DHS Issues Registration Requirement for Foreign Nationals – Immediate Action Required for Some

MANDATORY REGISTRATION REQUIREMENT

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has implemented a registration requirement for foreign nationals effective April 11, 2025. Failure to comply with this requirement may lead to civil and criminal liability. The following information summarizes the three main parts of the registration requirement. Please read this carefully and take the required steps. If you have any questions, please reach out to your HR representative or your contact person at Quarles.

Mandatory Registration

• All foreign nationals over the age of 14 who were not registered and fingerprinted when they applied for a visa at a U.S. consulate or embassy abroad and remain in the US for 30 days or longer will need to register. (See below for examples of who needs to register and who does not need to register)
• If a foreign national obtained a U.S. visa prior to the age of 14 and is now in the United States, they must register within 30 days of turning 14.
• Any foreign national child under the age of 14 who has not registered or obtained a visa to come to the United States must register.

Registration Procedure and Non-Compliance Consequences

• Registration should be done online by completing form G-325R at https://my.uscis.gov/.
• Parents completing the form for minor children will need to create a separate account for each child and complete the form on each child’s behalf.
• Once the form is submitted, U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS) will review the information. If it appears that the foreign national has already complied the agency will notify the foreign national. If the foreign national has not previously registered, a biometrics notice will be issued for the foreign national to be fingerprinted.
• USCIS will subsequently mail proof of the G-325R registration and will also make a copy of the document available for download in the foreign national’s myUSCIS online account.
• Proof of timely registration must be carried at all times (see more below).
• A foreign national’s willful failure or refusal to register or to be fingerprinted is a criminal misdemeanor. Similarly, any parent or legal guardian who willfully fails or refuses to register their minor child will be guilty of a misdemeanor. The use of fraud and knowing falsehoods in the registration process is a misdemeanor. Those who are convicted of any of these criminal offenses may be fined up to $5000 and/or imprisoned for up to 6 months.
• For detailed information about this requirement, please visit the USCIS website here: https://www.uscis.gov/alienregistration

Carrying Proof of Registration (Mandatory)

• A foreign national who is 18 years of age and older must carry proof of registration on his or her person at all times. The following documents serve as proof of registration:
  • For individuals who completed form G-325R, USCIS will mail proof of registration
  • Print-out of Form I-94 (except children who turned 14 in the U.S.) https://i94.cbp.dhs.gov/home
  • Permanent Resident Card
  • Employment Authorization Document
  • Receipt notices for forms I-485, I-765, I-691, I-698 and I-700 if fingerprints were required.
  • Border Crossing Cards
• Failure to comply with this requirement is a criminal misdemeanor. If convicted, a person can be fined up to $5000 and/or imprisoned for up to 30 days.

 Timely Completion of Form AR-11 Change of Home Address

• All foreign nationals – regardless of age - in the United States must notify USCIS of a change in home address within 10 days of changing addresses.
• The change of address can be completed online using the foreign national’s myUSCIS account. Instructions on how to complete this process are available at https://www.uscis.gov/ar-11.
• It is strongly recommended to make a copy of whatever is submitted to USCIS, whether it is submitted online (screenshot) or by mail (photocopy).
• Failure to comply with this requirement is a criminal misdemeanor. If found guilty, a person can be fined up to $5000 and/or imprisoned for up to 30 days.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

1. Who is required to Register?

• Any Foreign National over the age of 14 who was not registered and fingerprinted when they obtained their visa to come to the United States. Note: If you obtained a visa at a US consulate and completed the biometrics/fingerprinting process as part of the visa application process, you are already registered and do not need to do anything further. If you aren’t sure or cannot remember if you were fingerprinted as part of the visa application process, you should register now as a precaution.
• Foreign Nationals who were under the age of 14 when they obtained their visa and are now in the United States will need to register within 30 days of their 14th birthday. 
• Any foreign national child under the age of 14 who was not registered and will be in the United States for more than 30 days must be registered by their parent or legal guardian.
• Canadian Visitors who will be spending more than 30 days in the U.S. as a Visitor.

2. Who does not need to Register?

• A foreign national who was fingerprinted, obtained a visa at a U.S. Consulate or Embassy abroad and subsequently entered the U.S. and was issued an I-94 record even if it has expired. However, note that children who came to the U.S. on a visa and then turned 14 must register within 30 days of their 14^th
• Lawful Permanent Residents
• Parolees
• Foreign Nationals who have been issued an employment authorization document (EAD)
• Foreign Nationals with pending I-485 applications

3. What do the documents that can be used as proof of registration look like?

Sample EAD

Sample Green Card

Sample I-94 record

Sample I-485 Receipt Notice

4. What happens if I complete Form G-325R without knowing that I previously complied with registration? USCIS will advise that you have complied with registration and will not schedule a biometric appointment.

5. Does my 14-year-old child have to carry proof of registration? No, only adults 18 years of age and older must carry proof of registration.

6. Do I have to carry proof of registration for domestic travel inside the U.S? Adults 18 years of age and older must carry proof of registration at all times – not just when you are traveling.

7. Is there a fee associated with filing form G-325? No, there is no fee required to submit this form.

8. Can I carry electronic copies of the required documents, for example, on my phone or in my email inbox? At the present time it is unlikely that an electronic copy would be accepted and thus the required documents should be the originals or printouts that are physically in your possession. With that said, it is a good idea to have a copy of your documents stored in your phone and in your email inbox as a backup.

Please visit our Federal Policy Watch: Monitoring White House Developments page for more insight about navigating changes at the federal level.