USCIS Rule Implements New Registration Requirements
On March 12, 2025, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) published an Interim Final Rule (IFR) reinforcing and amending the requirement that foreign nationals register and be fingerprinted if they intend to remain in the U.S. for more than thirty days. The rule will become effective April 11, 2025.
The majority of foreign nationals who entered the U.S. at age 14+ will have already complied with this requirement via the biometric information collection process (fingerprinting) associated with a U.S. visa application at an Embassy/Consulate abroad or certain applications for benefits or status approved by U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS).
According to the IFR, foreign nationals who entered the U.S. before age 14 will now need to "re-register" within thirty days of their birthday, even if they were previously registered when entering the country. The IFR creates a new form, Form G-325R, to facilitate this process.
Most members of the UIC international community do NOT need to re-register as they are already in compliance due to having been issued a U.S. visa and/or a Form I94. Please see the USCIS Alien Registration Requirement webpage for more information, including "How to Determine if You are Already Registered," and reach out to your OIS advisor if you have any questions.
Some F-2, J-2, H-4 dependents and young F-1/J-1 students who entered the U.S. before age 14 may need to re-register as a result of the IFR. Members of the UIC international community with child dependents or those in F-1/J-1 status who entered before age 14 should review the USCIS Alien Registration Requirement webpage carefully and reach out to your OIS advisor for assistance if needed.
As a general reminder, all nonimmigrants and lawful permanent residents in the U.S. are required to carry their "evidence of registration" document at all times and report any changes of address within ten days. For most members of the UIC international community, this will mean carrying a printout of the I-94 Arrival-Departure Record, which can be downloaded at https://i94.cbp.dhs.gov/home. The process for reporting address changes differs by status and can be found on the OIS website at International Student Contact Information Updates and Maintaining Status Basics for International Employees.
Questions and links
If you have questions about this announcement, please connect with OIS at ois@uic.edu or (312) 996-3121 during our regular office hours of Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.