US to make online filing mandatory for green cards, citizenship, asylum applications

The US is set to make online filing mandatory for several immigration benefits, including green cards, citizenship and asylum, as part of efforts to improve efficiency and cut operational costs.

The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), in a rule published in the Federal Register on Monday, said applicants will be required to file forms electronically if they have been available for online submission for at least 180 days.

The rule also creates a mechanism for USCIS to make forms available exclusively online after giving applicants at least 60 days’ notice.

The move could cover a broad range of immigration services, including green card applications and renewals, family-based petitions, citizenship applications, asylum claims, employment authorisation requests and Temporary Protected Status filings.

Applicants will generally file through their USCIS online accounts, either by completing forms digitally or uploading PDF versions along with supporting documents.

USCIS said the policy is aimed at accelerating its shift away from paper-based processing and reducing dependence on the Treasury Department’s lockbox facilities, which receive and process applications sent by mail.

According to the agency, electronic filing will improve efficiency, minimise errors and enhance fraud detection and security screening by allowing immigration data to be accessed and analysed more easily.

Applicants who are unable to file online will be able to seek an exemption by submitting a new form. USCIS will assess such requests individually and may grant waivers on a case-by-case basis.

Those granted an exemption will be required to pay a $25 filing fee.

In fiscal year 2025, USCIS processed more than 14 million immigration benefit requests, while its lockbox facilities handled around 453 million pages of paper documents. The agency spent about $396 million on operating the lockbox intake system and more than $10 million on postage.

The Department of Homeland Security said mandatory electronic filing is expected to lower costs associated with manual processing, data entry, shipping, storage and scanning, while also speeding up the adjudication process.