Chapter 6 - Submitting Requests

A. How to Submit

1. Traditional Mail

Benefit requestors may use traditional mail to file benefit requests involving fees with a USCIS Lockbox.^[1] Benefit requestors should refer to the form instructions and the USCIS All Forms webpage for more information on where and how to submit a particular benefit request, and what initial evidence is expected.^[2]

Assembling and Submitting Application Package

USCIS recommends that benefit requesters assemble their benefit request packages in the order indicated for that particular benefit.^[3]

Application Intake Inquiries

Requestors who have questions or concerns about the intake of a benefit request should route their inquiries as indicated on the USCIS Contact Us webpage. 

2. Electronic Submission

Some USCIS forms are available for submission online. Filing online allows users to: 

• Set up and manage accounts;
• Submit benefit requests and supporting documents electronically;
• Manage and link paper-filed benefits with an online account;
• Receive and respond to notices and decisions electronically;
• Make payments online; and
• Access real-time information about the status of cases.

Information entered electronically in anticipation of filing online is saved for 30 days from the last time a person worked on the request. USCIS cannot accept the benefit request until the person completes the electronic submission process.

If a benefit requestor files a benefit request online, USCIS notifies the person electronically of any notices or decisions. In general, USCIS does not issue paper notices or decisions for electronically-filed benefit requests. However, an online filer may request that USCIS mail paper notices. USCIS may also, in its discretion, decide to issue a paper notice.^[4]

B. Intake Processing

Once USCIS receives a benefit request, including an appeal or motion, USCIS assesses whether the request meets the minimum requirements for USCIS to accept it. If all minimum requirements (including submission of initial evidence for intake purposes) for acceptance are not met, USCIS rejects the benefit request for improper filing.^[5]

USCIS only begins to adjudicate a benefit request after USCIS accepts the request, processes any required fees, and issues a receipt notice (or date stamp, where applicable) to reflect the date of physical or electronic receipt.^[6] USCIS does not consider benefit requests that are rejected to be properly filed.^[7]

In order for USCIS to accept a benefit request, a submission must satisfy all applicable acceptance criteria.^[8] USCIS generally accepts the request if it contains: 

• A complete, properly executed form, with a proper signature;
• The correct fees;^[9] and
• The required initial evidence for intake purposes, as directed by the form instructions.^[10]

USCIS rejects benefit requests that do not meet these minimum requirements. Reasons for rejection may include, but are not limited to:

• Incomplete benefit request;^[11]
• Improper signature or no signature;^[12]
• Use of an outdated version of a USCIS form at time of submission;
• Principal application error (USCIS cannot process derivative or dependent applications if the related principal application is in error); and
• Incorrect fee, including missing fees or fees in the wrong amount.^[13]

In addition, USCIS rejects benefit requests for an immigrant visa if an immigrant visa is not immediately available to the applicant.^[14]

The rejection of a filing with USCIS may not be appealed.^[15] However, rejections do not preclude a benefit requestor from resubmitting a corrected benefit request. If the benefit requestor later resubmits a previously rejected but corrected benefit request, USCIS processes the case anew, without prejudice.^[16] The rejected case does not retain its original receipt date when resubmitted. 

USCIS requires new fees with any new benefit request; a new filing date also generally applies.^[17] 

Effect of Declined or Returned Payment

Filing fees generally are non-refundable regardless of the outcome of the benefit request, or how much time the adjudication requires, and any decision to refund a fee is at the discretion of USCIS.^[18]

If the benefit requestor pays a fee by credit card and the credit card is declined for any reason, USCIS does not attempt to process the credit card payment a second time and may reject the associated request for lack of payment.^[19]

If a form of payment other than a credit card submitted for payment is returned as not payable because of insufficient funds, USCIS re-submits the payment to the remitter institution one time.^[20] If the form of payment is returned as non-payable a second time, USCIS may reject or deny the benefit request as improperly filed and the receipt date is forfeited.^[21]

USCIS does not resubmit payments returned as unpayable for a reason other than insufficient funds.^[22] A rejection of a filing with USCIS may not be appealed.^[23]

Returned Payment for an Underlying Petition

If a dishonored payment rejection occurs on an underlying petition that is accompanied by other filings that are dependent on the filing that is rejected, such as an Immigrant Petition for an Alien Worker (Form I-140) concurrently filed with an Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status (Form I-485), even though the other filings’ fees may be honored, USCIS administratively closes the dependent filings and refunds the fees. 

