USCIS May Reintroduce Biometric Requirement for H-4 EAD Applications

In a move signalling stricter vetting, a Texas -based immigration attorney reported that H-4 Employment Authorization Document (EAD) applicants are now likely being scheduled for biometrics appointments to capture the photographs required for their EAD cards. Taking to X, Emily Neumann, Managing Partner at Reddy Neumann Brown PC, said that such a move could lead to the resurgence of “major backlogs” in H-4 processing and approvals. “If USCIS is quietly moving back in this direction, we should expect longer waits…and renewed uncertainty for families who rely on these work permits. Transparency matters, and so does not repeating past mistakes,” she wrote. Hearing reports that H-4 EAD applicants are now being scheduled for biometrics appointments in order to take the photographs needed for the EAD card. Adding biometrics to H-4 applications back in 2019 was the start of major delays in H-4 processing and therefore H-4 EAD… https://t.co/vAeHYhWKNL The H-4 visa is issued to the spouse or dependent of an H-1B visa holder. It doesn’t permit employment (working) in the US or the issuance of a Social Security Number (SSN), unless the H-1B holder has an approved I-140 petition, allowing for an EAD. An approved Employment Authorization Document (EAD) allows eligible H-4 visa holders to work legally in the US. With an EAD, H-4 holders can work in any job, part-time or full-time, without needing employer sponsorship. There is no official confirmation from the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) regarding this change. The biometric requirement for such applications was discontinued in 2021. However, Neumann cited reports suggesting that such a move may be underway. In an earlier update she shared last December, Neumann confirmed that USCIS will no longer use self-submitted photographs for fresh applications. “Threats are evolving, and so are our screening and vetting. Effective immediately, if your photo on file with USCIS is more than three years old when you file a new immigration form, we will schedule you for an appointment to take a new photo,” the USCIS had specified in an earlier post. Starting this year, a $100,000 fee has been imposed on new H‑1B applications, alongside a shift from the traditional lottery system to a wage- and skill-based selection process. Any corresponding changes to H‑4 visas, however, are yet to be announced.