I tired to have my biometrics done today, 2 weeks before my official appointment and they said they wouldn’t do it because they only take walk-ins for people who have already missed their appointment.
I won’t elaborate on the idiocy of this (if I MISSED my appointment and didn’t bother to reschedule they would have done it today… .) but I’ll be patient and go in 2 weeks time.

I have to ask.... why did you think you would be allowed to jump the queue??? is it that you cant attend on the day of your appointment?

I am confused!!!

Kez

This is good information though as a lot of people ask about walk-in biometrics.

I tried to do a search about that for our ASC in Charlotte, NC but could not find any. When I went for my appointment, they had a big sign that said they will only take those with appointments that day.

When I was chatting with the lady who was doing the actual prints, she said that they've been slow the past couple of weeks and they would have taken my son the same day as my appointment (even though his was for the following day). She said that they will allow families to get their biometrics done on the same day so as to minimize trips.

You’re welcome, EAU, this is why I posted about my experience today. Like I said previously the application support center is within walking distance from my house.

For clarification Nia, I didn’t think I’d be “allowed” to jump the queue (why are you so bitter?) I tried it out --- people have been known to be accepted when just walking in for their biometrics if the support-center is not busy, and that is why *I tried* today. (who here wouldn’t do anything they could to move their case along faster???)
Case in point, this particular center DOES accept walk-in’s (but only if a person has MISSED their appointment) so if I missed my appointment, they would have accepted me and done my biometrics today.

Jenny did a walk in two weeks before her appointment. The service center is several miles away, I happened to be off that day, so we took a chance and they took us. Otherwise, I would have had to take a day off from work. And like you say.....why not try to move your case along.......makes sense to me.

Mark & Jenny

I am not bitter.... I was just wondering why you thought you could go and have them done before your appointment time.... I can understand that if you were unable to go on the date given you may wish to see if they can be done before or after your given date... I know here in Boston they will not allow you to just walk-in even if you have missed your appointment date...

I have no reason to be bitter I have had my Biometrics done 4 times now in the last 2 1/2 years and next time I need them done will be for Citizenship... sorry if you felt that my question was me being bitter... was not my intent...

Kez

I'm with Kez on this one, and don't understand why people feel they should even try to do walk-in Biometrics. I mean they schedule you for a reason, right? They try to manage their schedule, and set dates for you to come for... hence why they didn't take you, and a valid reason according to me. We are all eager to get our cases moving, but if everyone started doing this, and showing up just as soon as they knew they could, the messy system would turn into a complete super mess and cause further delays down the line.

You've made it this far being patient with USCIS, a little more won't hurt. Think about those people that are in FBI name check for years with no appointments they can jump the line in front of to get their cases moving quicker.

I see nothing wrong with trying. If you ask, politely, and they say Yes, great! If you ask, politely, and they say No, then ok. No big deal to ask. The worst they can say is , "sorry, too busy, can't accomodate".

I think it was worth a try. At the same biometric facility that you went to, my wife went one week ahead of her scheduled appointment (we were in the Naperville area and said, "Why not try?") and they took us in.

Those that criticize you, for example by writing "What if everyone did that?", are simply blowing hot air. It's my opinion that, if you can gain a legitimate edge and expedite the laborious and drawn-out process, go for it. Those who prefer waiting until their assigned date, fine ---wait.

Seeing as I deal with a local office who does not allow that sort of thing to happen (my appointment was at 11am, I was turned away at 10:30am and told to come back at 10:45am ), I must admit a bit of jealousy. It does feel a bit like an attempt to jump the queue, but hey, to each their own. I kinda wish that the walk-in policies were the same across the board though.

The way I way I see it, if those that work at and/or manage biometric facilities choose to allow a person to "jump the queue", then it's obviously acceptable to them. If it's acceptable to them, it's sure as hell acceptable to me! I do agree that it would be nice if there was consistency in following queues across these facilities.

as i wrote before, i called 800 official number on your NOAs to ask can i schedule for earlier day - and a guy said that walk-ins are ok on Wednesday, so i did it 19 days before my appointment even if sign on the wall inside said "ONLY BY APPOINTMENT" (but my address change has messed up the case).

