USCIS will accept most old immigration forms through Feb. 21

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services said Thursday that it will accept previous versions of immigration forms until Feb. 21 after new forms were posted Dec. 23.

Key points:

• USCIS posted new versions of dozens of immigration forms 23, the same day a new fee schedule took effect. Officials said Thursday that while they “strongly encourage customers to submit these new versions,” previous versions will be accepted until Feb. 21, 2017.
• USCIS added that it the grace period will not apply to the Form N-400, Application for Naturalization. The Dec. 23 edition of the Form N-400 must be used for any filings postmarked on or after Dec. 23.
• USCIS further added that while old versions of immigration forms will be accepted, filings postmarked on or after Dec. 23 must include the new fees. Those that do not include the proper fees will be rejected.

Background: USCIS released dozens of new forms Dec. 23, including the following:

Initially, the USCIS website indicated that no prior versions of the forms would be accepted, with the exception of Form I-129 (Petition for Nonimmigrant Worker). The agency’s statement Thursday, however, made it clear that with the exception of Form N-400 a grace period lasting until Feb. 21 will be honored.

BAL Analysis: USCIS’s clarification that old forms will continue to be accepted until Feb. 21 is welcome news, but the agency also made it clear that applicants must adhere to the new fee schedule and that only the Dec. 23 form will be accepted for Form N-400 filings.

This alert has been provided by the BAL U.S. Practice group. For additional information, please contact BerryApplemanLeiden@bal.com.

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