- USCIS will require online filing for specific immigration forms starting August 11, 2026, to improve security.
- Applicants facing undue hardship can request a paper waiver using the new Form I-936 with a twenty-five-dollar fee.
- Mandatory e-filing only applies to forms available online for 180 days and requires sixty days of notice.
The Department of Homeland Security implemented an Interim Final Rule on August 11, 2026, allowing U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to require online submission for selected immigration forms. People who cannot meet that requirement because of technology, financial or geographic barriers can ask the agency for an exemption.
The process starts with Form I-936, Request for Waiver of E-Filing Requirement. Requestors must show that using the online system would create an "undue hardship." USCIS will decide whether to approve the request.
A request carries a $25 fee. The rule also permits fee waivers in certain humanitarian circumstances when a person cannot afford that charge.
Free toolUSCIS Receipt Number DecoderTiming may affect the underlying immigration filing. Preliminary guidance indicates that requestors may need approval for Form I-936 before sending their substantive paper forms, or those paper filings could face rejection.
USCIS announced the change in an August 10, 2026, release titled “USCIS To Require Electronic Filing of Forms: Strengthening National Security.” The agency said the process would preserve an avenue for people unable to use its online systems.
“Requestors who cannot file electronically may request a waiver. Waivers are granted at USCIS' discretion for undue hardship. This initiative will eliminate reliance on the U.S. Department of the Treasury's physical lockbox services and accelerate the shift to electronic fee payments.”
USCIS also described the shift as a security measure. The agency said digital submissions would make information easier to receive, store and access than paper forms, supporting fraud detection, identity management and national security screening.
Form I-936 requires evidence of the barrier
The request should connect the applicant’s circumstances to the difficulty of using the online system. USCIS summaries identify three kinds of factors the agency may consider:
| Factor | Circumstances that may support the request |
|---|---|
| Access to technology | No computer or reliable internet connection |
| Geographic location | Residence in an area with limited digital infrastructure |
| Socioeconomic conditions | Financial barriers to maintaining an online account or problems with digital literacy |
The form is not described as an automatic exemption. USCIS has discretion to grant the request, so the evidence should address the specific obstacle rather than simply state a preference for paper submission.
A person seeking the waiver must pay the $25 charge unless a qualifying humanitarian fee waiver applies. The request itself concerns the online-filing requirement, not the immigration benefit sought through the separate substantive form.
The agency can impose the requirement form by form
The rule does not make every immigration form subject to mandatory online submission at once. USCIS can require online filing for a form only after that form has been available for online filing for at least 180 days.
The agency must also publish at least 60 days' notice on its official website before the requirement for a particular form takes effect. Applicants therefore need to check the notice connected to the form they intend to submit, rather than assume that every paper filing has been eliminated.
The Federal Register rule sets the framework. USCIS’s August 10 announcement explains the agency’s stated purpose and the waiver route.
Approval should come before the paper benefit filing
The sequence described in preliminary guidance is straightforward, but the order is important:
- Identify whether USCIS has made online submission mandatory for the immigration form.
- Complete
Form I-936, Request for Waiver of E-Filing Requirement. - Provide evidence covering the relevant technology, location or socioeconomic barrier.
- Pay the $25 fee, or request a fee waiver if the humanitarian conditions apply.
- Wait for a decision before submitting the substantive paper immigration form when the requirement applies.
The preliminary guidance says approval may be needed before the paper benefit filing is sent. A person who submits the substantive form first risks rejection, according to that guidance.
USCIS estimates that about 249,000 individuals could seek these waivers each year. The estimate comes as the agency moves away from paper intake handled through the Treasury Department’s physical lockbox network.
USCIS is replacing a costly paper intake system
During FY 2025, USCIS processed more than 14 million benefit requests. Lockbox facilities handled 453 million pages of paper, while intake operations cost the government roughly $396 million and postage added $10 million.
The agency says online submissions can reduce errors, produce instant receipts and move cases into a digital workflow. Its national-security rationale is broader than speed.
“By making data easier to receive, store, and access than with paper forms, e-filing enhances fraud detection, streamlines identity management, and improves national security screening through faster data access and expanded analytical capabilities.”
The rule creates a path for people who cannot use that system, while leaving approval to USCIS. The new process took effect on August 11, 2026, and future mandates will depend on the form-specific notices published by the agency.
