DHS Moves to Authorize Electronic Mandate for Benefit Filing (1)
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has introduced a new rule allowing USCIS to mandate electronic filing for immigration benefits once an online option has been available for 180 days. The policy aims to modernize the immigration system, reduce processing costs, and improve fraud detection capabilities.
Why it matters
Digital transformation of immigration services is a significant administrative shift that impacts how millions of applicants interact with the U.S. government.
The Department of Homeland Security will have the authority to require electronic applications for benefits like work permits and petitions for immigrant workers under new regulations.
An interim final rule released Monday allows US Citizenship and Immigration Services, which administers benefit requests, to mandate e-filing for any form when that option has been available for at least 180 days. The regulations will speed up the agency’s transition to fully electronic filing, reduce costs for filers, and aid fraud detection efforts, it said.
The rule, which takes effect after it’s published in the Federal Register Tuesday, follows a USCIS policy last year switching to electronic payments for those benefits.
A public notice would be posted by the agency 60 days before an e-filing requirement for any form.
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