United States Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS) recently announced that it will discontinue its legacy e-Filing system.
USCIS offers online filing for several of its forms through this legacy e-Filing system, but once the system is discontinued, paper forms must be used for the following categories.
- Form I-131, Application for Travel Document
- Form I-140, Immigrant Petition for Alien Worker
- Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization
- Form I-821, Application for Temporary Protected Status
- Form I-907, Request for Premium Processing Service
Reason for Discontinuation
USCIS is transitioning from its existing e-Filing system to a new system known as the Electronic Immigration System, which will be faster and more secure for users as well as easier to update and upgrade, according to USCIS.
USCIS made the decision to replace the e-Filing system with the Electronic Immigration System in order to uphold data security standards and focus its resources on the upcoming system.
What This Means for e-Filing Users
If you have started a form using the existing e-Filing system or have a pending case, be aware of the upcoming deadlines.
- If you have started a draft form, August 30, 2015 is the last day to draft a new Form in the e-Filing system. The last day to submit your Form is September 20, 2015. After this date, you will no longer be able to file your form online using the e-Filing system and will have to file a paper form.
- If you have a pending case, you do not need to do anything. As long as you have already submitted your form through the e-Filing system, USCIS will adjudicate your pending case to completion.
Paper Forms
The paper forms of the versions listed above may be accessed by clicking on the USCIS links below.
Once USCIS switches to the new Electronic Immigration System from its current e-Filing system, the forms may not be immediately available, but USICS plans to add them to the new system in the future.
For more information & queries, you can file online help form or call customer service at 1-800-375-5283.