The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has issued a final rule, published in the Federal Register on August 29, which will enable U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to transition from a paper-file-based systems environment to an “electronic customer-focused, centralized case management environment for benefit processing.” The transition will be a multi-year project that will allow USCIS to:

• streamline benefit processing;
• eliminate the capture and processing of redundant data; and
• reduce the number of and automate forms.

The background section of the final rule cites several reasons for the change. USCIS receives about 6 million immigration benefit requests per years, via more than 50 application and petition types, and USCIS’s paper-based process has become inefficient in light of technological developments. Although USCIS will not become completely paperless, completed paper filings will be digitally converted and the agency will operate electronically, thereby “fostering greater operational efficiency, provid[ing] transparency], and improv[ing] access to information through online accounts for those who do business with USCIS.”

Under the new system, USCIS will use online accounts. Applicants and petitioners will have access to individualized accounts that:

• provide information on applying for benefits;
• make filing easier; and
• allow applicants, petitioners, and their representatives to track the status of applications and petitions.

Additionally, the electronic system will provide USCIS adjudicators a comprehensive view of an alien’s immigration history.

DHS also noted that it is finalizing interim rules to permit the submission of benefit requests with an electronic signature when submitted in electronic format.

Photo credit: Tom Ventura