Returned Payment for Premium Processing Service Requests

If a premium processing fee for a Request for Premium Processing Service (Form I-907) is declined or returned when it is filed at the same time as a Petition for Nonimmigrant Worker (Form I-129) or Immigrant Petition for Alien Workers (Form I-140), USCIS rejects the entire filing.

If USCIS has approved the petition and any fee, including one fee of a multiple fee filing, is declined or returned, USCIS may revoke the approval upon notice. 

In this case, USCIS issues a Notice of Intent to Revoke (NOIR) to the requestor. If the requestor does not rectify the declined or returned payment within the requisite NOIR time period, USCIS revokes the approval and retains (and does not refund) any fee that was honored in association with the approval.

For example, if the Form I-907 fee is declined or returned after USCIS approves an associated Form I-140, USCIS revokes the Form I-140 approval (assuming the NOIR time period has passed without sufficient response). USCIS then retains the Form I-140 fee, administratively closes the Form I-485, and refunds the Form I-485 fee.

Response to a NOIR

If USCIS has approved the petition and any fee, including one fee of a multiple fee filing, is declined or returned, USCIS may revoke, rescind, or cancel the approval. In this case, USCIS issues a NOIR to the requestor.^[24] If the approved benefit request requires multiple fees, approval may be revoked if any fee submitted is not honored. USCIS does not refund other fees that were paid for an approved benefit request that is revoked because of a declined or returned fee payment.^[25]

To sufficiently respond to a NOIR, the requestor must, within the requisite NOIR time period, provide payment of the correct fee amount or demonstrate that the payment was honored or that it was rejected by USCIS by mistake.^[26] If USCIS issues a NOIR and the request does not return sufficient evidence to reinstate the case to pending status, then USCIS reopens and denies the request. 

USCIS then sends a notice to the requestor informing them that USCIS has revoked the approval and denied the benefit request. In contrast with the rejection of a filing, a revocation of an approval due to a declined or returned fee may be appealed to the USCIS Administrative Appeals Office.^[27] All revocation notices instruct the requestor on how they may appeal the revocation or denial due to a declined or returned payment.^[28]

If USCIS does not have the authority to revoke or reopen and deny the benefit request, USCIS annotates the file to indicate that USCIS never received payment and notifies the benefit requestor of the payment deficiency. USCIS then notifies the applicant or petitioner that there is a payment deficiency. The officer should also request local counsel assess the applicant’s actions and intentions and assist in determining the appropriate next steps on a per case basis.  

If USCIS already denied or revoked the benefit request for other reasons, or determined that the requestor abandoned the benefit request, the existence of a declined or returned payment does not affect that decision. USCIS pursues collection of all payment deficiencies, regardless of the outcome of adjudication.

C. Date of Receipt

USCIS considers a benefit request “received” on the date it is physically or electronically received. This date is also known as the submission or filing date,^[29] and is listed on the receipt notice, or the date stamp (where applicable), issued by USCIS. Requestors may only obtain a date of receipt or filing date if their submission is accepted at the proper location, as designated on the USCIS All Forms webpage. USCIS does not assign a date of receipt or filing date to benefit requests that are rejected.^[30]

The date of receipt may impact eligibility for immigration benefits. For example, USCIS uses the date of receipt to determine whether an appeal, Application for Temporary Protected Status (Form I-821), or Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker (Form I-129) should be rejected for failure to timely file or because an annual numerical limit has been reached.

The date of receipt may also be significant for purposes of seeking lawful permanent residence; the filing date is referred to as the priority date for an approved immigrant visa petition in certain preference categories.^[31] For approved petitions in preference categories that are not current, the priority date dictates how soon the beneficiary may file for permanent residence. Similarly, the filing date establishes the statutory period for various benefits, including naturalization.

