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Almost anyone who has filed a USCIS petition can tell you how difficult it is to wait for an appointment, and how even more frustratingly difficult it is to find the right person to talk to if something goes wrong and you need an emergency USCIS appointment or to reschedule.

USCIS (United States Citizenship and Immigration Services) has made big strides this year in advancing its website's modern capabilities. Its latest website improvement is pretty major - the ability to schedule certain in-person appointments, online. 

In the past if you missed an appointment or had an emergency come up, you had to call USCIS's 1-800 number and wait on hold, sometimes for hours at a time, in order to speak with someone to help you. Now, according to USCIS's new Launch Announcement, petitioners, attorneys, and accredited representatives can request an in-person appointment at their local field office without having to call the USCIS Contact Center. This step can be taken by accessing the new USCIS online appointment request form. 

What Kind of Appointments can I Schedule Online?

The form enables you to request the following appointments:

• ADIT (Alien Documentation Identification and Telecommunication) stamps, 
• Emergency Advance Parole, and
• Immigration Judge Grants.

There is a possibility of scheduling other types of appointments depending on the circumstances.

Can I Book an Online Appointment?

No, the appointment requests are only for in-person appointments. 

Can I Pick the Date and Time of My Appointment?

USCIS states that you may request a specific date and time for an in-person appointment, but USCIS cannot guarantee that the requested appointment date will be scheduled. USCIS will then review the submission request and confirm and schedule the in-person appointment date and time.

If you need assistance with applying for an immigration petition, please reach out to us at (757) 422-8472, or send us a message on our website. You can also schedule an appointment with one of our attorneys by clicking on this link.