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Office of International Affairs |
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Special Registration Requirements
As a result of the USA PATRIOT Act, certain non-immigrants are required to register their presence with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. They must update their registration at certain pre-determined intervals and notify USCIS of any change of address, employment or educational institution. Prior to any departure from the U.S., these individuals must notify USCIS of their intended departure AND may only depart the U.S. from certain authorized airports. The individuals who must comply with these requirements are those who have been fingerprinted, photographed and interviewed about their plans during their stay in the U.S. This may have occurred when they entered the U.S. or if they were part of the special call-in registration process conducted in late 2002 and early 2003. If you are not sure whether these requirements apply to you, take a look at your I-94 card or at the visa stamp in your passport. If there is a handwritten “FIN” number or if “NSEERS” appears on the back of your I-94 card or above your visa stamp, you are subject to these requirements. The Immigration Service has registered citizens from over 144 different countries. At the time you were registered, you should have received a packet from Immigration that explains your responsibilities, the interviewing schedule and documentary evidence you are expected to bring to your interview(s). For more information, also see: http://www.ice.gov/pi/specialregistration/index.htm Requirements of Special RegistrationIf you are subject to Special Registration, you must:
Effective December 2, 2003, the 30-day and 12-month re-registration at your local Immigration office is no longer needed. However, you may be contacted by Immigration at the address you last supplied to them, for an interview. If this happens, you should comply, of course. And always keep your address up-to-date with Immigration. If you are in F or J status, your address change can be reported by your school in SEVIS. You should notify your International Student Adviser within 10 days of changing addresses.
If you are called in for an Interview, this information may be helpful to you: You can go to the Immigration District or Sub-office closest to where you live or work. A listing of District and Sub-office locations can be found at: You can also call the National Customer Service Center (1-800-375-5233 or TTY 1-800-767-1833 for the hearing impaired) to locate the office and their hours of operation. In the Memphis area, you should go to the following office:
When you get there, let the security guard know you are there for a Special Registration interview. Applying for a Waiver of the Special Registration RequirementsIf you are unable to go to an interview, you can apply to the District Director for a waiver of all or part of the registration requirements. There is no official form to request a waiver. You would write to the District Director explaining why you are unable to comply with the reporting requirements and provide any supporting documentation possible to support your request. Essentially, however, unless you become ill such that hospitalization is required, you are expected to appear during the interview period. The InterviewYou will again be fingerprinted and photographed. The Immigration officer may ask you questions regarding your stay and may ask questions about any documents you bring with you. It is your responsibility to establish that you are indeed engaging in the activities for which you were admitted into the U.S. You should bring your Form I-94 and any written documents available to show the Immigration officer that you are doing what you said you would be doing. The following table is meant to serve as a guide and not as a definitive list of required documentation to bring to the interview.
If you have just arrived and do not have such things as transcripts or your first pay stub, do not panic. Bring whatever documentation you have to demonstrate your legitimate stay in the U.S.: contract letters, letters of invitation, etc. Prior to going to Immigration for the interview, you should check in with the International Affairs Office to obtain a letter verifying your status at UTHSC. In the past, registrants have been asked to provide information about bank accounts, credit cards, etc. This information is used to make sure no money is being channeled to terrorist organizations. Change of AddressYou must notify Immigration of address changes or changes of employer or school within 10 days of the change by submitting a form AR-11SR. Form AR-11SR is available on the Immigration website at: http://uscis.gov/graphics/formsfee/forms/ar-11sr.htm. Keep a copy of this form for your records. You should send the AR-11SR to the following address:
You should send it in a manner that you can track it or obtain evidence that it was delivered – either by certified, return receipt mail through the U.S. postal service, via Federal Express or some other mailing service that gives you confirmation of delivery. Retain this confirmation in your files for future reference. If you are in F or J status, your address change can be reported by your school in SEVIS. You should notify your International Student Adviser within 10 days of changing addresses.
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