Alien registration
INA 262 requires most noncitizens aged 14 and over who are in the United States for 30 days or more to register and be fingerprinted. Most people are already registered through a visa, a green card, an EAD, or a prior application. The 2025 interim final rule created Form G-325R for everyone else and made non-registration a live enforcement issue.
Who it is for. Noncitizens 14 and over who have been in the United States 30 days or more and have not been registered another way, plus parents and guardians registering children under 14.
The forms, in order
- 1
Check whether you are already registered
A green card, an EAD, an I-94 issued at admission, a border crossing card, or most prior applications already count as registration.
- 2
Create a USCIS online account and file Form G-325R
Form G-325R can only be filed online.
- 3
Attend biometrics if scheduled
- 4
Carry proof of registration and report every move
Failure to carry registration evidence and failure to report an address are both criminal offences under INA 264 and 266.
Where it goes wrong
- Registering does not give status, work permission, or any protection from removal - USCIS says so explicitly.
- Registering does put an unlawfully present person on the government's radar, which is a real consideration.
- Failure to register and failure to report an address are criminal, but the decision to register is not a simple one and is worth discussing with a lawyer first.
- The rule has been litigated throughout 2025 and 2026 and the requirements have shifted.
What changed in 2025 and 2026
- The January 2025 interim final rule created Form G-325R and the online registration process, live since April 11, 2025.
- USCIS has repeatedly warned that address non-reporting can be treated as bearing on removability.
- Litigation over the registration rule continued through 2026.