USCIS Announces Alien Registration Requirement

On February 25, 2025, the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced the Alien Registration Requirement, which requires certain foreign nationals to apply for registration and fingerprinting. This registration requirement is pursuant to the Trump Administration’s Executive Order, Protecting the American People Against Invasion signed on January 20, 2025, and is part of the Administration’s agenda to crackdown on illegal immigration.  

Under this registration requirement, any foreign national, age 14 or older, who was not registered and fingerprinted when applying for a US visa to enter the United States (or who entered without inspection or admission) and who remains in the United States for 30 days or more, are required to register, prior to the expiration of those 30 days. For foreign national children under the age of 14, their parents or legal guardians are required to register for them. The USCIS will be announcing the form and process for registration in the coming days and recommends foreign nationals who are required to register to create a USCIS online account in the meantime. 

Foreign nationals who are present in the United States and who have been issued any one of the following documents have already been registered and are not required to apply for registration:

• Green card or endorsed I-551 immigrant visa stamp  

• Form I-94 from last entry, even if expired, with nonimmigrant visa stamp issued prior to arrival or parole document

• EAD card (employment authorization card)

• Evidence of green card application filing  (e.g. USCIS I-485 receipt notice)

• Canadian and Mexican border crossing cards

• Notice of Deportation  / Removal Proceedings

Please note that foreign national children who turn 14 years old in the United States, even if they were previously issued evidence of registration as listed above, must reapply for registration within 30 days after their 14th birthday.  

The USCIS directive also requires all foreign nationals, 18 years or older, to carry evidence of their registration at all times. Failure to register or carry evidence of registration could lead to criminal and civil penalties.

What this means for our clients:

Most employees have already been registered and will not be impacted by the new registration requirement if they have a green card, an I-94 from their last entry, or an EAD card (employment authorization card) through an application for an immigration benefit such as DACA, TPS, Asylum, or Adjustment of Status.  Canadian citizens who are waved through at a land port of entry should check if they were issued an I-94 or reach out to our office for assistance. We recommend all foreign nationals, over the age of 18, to carry evidence of their legal status or authorized stay in the United States with them at all times. 

We will provide an update on the registration process upon government announcement.