa

Extension or change in status of L-2 nonimmigrant visa

Extension or change in status of E-1 nonimmigrant visa

Extension or change in status of E-2 nonimmigrant visa

Extension or change in status of E-3 nonimmigrant visa, including E-3D Visa

Only those who have a pending application to one of these visa categories as of May 17, 2021, and have not received an appointment notice are eligible for exemption. Anyone applying for these visa categories through mail or electronic means on or after May 17, 2021, will also be eligible.

Those who have already received an appointment notice for their biometric information collection must attend their scheduled appointment.