USCIS Announces Noncitizen Registration Requirement

Quick Hits

• All noncitizens fourteen years of age or older who were not fingerprinted or registered when applying for a U.S. visa (or previously registered children who turn fourteen years old) and who remain in the United States for thirty days or longer must apply for registration and fingerprinting.
• The specific process for registration has not yet been announced.
• Those who are required to register should create a USCIS online account to prepare for the registration process. Failure to comply will result in civil fines and potential criminal misdemeanor charges.

On January 20, 2025, President Trump issued Executive Order (EO) 14159, “Protecting the American People Against Invasion,” which expands the administration’s efforts to address illegal entry and unlawful presence of foreign nationals. The EO also authorizes the establishment of federal Homeland Security Task Forces to coordinate with state and local law enforcement agencies, and it requires all noncitizens to register their status to provide law enforcement with the information necessary to fulfill immigration status verification.

USCIS issued the initial details on the registration process, which includes the requirement for all noncitizens fourteen years of age or older who were not fingerprinted or registered when applying for a U.S. visa (or previously registered children who turn fourteen years old) and who remain in the United States for thirty days or longer, to apply for registration and fingerprinting. USCIS has urged those who are required to register to create a USCIS online account to prepare for the upcoming registration process.

Many noncitizens present in the United States have already fulfilled the registration requirement, and no further action should be required to register. Noncitizens who are already compliant and registered include the following:

• individuals issued a Form I-94 or I-94W (paper or electronic) admission record upon entry into the United States;
• individuals issued immigrant or nonimmigrant visas prior to their entry into the United States;
• individuals issued an employment authorization document (EAD);
• applicants for permanent residence using certain forms, including Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status;

• individuals paroled into the United States under INA 212(d)(5), even if the period of parole has expired;
• individuals who have been placed in removal proceedings;
• individuals issued Border Crossing Cards; and
• lawful permanent residents.

Noncitizens who are not registered and will be expected to complete the registration process include those in the following categories:

• previously registered children who turn fourteen years old (they must reregister within thirty days of reaching their fourteenth birthday);
• individuals who entered the United States without being inspected and admitted or paroled;
• individuals who are present in the United States under a humanitarian program and have not been issued an EAD card or other proof of registration, including Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients, temporary protected status (TPS) recipients, and those present under other humanitarian programs; and
• Canadian visitors who entered the United States via a land border port of entry, if they were not issued an I-94 admission record upon entry and will remain in the United States for at least thirty days.

Failure to comply with the registration requirement may result in civil fines and potential criminal misdemeanor charges. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will issue official evidence of registration, which all noncitizens over the age of eighteen will be expected to carry at all times.

Next Steps

DHS will soon announce the details of the registration process. Noncitizens present in the United States should create a USCIS online account to prepare for the registration process.

Ogletree Deakins’ Immigration Practice Group will continue to monitor developments and will publish updates on the Immigration blog as additional information becomes available.

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