InfoPass is an online system for scheduling and appointment with the USCIS (U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services). While you do not need an appointment for many US immigration petitions and applications, you can find the application forms, including US citizenship and green card application forms, you need and apply online, in some cases, you need to schedule an appointment with a USCIS employee as part of your application process. Before Infopass, you needed to line up with other applicants at a USCIS office. This could take a long time and you could be turned away if there were simply too many applicants for the workers to process. Today, with Infopass, you can get an appointment so that you will not be turned away and you will not have to wait all day. To schedule an appointment using Infopass, there are only a few steps to follow:
1) Determine whether you need to make an appointment. If you have a question that is best answered in person by a USCIS officer, you may need to schedule an appointment. However, first use the USCIS website and the USCIS national phone number for help. If these sources of information do not help, you may want to use Infopass.
2) Visit the Infopass website from your home computer or from a computer at your local public library. You can also access the website at USCIS offices. It is best to use a computer with a printer when accessing the site, so that you can print out your appointment notice for reference.
3) Choose which language you will use. Infopass is available in 12 languages, so select the language you feel most comfortable with.
4) Follow the prompts on your computer screen. The Infopass system will ask about your address and zip code, name, date of birth, phone number, the type of appointment you need, and the ideal date and time for your appointment. Be sure to fill out everything you are prompted for.
5) View your electronic appointment notice, which will appear on the screen of your computer. Print the details of your appointment or write them down and keep them in a safe place, so that you will remember your appointment. You are expected to keep your appointment once you have scheduled it. If, for some reason, you need to reschedule, use Infopass again to reschedule. Generally, your appointments will be scheduled in a two-week period from the time you make your appointment.
6) Prepare for your interview. Note where and when your interview will take place and prepare a folder with everything you will need. You will generally want to bring a print-out of your appointment notice as well as any documents you have been asked to bring. Your appointment notice may contain instructions about what documentation you need to bring Ú make sure to bring this to your appointment. If you are not requested to bring anything, at least bring your appointment notice and government-issued ID so that you can confirm your identity.