D. Filing Periods Ending on Weekends or Federal Holidays

Benefit requestors must file a benefit request within the period for filing, if applicable, as prescribed by statute, regulation, and form instructions. This includes filing with USCIS before a certain time period ends or event occurs, such as before a period of lawful status ends or an individual reaches a certain age. For example, petitioners for special immigrant juvenile classification must file a Petition for Amerasian, Widow(er), or Special Immigrant (Form I-360) before their 21st birthday.^[32] As another example, principal refugees and asylees seeking to request follow-to-join immigration benefits for qualifying family members must file a Refugee/Asylee Relative Petition (Form I-730) for each member within 2 years of the refugee’s admission to the United States as a refugee or the asylee’s grant of asylum.^[33]

USCIS does not accept paper-based applications or petitions on Saturdays, Sundays, or federal holidays.^[34] Therefore, when the last day of the filing period for a paper benefit request falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or federal holiday, USCIS applies the regulatory definition of day^[35] and extends the deadline for filing until the end of the next business day that is not a Saturday, Sunday, or federal holiday.^[36] In these situations, while the receipt date will continue to reflect the date USCIS physically received the request, USCIS considers the benefit request to have been timely filed.^[37]

The determination of whether a benefit request was timely submitted is not a criterion for acceptance; rather, it is part of the eligibility determination for the benefit request that an officer makes at the time of adjudication. Therefore, USCIS does not reject filings at intake due to missed deadlines.

USCIS considers electronically submitted benefit requests to be received immediately upon submission. Therefore, electronic filings are not affected by the fact that USCIS does not accept deliveries on Saturdays, Sundays, or federal holidays, and USCIS does not apply the regulatory definition of day to extend the filing period for benefit requests filed electronically.^[38]

Footnotes

[^ 1] Registration for Classification as a Refugee (Form I-590) must be completed with the assistance of the Resettlement Support Center (RSC) staff overseas after a referral to the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP), and cannot be completed independently by a benefit requestor. As such, any information in this section regarding submitting or filing a benefit request does not apply to Form I-590. For more information, see the Refugees USCIS web page.

[^ 2] See 8 CFR 103.2(b)(8)(ii). A benefit requestor may need to provide additional evidence to establish eligibility for the benefit sought at the time of an interview or in response to a Request for Evidence (RFE).

[^ 3] For tips on filing applications with USCIS, see General Tips on Assembling Applications for Mailing and Lockbox Facility Filing Tips.  

[^ 4] See 8 CFR 103.2(b)(19)(ii)(B).

[^ 5] See 8 CFR 103.2.

[^ 6] See Section C, Date of Receipt [1 USCIS-PM B.6(C)].

[^ 7] See 8 CFR 103.2(a)(7).

[^ 8] See 8 CFR 103.2(a). Other regulations in Title 8 of the CFR may impose filing requirements specific to the request type.

[^ 9] See 8 CFR 106.2 and 8 CFR 106.3. See Fee Schedule (Form G-1055). For additional information on fee waivers, see Chapter 4, Fee Waivers and Fee Exemptions [1 USCIS-PM B.4].

[^ 10] For example, family-based or employment-based adjustment of status categories where an Affidavit of Support (Form I-864), if required, is submitted with the Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status (Form I-485).

[^ 11] See 8 CFR 103.2(b)(1). Each benefit request must be properly completed and filed with all initial evidence required by applicable regulations and other USCIS instructions. Benefit requestors can determine which fields are required based on the form type and form instructions.

[^ 12] See 8 CFR 103.2(a)(2).

[^ 13] See 8 CFR 103.2(a).

[^ 14] See 8 CFR 245.2(a)(2)(i). For more information, see Volume 7, Adjustment of Status, Part A, Adjustment of Status Policies and Procedures, Chapter 3, Filing Instructions, Section B, Definition of Properly Filed, Subsection 4, Visa Availability Requirement [7 USCIS-PM A.3(B)(4)].

[^ 15] See 8 CFR 103.2(a)(7)(iii).

[^ 16] USCIS treats the benefit request as if the requestor had not previously submitted it.

