- USCIS will require electronic filing for eligible immigration forms through a staged transition starting August 2026.
- Specific forms must be available online for one hundred eighty days before electronic submission becomes mandatory.
- The agency must provide at least sixty days notice on its website before any form loses paper filing.
- Applicants facing digital access challenges can request a hardship waiver for twenty-five dollars to continue paper filing.
USCIS announced August 10 that an interim final rule will let the agency require electronic filing for eligible immigration forms, but only after a staged transition. The rule takes effect August 11, 2026.
The agency must publish notice on its website at least 60 days before requiring online submission of any specific form. That notice period gives applicants, attorneys, and accredited representatives time to move from paper filing to an online process.
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A form also must have been available for voluntary e-filing for at least 180 days before the agency can make electronic submission mandatory. The change therefore does not make every currently online form immediately electronic-only.
The Department of Homeland Security will accept public comments through October 13, 2026, under DHS Docket No. USCIS-2026-0232. The department published the policy through an interim final rule covering 8 CFR Parts 1, 103, and 106.
The agency said affected filers will need an online account. They may complete a guided form online or upload a completed PDF with supporting evidence.
Each form will receive its own 60-day warning
The policy sets two separate conditions before a designated form leaves the paper process. First, the form must have had a voluntary online option for 180 days. Second, the agency must post a public website notice at least 60 days before mandatory online filing begins.
That notice will apply to the particular form being changed. It will not, by itself, make every immigration benefit request electronic-only.
Once the requirement takes effect for a form, physical mailing to Treasury Department lockboxes will no longer be an option after the notice period expires. Attorneys and accredited representatives will also need to maintain an online account when submitting affected requests.
Several high-volume forms already have online filing options and could be designated in the future. They include:
- Form I-485, Adjustment of Status
- Form I-765, Employment Authorization
- Form I-130, Petition for Alien Relative
- Form N-400, Naturalization
The announcement does not designate those forms for mandatory online submission. Their inclusion identifies forms that already meet, or may eventually meet, the voluntary-availability condition.
A hardship waiver will cost $25
DHS created Form I-936, Request for Waiver of E-Filing Requirement, for people who lack adequate digital access or face another demonstrated undue hardship. The waiver carries a $25 fee.
USCIS will decide waiver requests at its discretion. The rule does not make approval automatic for applicants who prefer paper filing.
Applicants who receive a waiver can use the paper process under the terms of that approval. The waiver is designed for hardship cases rather than as a general alternative to creating an online account.
Paper processing handled 453 million pages in fiscal 2025
The department tied the change to the volume of paper moving through its filing system. In Fiscal Year 2025, the agency processed more than 14 million benefit requests, while lockbox facilities handled approximately 453 million pages of paper.
The department said moving more filings online could eliminate nearly $400 million in annual lockbox operating expenses and more than $10 million in postage. It also linked electronic submission to faster access to data for fraud detection and national security screening.
The agency expects the digital process to reduce filing errors and incomplete submissions. It also said the change could reduce application decision times.
Those goals depend on the rollout for each form. The 180-day availability period and the 60-day website notice establish the timetable before a paper option ends.
Online filing will use accounts and two submission paths
Affected filers will submit requests through a myUSCIS online account. The system will offer two routes.
- Complete the form through the guided online process.
- Upload a completed PDF form together with supporting evidence.
The account requirement will apply to individual filers as well as attorneys and accredited representatives handling affected submissions. Supporting evidence remains part of the electronic submission, whether the filer completes the form online or uploads a PDF.
The policy therefore changes both the filing channel and the preparation process. People will need access to an online account, the completed form, and digital copies of related evidence when a form becomes subject to the requirement.
The agency’s August 10 announcement says the department may apply the mandate to any immigration form that has been available online for at least 180 days. The Federal Register notice identifies the rule as 9111-97, Department of Homeland Security, 8 CFR Parts 1, 103, and 106, and lists CIS No. 2853-26 and DHS Docket No. USCIS-2026-02.
The rule becomes effective August 11, while comments remain open until October 13. Applicants should check the agency’s website for the separate 60-day notice before treating paper filing as unavailable for a particular form. Processing practices and fees are subject to change, so filers should verify current instructions at uscis.gov.
