A recent statement The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) confirmed that the $85.00 USD fee for biometric services will be waived. In essence, this will apply in the case of Form I-539. By applying, an applicant seeks to extend their immigration status while their permanent resident case is pending.
USCIS clarifies that those who wish to file their Form I-539 before October 1 must schedule and attend an appointment. The place will be the Application Support Center (ASC) where experts will be in charge of registering the applicant’s biometric services.
After that first day of October, applicants will no longer be summoned for said procedure. It would only be done if USCIS determines that it is essential to obtain specific biometric data from a migrant. If this is the case, then the applicant will receive a notification to appear.
Combined cost
If an applicant accidentally submits the biometric services fee separate from the form, then USCIS will refund the biometric fee and accept the petition. Experts clarify what will happen if the cost of the biometric fee and the form fee are combined into a single payment. In that case it will be considered an incorrect filing and the Form I-539 will be rejected.
USCIS will only charge a single payment if a credit card is authorized which includes the biometric services fee and the application fee. The requirement for biometric data will be suspended as of September 30, 2023. In this case, those involved will be applicants for an extension of stay or a change of status to H-4, L- or E nonimmigrants.
USCIS reminds all applicants that biometric data is very secure. They are difficult to forge or steal compared to traditional passwords or ID cards. Meanwhile, they are used in a variety of applications, such as the identification of individuals at airports, the security of mobile devices, among other aspects.
