Non-Citizen Registration Requirement

What You Should Know About the Non-Citizen Registration Requirement

THE REGISTRATION REQUIREMENT WILL TAKE EFFECT ON APRIL 11, 2025. Please seek legal advice from a trusted immigration attorney with questions about this requirement or how it might impact you or your family.

On March 12, 2025, the Trump administration issued an Interim Final Rule (“IFR”), effective April 11, 2025, reviving a long-dormant provision of U.S. immigration law that requires all immigrants over the age of 14 who enter the U.S. without a visa or who have not been inspected by or have not had contact with immigration authorities since, to “register” with the government (and carry proof of their registration). The administration has now designated a form for immigrants to “register” themselves and/or their children under 14 years of age and provided additional process details, below.

What is the registration requirement?

The registration requirement, enacted during World War II, is a provision of immigration law which requires all non-citizens who are 14 years of age or older, who have not already been “registered or fingerprinted,” to register with the federal government within 30 days of their arrival (or 30 days of reaching 14 years old). The law also allows for them to be criminally prosecuted and charged with a federal misdemeanor (up to six months imprisonment) and/or a fine if they fail to register.

Is this requirement new?

No. This requirement has existed in the law for over half a century, but over time, became outdated, impossible to comply with, and remained dormant. As such, the law became unenforceable. Similar registration requirements have been used in the past to target vulnerable populations.

On day one of the administration, Trump signed an executive order which highlighted this provision of immigration law and has since instructed federal prosecutors to prioritize criminal prosecutions for immigration-related offenses, like the failure to register. On March 12, 2025, the administration designated a new registration form, Form G-325R, Biographic Information (Registration), for individuals to “register.”

Who will be required to register?

All non-citizens 14 years of age or older who were not previously fingerprinted or had contact with law enforcement and who remain in the U.S. for more than 30 days must register. Parents or legal guardians of non-citizens under the age of 14 must also register them. For example, according to the IFR, this may include:

Individuals who “entered without inspection,” or permission, and have not had contact with immigration enforcement since;
Those who have temporary immigration status or deferred removal, but who do not have a work permit on that basis;
Canadians who entered the U.S. at a land port; and
Those who have applied, but not been granted certain immigration relief.

Who will NOT be required to register?

The IFR details exceptions for individuals deemed to already have been registered by virtue of having been fingerprinted or where they are in their immigration case/process– for example, those who:

Entered the U.S. with a visa or were paroled into the U.S.;
Are green card holders or have applied for a green card;
Have applied for permission to voluntarily depart the U.S.;
Are in immigration court (removal) proceedings; or
Have a work permit (by virtue of their TPS, Deferred Action or asylum application, for example).

What is the process to register?

The IFR details that to register, individuals would need to create a USCIS online account (myUSCIS) for themselves, or for their child, and then complete G-325R Biographic Information (Registration) online, for themselves or for their children under 14 years of age. This form requires: personal information; residence, employment, marital, and family history; and background information, including criminal and immigration history. There is no fee to complete the form and no stated deadline for individuals who are already in the U.S. to use the registration process (other than for those who turn 14 years old to register within 30 days of their 14th birthday). The rule also states that people who are instructed to register must also report changes of address to the government within 10 days of changing their address.

What happens after someone registers?

Upon registration, the individual will receive a “Biometrics Services Appointment” notice– an appointment to provide fingerprints, a photograph, and signature at a USCIS center. USCIS will use these biometrics for identity verification, and background and security checks, including a check of criminal history records, and issue a “Proof of Alien Registration” to the individual. This will not grant anyone any form of legal status or protections from deportation. Conversely, advocates reportedly fear that the administration plans to use information they gather to detain and deport individuals, given its stated goal of using the requirement to track and force people to leave the U.S.

A federal court denied a lawsuit seeking to block the requirement.

On April 10, 2025, a federal court judge denied a request to stay the registration requirement in the case Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights v. DHS, 1:25-cv-00943 (D.D.C.) allowing the registration requirement to take effect on April 11, 2025.

Seek Legal Advice From a Reputable Legal Service Provider

It is important for you to seek legal advice if you have questions about the registration requirement or how it might impact you or your loved ones. Beware of “notarios” or scammers. Find a reputable legal service provider near you.

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