Field Offices

Offices Open, With Cautionary Measures

USCIS domestic field offices and asylum offices are open with additional precautions to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

On March 4, 2022, the guidance about mask-wearing and physical distancing listed below was updated.

Where community levels established by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are low or medium, you do not need to wear a mask or practice physical distancing in a USCIS facility. However, you may wear a mask if you want to do so.

Where community levels are high, all federal employees and contractors—as well as visitors two years old or older—must wear a mask inside USCIS offices and physically distance regardless of vaccination status.

USCIS federal employees, contractors, and visitors must follow the most stringent mitigation and masking guidance of the location they are in (DHS, state, or local authority), and must continue to follow local USCIS guidance on workplace protection guidance consistent with CDC and agency guidance.

You may not enter a USCIS facility if you have:

COVID-19 or any symptoms of COVID-19 (according to the CDC), including recently developed cough, fever, difficulty breathing, new loss of smell or taste, fatigue, muscle aches, headache, congestion, sore throat, or vomiting (this list does not include all symptoms);
Been in close contact (within six feet for a total of 15 minutes or more) with anyone known to have COVID-19 in the past 10 days (unless you are “up to date" on your COVID-19 vaccination or you are a health care worker and consistently wear an N95 respirator and proper personal protective equipment or equivalent when in contact with COVID-19 positive individuals);
Returned from international or cruise ship travel in the past five days (unless you are “up to date” on your COVID-19 vaccination); or
Been instructed by a health care provider, public health authority, or government entity to self-isolate or self-quarantine in the past 10 days (unless you have been cleared to end isolation or quarantine).

“Up to date" on your COVID-19 vaccination means a person has received all recommended doses in their primary series and one booster when eligible.

If you need to reschedule your appointment, call the USCIS Contact Center at 800-375-5283 (TTY 800-767-1833). To reschedule your appointment with an asylum office, please follow the instructions in your interview notice. Appointment notices will include more instructions for visiting USCIS facilities. For more information, see our USCIS Visitor Policy page.

When you attend your appointment, follow these guidelines:

Do not enter the facility more than 15 minutes before your appointment (30 minutes for naturalization ceremonies);
Use the hand sanitizer that we will provide at our facility’s entry points;
If the office you are visiting requires masks and you do not have an acceptable one, we may offer you a replacement mask;
Pay close attention to signs and physical barriers in the facility about physical distancing and other guidelines;
Be prepared to answer health-screening questions when you enter the facility; and
Please bring your own black or blue ink pens.

USCIS field offices do not allow walk-ins. You must have an appointment to visit an office.

Field offices in the U.S. and its territories provide:

Interviews for all non-asylum cases (for example, getting a Green Card);
Naturalization ceremonies; and
Appointments for information and applicant services that supplement what we provide through our website and by phone (for example, case-specific scenarios that require in-person help).

Office Closures

Offices may close because of inclement weather or unexpected events. We encourage all visitors to check the Office Closings page before traveling to make sure we are open.

Payment Information

USCIS accepts payments at USCIS field office locations through Pay.gov for the following forms:

Applicants may make these payments in person at a field office and must schedule an appointment through the USCIS Contact Center before visiting a USCIS field office to process payments for the forms mentioned above. USCIS will only accept payments from a bank account (ACH), debit card or credit card with revolving credit line (and not, for example, prepaid gift cards with bank logos).

As of June 2021, USCIS accepts payments for fees to file an appeal of a DHS officer decision with the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) or for Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) immigration court motions through Pay.gov at self-service kiosks located in USCIS field offices. Attorneys or accredited representatives may now pay for BIA and EOIR fees at these kiosks without an appointment. Attorneys and accredited representatives who need to use the kiosk to make a payment to the EOIR or BIA may email payatkiosk@uscis.dhs.gov. They will receive an email response authorizing them to access the kiosk area, specifically, but not other areas of the facility.

Attorneys and accredited representatives may walk in and use the self-service kiosks during a field office’s open hours. Applicants may accompany attorneys or accredited representatives when making a payment. However, applicants may not process BIA or EOIR payments using the self-service kiosks without an attorney or accredited representative present. These kiosks will only accept debit cards and credit cards with revolving credit lines (and not, for example, prepaid gift cards with bank logos). The kiosks do not accept bank account (ACH) payments. Attorneys and representatives cannot use these kiosks to pay non-DHS BIA fees.

Attorneys and accredited representatives should bring the following information with them to make payments for BIA and EOIR fees using the self-service kiosks:

Applicant A-Number;
Applicant address;
Applicant email address; and
Kiosk permission letter.

To complete payment, attorneys and accredited representatives should follow the prompts shown on the kiosk screens.

Weapons Policy

Federal law prohibits weapons like firearms, knives, pepper spray and ammunition at any USCIS facility. Even if you have a permit for a firearm, you cannot bring it to a USCIS building. Please check your purse, briefcase, or bag and remove and safely store these items before your visit. Violators may be subject to fine and/or imprisonment. Please see Title 41, Code of Federal Regulations, Subpart C for more information.

Recording Policy

Under USCIS policy cell phone, video, and audio recording, as well as traditional and cell phone photography are all prohibited in USCIS field offices, unless specifically allowed during naturalization ceremonies.

Questions About Your Case

You can get basic information about immigration services and ask questions about your case on our tools page without calling or visiting an office.

If you need help with document services (such as passport stamps or advance parole) or have an emergency, see the USCIS Contact Center webpage to make an appointment.

Transfers to Other USCIS Offices

To process applications faster, we may move some of our application work to other field offices. Therefore, you might receive a notice (for example, for an interview or a Request for Evidence) that comes from another field office that has not handled your case before. Please follow the instructions in your USCIS notice. This change does not affect where you will go for your biometric appointment. We will still send you to the closest USCIS application support center. If you have questions about any notice you receive from us, please contact the USCIS Contact Center.

Avoid Immigration Scams

Many people offer help with immigration services. Unfortunately, not all are authorized to do so. While many unauthorized practitioners mean well, some of them are out to scam you. This is against the law and may be considered an immigration services scam. If you need legal advice on immigration matters, make sure the person helping you is authorized to give legal advice. Learn more about avoiding scams and how to protect yourself.

Becoming an Accredited Representative

If you are not an attorney and wish to provide the public with immigration services, you must be authorized by the Department of Justice (DOJ)'s Office of Legal Access Programs. When you submit your application package to the DOJ, you must also submit a copy of the package to your local USCIS district office.

Field Office Feedback

There are several ways to provide feedback to USCIS:

If you are at a USCIS office and feel that you are being mistreated, are unhappy with the service you received, or wish to compliment the staff, you may discuss it with a supervisor or the field office director while you are still at the office. Our leadership takes the feedback we receive seriously.
Submit fraud, waste, and abuse allegations directly to the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General. The contact information is on our Contact Us page and is also posted in the waiting rooms of USCIS field offices.

Field Office Locator

Locate a USCIS field office. Please refer to your interview or appointment notice to confirm the field office address for your visit. USCIS field offices do not allow walk-ins. You must have an appointment to visit an office.

Last Reviewed/Updated:

05/04/2022