Effective March 5, 2008, all applicants for re-entry permits and refugee travel documents must provide biometrics (fingerprints and photographs) as part of the application process. The significance of the revised procedure is that all applicants must submit to biometric processing after they file Form I-131 and before they leave the country.
The new Form I-131 instructions require that applicants for re-entry permits and refugee travel documents who are ages 14 to 79 provide biometrics before departing from the United States. There is also a new fee of $80 associated with the biometrics.
Considering the longer process and the high likelihood of delays, applicants must apply well in advance of their travel. Once an applicant submits his or her Form I-131, the USCIS will mail the applicant his or her receipt and a biometric center scheduling notice. Once the applicant completes the biometric process, he or she can either wait in the United States to receive the travel document or he or she can have USCIS forward it to a consulate abroad for pickup. Additionally, USCIS has indicated that they will allow expedited processing of travel documents under proper circumstances.
Since this is a new process, it is unclear what is a proper window of time one should allow between the planned travel and the time of I-131 filing. Additionally, we are not sure yet what is the standard for reviewing the expedited processing requests. Because this is a new procedure we think it is prudent to start it as early as possible. We will monitor the timing and attempt to obtain a safe timeline for proper filing of I-131 and submission to biometric processing.
Update: some instructions on expedited processing.
