- Non-citizens without registration proof must file Form G-325R within 30 days to avoid penalties.
- Failure to comply can result in fines up to $5,000 and six months in prison.
- DHS is using registration data for wider screening and removal efforts throughout 2026.
(UNITED STATES) DHS’s alien registration system remains in force in 2026, and the message is blunt: certain non-citizens must register with Form G-325R or face fines, jail time, and faster enforcement action. The rule took effect on April 11, 2025 under an Interim Final Rule published on March 12, 2025, and it now sits at the center of a broader immigration crackdown shaped by President Trump’s January 20, 2025, order, “Protecting the American People Against Invasion.”
At its core, the system requires specific non-citizens who have not already been counted through another immigration record to file biographic information and complete biometrics. The Department of Homeland Security says the rule is built on Section 262 of the Immigration and Nationality Act. The practical effect is simple. If you are in the United States and have no prior registration proof, DHS wants you in the system.
The policy reaches far beyond recent border crossers. DHS estimated 2.2 million to 3.2 million people could fall into the registration pool, including undocumented entrants, some Canadian visitors who crossed by land without Form I-94, and applicants in programs such as DACA or TPS who never received inspection records or work authorization tied to registration.
The clearest deadline is 30 days. Adults aged 14 or older who remain in the country for more than 30 days without prior registration must file within that window. Parents or guardians must register children under 14 within 30 days of arrival. Children who turn 14 inside the United States must register within 30 days of their birthday.
The process begins with Form G-325R, Biographic Information (Registration), filed through a USCIS online account. Applicants provide entry details, current stay plans, activities, and criminal history. Adults then receive a biometrics appointment for fingerprints and identity checks. Children under 14 register too, but they do not give biometrics. USCIS also uses responses to decide whether an in-person interview is needed.
For official instructions and filing access, USCIS directs applicants to its alien registration information page. The form itself is available through Form G-325R on the USCIS website.
Many people do not need to act at all because they are already considered registered. That includes lawful permanent residents with Form I-551, most visa holders with I-94 records, parolees with parole documents, many workers and DACA or TPS recipients with Form I-766 employment authorization, Mexican nationals with a valid border crossing card, and people already in removal proceedings with a Notice to Appear.
Those exemptions matter because they remove millions from the filing burden. DHS has said roughly 10 million to 15 million non-citizens fit into pre-registered categories. Even so, the rule still leaves a large undocumented population facing a difficult choice: file, and create a paper trail; or stay outside the system and risk penalties.
Those penalties are steep. Willful failure to register is treated as a misdemeanor. Adults can face fines of up to $5,000, six months in jail, or both. Failure to carry proof of registration can bring a fine of up to $100. Enforcement has intensified in 2026, and DHS has tied registration data to wider screening and removal efforts.
The government’s screening network has also grown. DHS announced the USCIS Vetting Center on December 5, 2025, and registration data now feeds into that system. The center screens for terrorism concerns, criminal history, and fraud risks. That sits alongside other 2026 actions, including Proclamation 10998, effective January 1, 2026, which expanded entry bans to 39 countries and suspended immigrant visas for nationals from 75 high-risk nations.
VisaVerge.com reports that these layers of screening have made registration more than a paperwork exercise. It has become part of the government’s wider push for tighter tracking, faster removals, and fewer routes into the United States through humanitarian or family channels.
Processing does not end after submission. Most registrants must wait for a biometrics notice through their USCIS account, then attend the appointment in person. DHS has not created an in-person substitute for people without easy internet access, which leaves many applicants relying on community groups or attorneys to help them file and monitor notices. Processing times now average 60 to 90 days, though DHS has not announced any extension of filing deadlines.
The system’s impact is especially hard on undocumented people and mixed-status families. Registration gives proof that DHS has recorded the person, but it also creates a stronger enforcement record. Many fear that filing will make them easier to find if immigration officers begin looking for them later. Advocacy groups say that fear has lowered compliance among vulnerable communities.
Canadian visitors who enter by land without I-94 records face another problem. They often assume a short visit is outside federal tracking. Under this rule, it is not. Families should check whether the traveler already has proof of admission or parole, because that record can decide whether filing is required.
Employers also feel the pressure, even though the rule does not directly place a filing duty on them. DHS has stepped up I-9 audits, and the government now treats non-compliance as part of a broader enforcement picture. For workers, a registration record can help support later filings such as adjustment of status on Form I-485, but only if they are otherwise eligible.
The 2026 enforcement climate is harsher than the one that followed the rule’s launch. DHS has used registration data in removal cases, and the government has pushed faster deportation agreements with third countries. Interior operations have also targeted non-registrants through traffic stops and workplace raids. In this setting, carrying proof of registration matters as much as filing it.
For anyone considering Form G-325R, the safest first step is to check whether another immigration document already counts as registration. If not, the filing clock starts immediately once the 30-day threshold is reached. Missing that deadline creates exposure to fines, detention, and a record that can follow a person through later immigration requests.
The rule also shows where DHS is heading in 2026: more digital screening, more data sharing, and more pressure on people who sit outside the formal system. For millions of non-citizens, registration is no longer a background requirement. It is a live enforcement tool, and the government is using it that way every day.
