Do You Need Biometrics and Fees for a Second Extension If Fingerprints Were Already Taken for the First?
Readers ask whether parents need new biometrics and fees for a second extension. USCIS may waive biometrics, but the biometrics fee is still required, or the application may be rejected. A reader reported a notice stating no new appointment is needed, but the fee is non-refundable.
Recently, several readers have asked: their parents previously applied for an extension and were fingerprinted; now, due to the pandemic, they are applying for a second extension. Do they need to be fingerprinted again and pay the biometrics fee?
Answer: USCIS may waive the fingerprinting step, but the fee is still required. The official statement says: “An additional biometrics services fee of $85 is required for you and for each person included on a Form I-539A, except for certain A, G, and NATO nonimmigrants who are not required to pay a fee.” Having been fingerprinted recently is not among the exceptions, so the biometrics fee must still be paid. If the payment amount is incorrect, the application will be returned or even denied.
[Update] A reader shared their personal experience here: They submitted a second B2 extension application (I-539) on May 17 and received a USCIS notice on May 21. The notice explicitly stated: USCIS will run the same security checks and use your biometric data as in the past, however, it is not necessary for you to appear at a USCIS Application Support Center (ASC) for a biometrics appointment. The biometrics fee will not be refunded.
In other words: (1) The fee is still required. (2) The fee will not be refunded. (3) However, USCIS informs you that you do not need to go for fingerprinting again.
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