On 1 July 2026 the Department of Homeland Security quietly issued a final rule requiring many long-term foreign nationals in the United States to complete a new electronic registration—Form G-325R—within 180 days. The measure revives a long-dormant section of the Immigration and Nationality Act that authorises DHS to maintain an up-to-date registry of non-citizens who remain in the country for more than 30 days. Under the rule, affected individuals (including students, intracompany transferees, and even some green-card applicants whose cases are pending) must upload biographic data, fingerprints and address history to a secure DHS portal. Failure to register carries civil fines of up to $2,500 and can be treated as an adverse factor in future immigration benefits. DHS has launched an online “Do I Need to Register?” tool to guide users.
![DHS finalises mandatory online registration rule for long-term foreign residents]()
Companies and individuals looking for tailored guidance on the new Form G-325R process can also turn to VisaHQ, a global visa and passport services provider. Through its U.S. immigration resource hub (https://www.visahq.com/united-states/), VisaHQ offers up-to-date alerts, step-by-step document checklists and optional concierge support that can ease the administrative burden for both employers and foreign nationals navigating this and other DHS requirements.
Employers will need to verify that assignees have complied before filing extensions or status-change petitions. Mobility teams should therefore build registration checks into onboarding and I-9 reverification workflows. USCIS confirmed that the new requirement does not replace but rather complements existing address-change obligations on Form AR-11. The business community had lobbied for at least a one-year implementation window, but DHS opted for six months, citing national-security imperatives. Immigration attorneys predict a scramble to educate foreign talent—especially students on OPT and STEM OPT whose status frequently extends beyond one year—before the first deadline on 28 December 2026. Practical tip: add G-325R filing evidence to your standard document packs. Consular officers may start asking about it as early as Q1 2027.
Companies and individuals looking for tailored guidance on the new Form G-325R process can also turn to VisaHQ, a global visa and passport services provider. Through its U.S. immigration resource hub (https://www.visahq.com/united-states/), VisaHQ offers up-to-date alerts, step-by-step document checklists and optional concierge support that can ease the administrative burden for both employers and foreign nationals navigating this and other DHS requirements.
Employers will need to verify that assignees have complied before filing extensions or status-change petitions. Mobility teams should therefore build registration checks into onboarding and I-9 reverification workflows. USCIS confirmed that the new requirement does not replace but rather complements existing address-change obligations on Form AR-11. The business community had lobbied for at least a one-year implementation window, but DHS opted for six months, citing national-security imperatives. Immigration attorneys predict a scramble to educate foreign talent—especially students on OPT and STEM OPT whose status frequently extends beyond one year—before the first deadline on 28 December 2026. Practical tip: add G-325R filing evidence to your standard document packs. Consular officers may start asking about it as early as Q1 2027.
