How to Reschedule a USCIS Biometrics Appointment

To reschedule a USCIS biometrics appointment, use the online rescheduling tool in your myUSCIS account if the appointment is at least 12 hours away, or call the USCIS Contact Center if it is sooner, has already passed, or has already been rescheduled twice. USCIS does not accept rescheduling requests sent by mail or made in person at a field office.¹ You need a valid reason for the change, and skipping the appointment without contacting USCIS can cause your entire application to be denied as abandoned.

Reschedule Online Through myUSCIS

The online tool is the fastest option, and it works whether you originally filed online or by paper. Log in at my.uscis.gov, open the biometrics rescheduling section, enter the receipt number from your appointment notice, and pick a new date and time from the available slots. A confirmation posts to your account dashboard.² If you filed by mail and don’t yet have an account, you can create one and link the case using the receipt number.

Three situations shut the online tool down: the appointment is less than 12 hours away, the appointment date has already passed, or the appointment has already been rescheduled two or more times.³ In any of those cases, you have to call.

Reschedule by Phone

Call the USCIS Contact Center at 800-375-5283 (TTY 800-767-1833), or use the Emma virtual assistant on the USCIS website.³ Have your receipt number ready and be prepared to state your reason. The Contact Center is also the only channel for untimely requests, meaning the appointment has already passed and you need to explain why you didn’t appear.

Do not mail your appointment notice back with a written request, and do not walk into a field office. Neither will be processed.¹

Good Cause: What Reasons USCIS Accepts

Federal regulations require good cause for the change. Under 8 CFR 103.2(b)(9), you may ask for a new date before the scheduled appointment, and USCIS decides whether the reason justifies the delay.⁴ Reasons USCIS generally recognizes include:

Illness, hospitalization, or a medical condition that prevents travel to the Application Support Center
Pre-planned travel arranged before the notice arrived
A funeral for an immediate family member or a previously scheduled wedding
Severe weather or a vehicle breakdown that makes reaching the facility impossible
An appointment notice that arrived after the scheduled date or never arrived at all
An unavoidable work conflict or caregiving obligation

Gather documentation before you make the request. A doctor’s note, flight itinerary, funeral program, or the postmarked envelope showing a late-arriving notice all help. Officers look at whether you acted responsibly once you knew there was a conflict, so submitting the request quickly matters as much as the reason itself.

Information You’ll Need

Your appointment notice, Form I-797C, Notice of Action, contains everything required.⁵ The two identifiers you’ll use are the 13-character receipt number (three letters followed by ten numbers) and, where requested, your A-Number, which is seven to nine digits preceded by the letter “A.”⁶

If you’ve lost the paper notice, log in to myUSCIS. Digital copies are usually stored in the documents tab, and you can link a mail-filed case to a new account using the receipt number.

What Happens If You Miss the Appointment

Under 8 CFR 103.2(b)(13)(ii), if USCIS required you to appear for biometrics and you don’t show, your application is considered abandoned and denied, unless USCIS received a rescheduling request or change of address before the appointment that the agency finds sufficient to excuse the absence.⁴ This covers green card applications, employment authorization requests, naturalization, and other benefits that require biometrics.

A denial for abandonment cannot be appealed. It can be challenged through a motion to reopen, described below. If that fails or isn’t filed in time, you’ll need to submit an entirely new application and pay the filing fee again.

If the Appointment Has Passed but You Haven’t Been Denied

Call the Contact Center immediately; the online tool cannot handle untimely requests.¹ USCIS has discretion to excuse a missed appointment, and officers weigh how much time has passed since the miss, whether your reason is sufficient, and whether denial would cause undue hardship or expense. The longer you wait, the harder that argument becomes. Same day or next business day is the right pace.

If Your Case Has Already Been Denied

File Form I-290B, Notice of Appeal or Motion, as a motion to reopen with the USCIS office that issued the denial.⁷ The deadline is 30 calendar days from the date of the denial decision, or 33 calendar days if the decision was mailed. USCIS will generally dismiss a late motion, though the agency may excuse a late filing if you can show the delay was reasonable and beyond your control.

The motion carries a filing fee listed on the current USCIS fee schedule, Form G-1055.⁸ Include evidence explaining why you missed the appointment; the same documents that support a good cause claim work here. If the motion is granted, USCIS reopens your case and schedules a new biometrics appointment instead of forcing you to refile from scratch.

What to Bring to the New Appointment

Bring the ASC appointment notice (Form I-797C) and a valid, unexpired photo ID such as a passport, green card, or driver’s license. If you received biometrics notices for more than one case, bring all of them. The appointment itself involves fingerprints, a photograph, and a digital signature for identity verification and background checks.³

1
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS Policy Manual Volume 1 Part C Chapter 2 – Biometrics Collection
2
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS Launches Online Rescheduling of Biometrics Appointments
3
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Preparing for Your Biometric Services Appointment
4
eCFR. 8 CFR 103.2 – Submission and Adjudication of Benefit Requests
5
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Form I-797C, Notice of Action
6
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. A-Number/Alien Registration Number/Alien Number
7
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Instructions for Notice of Appeal or Motion
8
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. G-1055 Fee Schedule