USCIS Extends Response and Electronic Signature Flexibilities

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) announced on July 25 that it is extending some of the “flexibilities” introduced during the Covid National Emergency. These “flexibilities” are intended to help immigration applicants who might otherwise be penalized due to circumstances that are out of their control and are related to the Covid global pandemic.

Extra 60 Days to Respond
Applicants would continue to have an additional 60 days to respond to USCIS requests. But only if the request or notice was issued between March 1, 2020, and October. 23, 2022, inclusive for the following:

• Requests for Evidence;
• Continuations to Request Evidence (N-14);
• Notices of Intent to Deny;
• Notices of Intent to Revoke;
• Notices of Intent to Rescind;
• Notices of Intent to Terminate regional centers;
• Notices of Intent to Withdraw Temporary Protected Status; and
• Motions to Reopen an N-400 Pursuant to 8 CFR 335.5, Receipt of Derogatory Information After Grant.

Extra 90 Days to Reply
Employers and foreign nationals will continue to have 90 days to file a Form I-290B, Notice of Appeal or Motion, or a Form N-336, Request for a Hearing on a Decision in Naturalization Proceedings (Under Section 336 of the INA), if:

• The form was filed up to 90 calendar days from the issuance of a decision we made; and
• USCIS made that decision between November 1, 2021, and October 23, 2022, inclusive.

Electronic Signatures
Effective July 25, 2022, USCIS will permanently accept all benefit forms and documents with reproduced original signatures (electronic signatures), including the Form I-129, Petition for Nonimmigrant Worker, for submissions dated March 21, 2020, and beyond. USCIS first began accepting electronic signatures in March 2020 due to the Covid National Emergency. Since then, they have determined that this “flexibility” will continue permanently.

According to the announcement, USCIS Extends COVID-19-related Flexibilities,

“In an effort to take the lessons learned from our pandemic posture, USCIS has been evaluating which flexibilities can and should be extended permanently.” 

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