To be fair to the OP, she doesn't need to consider all the people stuck in FBI name check. Whilst we can all sympathize with those who have to wait extended periods of time to be processed through the system, we should be cheering for those who are getting nearer to approval. There are so many different issues that can lead to delays in processing, and they can't all be attributable to delays in biometrics appointments, IMO.

Well, at least you gave it a shot

Although they probably have a reason for scheduling biometrics of applicants, sometimes their scheduling is not so reasonable. Case in point: my and my son's biometrics schedules. We were given two different appointment dates. It meant I had to miss work twice in one week as the appointments were one day apart. I could have dragged my son out of school during my appointment date and had him do a walk-in biometrics. But, I didn't want to do that and risk having him turned away and told to return on his actual appointment date. If I had known for a fact or through somebody's experience, that our ASC would accept walk-ins, then I would have taken my son along with me during my appointment and saved time and a tank of gas.

I didn't say they were scheduled appropriately, i said there was a purpose/reason why there was a schedule to follow to begin with. I agree that you & your son should have had them the same day, and USCIS goofed and should have done that more logically. I'm talking about people just doing walk-ins and skipping a couple weeks ahead of people that wait like they are told to and follow the rules, that's all.
It would be interesting to see if this skipping in front of line helps anyone in their timelines, or if in the end it makes no difference at all?

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.ph...t&p=1283863

sorry, but I don't think that it should be generally recommended to do walk-ins on biometrics. Appointments are given out for a reason - one
being that the workload of the ASCs stays at a manageable level each day. If everyone would follow your advise there would be chaos at every biometrics place.... may-be you should consider removing your "advise" from the general faq area.

I agree it should not be done.... people should just wait for their given appointment date unless they have a real reason for not being able to attend on the correct date...


Kez

Gotta disagree here.....if you walk in and they are too busy they will tell you to come back on your date; if they are not too busy and they let you come in why not get the bios done??? I just don't see what harm it does. You are the one taking the chance of getting turned away if they are too busy.....it is your time, your risk. Getting another requirement in your control out of the way.....well, the sooner the better in my book.

Good luck to all,
Mark & Jenny

imagine everyone doing what you suggest - imagine there being 100 ppl lined up that happen to want to show up for an unscheduled biometrics... then think again....

I'm not against the occasional person showing up for unscheduled biometrics for whatever reason, I'm just against posting it as a general rule in the faq section, leaving the impression to everyone that this should be the rule to follow.
The unscheduled biometrics worked for you because you were the exception to the rule, don't forget that.

Then they will just turn you away and those with appointments will be let in.....still don't see the problem.

Well said.

Yes, imagine everyone doing it. That would take an incredibly vivid and supremely out-of-whack and illogical imagination approaching the delusional. Sorry, but everyone's not going to do it so the argument is specious. Again, for people who want to wait until their assigned dates, wait. For those who don't, don't worry; everybody won't be doing it and give it a shot.

You are all missing the big picture (and ALL of my posts in this thread!) I'm not against ppl doing the occasional walk-in. I'm against posting it as a general rule in the faq section!

It's you that's missing the picture --- not every post on this thread is in your response to your post about the FAQ section. We get your point but it's not the only point to be made on this thread!

dude... you was quoting me.....

Yes, but specifically about your argument in regard to what if everyone does it. I've seen that argument a number of times here trying to dissuade people from taking a chance at getting biometrics done early. That argument is silly. I agree with you that it shouldn't be in the FAQ

I should have typed that I "don't" agree with you about the FAQ --- two year olds approaching plasma TV screens with outstretched hands are cause for mistakes!

are you trying you insult me?

Not at all. I don't know where you got that from --- maybe from my two year old statement --- it was true; my two year old gets into everything and he was heading for the plasma t.v. --- a big no, no!!!! All I'm saying is that I think people should know that it is possible to get biometrics done before the scheduled appointment, and, if they choose to try it, that's fine. Those that want to adhere to the "letter of the law" and wait until their appointment times, fine, do so. If the people who run the biometric centers choose to let people in before their scheduled appointments, I'm all for it as well. That is all!