[^ 17] Some exceptions may apply. For example, see Volume 7, Adjustment of Status, Part A, Adjustment of Status Policies and Procedures, Chapter 6, Adjudicative Review, Section C, Verify Visa Availability, Subsection 3, Priority dates [7 USCIS-PM A.6(C)(3)]. See 8 CFR 204.2(h).

[^ 18] See 8 CFR 103.2(a).

[^ 19] See 8 CFR 103.2(a)(7)(ii)(D)(3).

[^ 20] See 8 CFR 103.2(a)(7)(ii)(D)(2).

[^ 21] See 8 CFR 103.2(a)(7)(ii)(D)(3).

[^ 22] See 8 CFR 103.2(a)(7)(ii)(D)(3).

[^ 23] See 8 CFR 103.2(a)(7)(iii).

[^ 24] See 8 CFR 205.2.

[^ 25] See 8 CFR 106.1(c)(2).

[^ 26] Otherwise, USCIS considers the requestor to have failed to file the required fees. See 8 CFR 103.2(a)(1).

[^ 27] In accordance with 8 CFR 103.3 and the applicable form instructions.

[^ 28] See 8 CFR 103.3.

[^ 29] The Registration for Classification as Refugee (Form I-590 (PDF, 696.08 KB)) is deemed filed on the date of interview with the USCIS refugee officer. USCIS does not apply a date stamp and does not issue a receipt notice.

[^ 30] See 8 CFR 103.2(a)(7)(ii).

[^ 31] For more information, see Volume 7, Adjustment of Status, Part A, Adjustment of Status Policies and Procedures, Chapter 6, Adjudicative Review, Section C, Verify Visa Availability, Subsection 3, Priority Dates [7 USCIS-PM A.6(C)(3)] and the USCIS’ webpage on Visa Availability and Priority Dates.

[^ 32] See 8 CFR 204.11(b)(1).

[^ 33] See 8 CFR 207.7(d) and 8 CFR. 208.21(d).

[^ 34] See the U.S. Office of Personnel Management’s website for a list of federal holidays.

[^ 35] See 8 CFR 1.2 (“when computing the period of time for taking any action provided in this chapter including the taking of an appeal, shall include Saturdays, Sundays, and legal holidays, except that when the last day of the period computed falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or a legal holiday, the period shall run until the end of the next day which is not a Saturday, Sunday, or a legal holiday.”). For example, in the case of an individual who applies for adjustment of status on the basis of eligibility as a T or U nonimmigrant, if the last day before the expiration date of T or U nonimmigrant status occurs on a Saturday, Sunday, or federal holiday, the applicant has until the end of the next business day after the Saturday, Sunday, or federal holiday for USCIS to physically receive their properly filed and receipted application. See 8 CFR 103.2(a)(7)(ii) (properly filed and receipted), 8 CFR 245.24(b)(2)(ii) (pertaining to U nonimmigrant eligibility for adjustment of status) and 8 CFR 245.23(a)(2)(ii) (pertaining to T nonimmigrant eligibility for adjustment of status).

[^ 36] The definitions in 8 CFR 1.2 generally apply to all benefit requests in 8 CFR Chapter I unless the statutes or regulations for the specific benefit request contain provisions that supersede those definitions. Certain immigration benefits, such as asylum applications, are governed by different regulations and procedures regarding Requests for Evidence, Notices of Intent to Deny, denials, and terminations. Therefore, the guidance in this Part does not apply to those immigration benefits governed by different regulations. For example, 8 CFR 1.2 does not apply to calculating the 1-year filing deadline for asylum, because it is superseded by 8 CFR 208.4(a)(2).

[^ 37] As provided under 8 CFR 103.2(a)(7)(i).

[^ 38] Regulations at 8 CFR 103.2(a)(7)(i) state, “USCIS will consider a benefit request received and will record the receipt date as of the actual date of receipt at the location designated for filing such benefit request whether electronically or in paper format.” In addition, see Volume 1, General Policies and Procedures, Part B, Submission of Benefit Requests, Chapter 6, Submitting Requests, Section A, How to Submit [1 USCIS PM B.6(A)].