The United States is set to make online filing mandatory for several immigration benefits, including green card applications, citizenship requests, asylum claims, and other key immigration services, according to NDTV.
The move is aimed at improving processing efficiency, reducing operational costs, and accelerating the country's transition away from paper-based immigration systems.
According to NDTV, the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced the proposed change in a new rule published in the Federal Register on Monday.
Under the new regulation, any immigration form that has been available for electronic filing for at least 180 days will eventually become mandatory for online submission.
The new rule would also establish a process allowing USCIS to designate additional forms as online-only after providing at least 60 days' public notice.
According to NDTV, the requirement is expected to affect a broad range of immigration benefits, including green card applications and renewals, family-based petitions, naturalisation (citizenship) applications, asylum requests, employment authorisation applications, and Temporary Protected Status (TPS) filings.
Applicants will generally be required to submit their applications through a USCIS online account. According to NDTV, they will have the option of either completing the forms directly online or uploading a completed PDF version of the application along with all required supporting documents.
The USCIS said the initiative is designed to speed up its shift away from paper-based processing while reducing dependence on the US Treasury Department's lockbox service, which currently receives and processes millions of mailed immigration applications each year.
According to NDTV, officials believe electronic filing will streamline operations, minimise manual errors, strengthen fraud detection measures, and improve security screening by making immigration data easier to access and analyse.
For applicants who are unable to file online, USCIS will introduce a waiver process. According to NDTV, individuals seeking an exemption must submit a separate request, which will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis before approval is granted.
In cases where an exemption request is submitted, applicants will be required to pay a filing fee of USD 25. According to NDTV, during fiscal year 2025, USCIS processed more than 14 million immigration benefit requests, while its lockbox facilities handled approximately 453 million pages of paper submissions.
The scale of paper-based processing has also resulted in significant operational expenses. According to NDTV, USCIS spent approximately USD 396 million operating its lockbox intake systems, in addition to more than USD 10 million on postage costs alone.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) believes that mandatory electronic filing will substantially reduce costs associated with manual handling, data entry, document shipping, storage, and scanning, while also accelerating immigration adjudication workflows.
According to NDTV, the transition is expected to modernise the US immigration application process and improve the overall efficiency of service delivery for millions of applicants.