Mobile Biometrics Appointment and Fingerprint Waiver

C. Fingerprint Waivers 

A person may qualify for a waiver of the fingerprint requirement if he or she is unable to provide fingerprints because of a medical condition,including but not limited to disability, birth defects, physical deformities, skin conditions, and psychiatric conditions. Only certain USCIS employees are authorized to grant a fingerprint waiver.
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A USCIS employee responsible for overseeing a person’s fingerprinting may grant the waiver if all of the following requirements are met:

• The applicant, petitioner, beneficiary, sponsor, derivative, requestor, or individual person filing or associated with a benefit request appeared in person for the biometrics collection;
• ​The officer or authorized technician attempted to fingerprint the person (or determined that such an attempt was impossible); and
• ​The officer determines that the person is unable to be fingerprinted at all or is unable to provide a single legible fingerprint.

A USCIS employee should not grant a waiver if the waiver is solely based on the following situations:

• The person has fewer than 10 fingers;
• The officer considers the person’s fingerprints as unclassifiable; or
• ​The person’s condition preventing the fingerprint collection is temporary.

If a fingerprint waiver is granted, the waiver is valid only for the particular application(s), petition(s), or benefit request(s) listed on the ASC notice for which biometrics are collected. The person must request a fingerprint waiver for each individual application, petition, or benefit request subsequently filed if the subsequent filing has a biometrics collection requirement.
A person who is granted a fingerprint waiver must bring local police clearance letters or other form-specific documentation covering the relevant periods to the interview. All clearance letters become part of the record. In cases where the person is granted a fingerprint waiver or has two unclassifiable fingerprint results, USCIS must take a sworn statement from the person covering the relevant periods.
USCIS’ decision to deny a fingerprint waiver is final and may not be appealed.

Read more in USCIS Policy Manual.