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Original Date Announced
December 15, 2020USCIS issued a stakeholder message noting that a significant increase in filings in recent weeks, along with facility capacity restrictions necessary to protect the health and safety of the lockbox workforce during the COVID-19 pandemic, is causing “significant delays for processing receipt notices” for forms and applications filed with USCIS lockbox facilities.
[ID #1251]
USCIS Lockbox UpdatesBiden Administration Action: Modified
June 10, 20212021.06.10 USCIS Announces Lockbox Filing Flexibilities
This Biden administration policy modifies the Trump-era policy identified in this entry.
On June 10, 2021, USCIS issued filing flexibilities to provide relief to certain applicants and petitioners impacted by delays at a USCIS lockbox. The filing flexibilities are effective for 60 days from June 10 until August 9, 2021, and apply to the following two scenarios:
- USCIS will allow for resubmission of a benefit request where the request was submitted to a USCIS lockbox between October 1, 2020, and April 1, 2021, and was rejected during that timeframe solely due to a filing fee payment expiring while the benefit request was awaiting processing. If USCIS concurs that it has rejected the benefit request because of the delay, USCIS will deem the request to have been received on the initial date of filing and waive the $30 dishonored check fee.
- USCIS will allow for resubmission where the applicant or petitioner can demonstrate that because of the time that elapsed between when the benefit request was originally submitted to a USCIS lockbox and when USCIS rejected it, the stakeholder aged out and is no longer eligible for the benefit requested. If USCIS agrees that the delayed rejection caused the person to be ineligible due to age, USCIS will accept the resubmission and deem it to have been received on the initial date of filing.
Current Status
Partially in effectMost Recent Action
June 10, 2021 Action: Modified 2021.06.10 USCIS Announces Lockbox Filing FlexibilitiesJune 10, 2021Acted on by Biden Administration
Original Trump Policy Status
Status: Final/ActualTrump Administration Action: Forms and Information CollectionSubject Matter: Non-Immigrant Visas Humanitarian Immigrant VisasAgencies Affected: USCIS
Documents
Trump-Era Policy Documents
Biden Administration Policy Documents
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Biden Administration Action
Original Source:
USCIS Announces Lockbox Filing Flexibilities