Carla's Biometrics Appointment | U.S. Green Card

The Biometrics Appointment is an important part of the Adjustment of Status process. It’s where the US Citizenship and Immigration Services check your fingerprints, and take your photo, as part of the “Green Card” process that will allow you to stay permanently in the USA.

My biometrics appointment took place at the “Application Support Center” in San Jose on November 16th, 2012.

I had the following documents with me:

ASC Appointment notice;
My passport
My original marriage certificate, because my passport was still in my previous name.

It’s essential to take photo ID with you, because your biometrics won’t be taken if you forget! Cell/mobile phones, cameras and recording devices aren’t allowed in the building, so it’s important not to take those with you.

Arriving for the appointment

The appointment notice had given a time of 9:00am, but Larry and I arrived early and went straight into the building. The first thing we did was hand the appointment notice and ID documents to an officer, who checked the documents, then asked to see my hands (palms facing upwards). This was to check that I didn’t have any cuts or anything on my fingers that would have prevented fingerprints being taken. Then the officer gave me a clipboard with a list of questions, and asked me to sit down and fill in the answers to the questions on the top half of the sheet. The bottom half was “for office use only”. The questions were straightforward: Name; USCIS Alien Number and Application Number (which are on the top right of the appointment notice); country of Nationality; colour of hair and eyes; height and weight.

Once I’d finished answering the questions, I joined another short queue to hand the sheet to a receptionist, along with my appointment notice and ID documents. The receptionist checked the sheet and ID documents and stamped the appointment notice. I noticed that there was a measuring chart on the wall, and some people were being measured against it. I don’t know if this was a “random checking” thing, or if they hadn’t been able to answer the question about their height. But the receptionist didn’t have any questions for me, and handed me a slip of paper with a number on, then directed me to another waiting area.

Poor Larry was left behind at this point, and had to sit in the first waiting area until the appointment was finished.

Fingerprints and photo

Going through to the second waiting area was a bit intimidating. There were lines of chairs, but not many people waiting. It was very, very quiet – like waiting in a library or museum! When my number was called, an officer came to meet me. She was wearing white disposable gloves, which I found strangely alarming! I followed her to the fingerprinting area, where she checked my appointment notice and ID documents. Then she sprayed water on my hands, and asked me to rub my hands together, front and back.

After that, my fingerprints were taken electronically, so there was no ink involved. I placed four fingers of each hand onto the glass, then one thumb at a time. After that, each fingerprint was taken individually, and the officer held each finger in turn and rolled it over the scanner to get a complete picture. It was really strange to see such huge fingerprints on the screen in front of me!

When the fingerprints were all done, I was asked to sign my name on a little screen thing – one of those where it’s hard to see what you’re writing! Then I sat in a chair and looked at a camera, and my photo was taken. And that was it. I was given a little yellow card, which turned out to be a Customer Satisfaction Survey (nothing scary). Then I went to collect Larry from the first waiting area, and we left.

Not so scary after all

I’m pleased to confirm that the Biometrics Appointment was nothing to worry about. It’s always a bit scary when you do these things for the US Visa/Adjustment of Status process. However, the whole thing was over in about 20 minutes, and everyone there was fairly friendly.

After that comes… more WAITING. If everything goes well, people generally receive an employment authorization and travel card within two months of the biometrics appointment. That makes it possible to apply for a social security number. Some people (like us) are selected to be interviewed, to prove that their marriage is genuine. It can take 4-8 months for the interview to take place.

Please remember that all information given is from our own personal experience only. We’re not immigration experts, and nothing on our website should be construed as legal advice, or relied upon for your own visa process. Every case is different – and for expert help and advice, we would always recommend that you contact an immigration attorney.

If you’d like to talk to us about your own visa experience or long-distance relationship, you’re welcome to get in touch with us on our Facebook page. We can’t give legal advice or financial help, but we’re always happy to hear from people in long-distance relationships.