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USCIS expands online filing to certain employment-based applications - 5.27.2004
USCIS has expanded online filing to include the more commonly filed employment-based applications, including H-1B and immigrant petitions. The USCIS press release describing this expanded service may be found HERE and the fact sheet HERE.
As with existing online filings, supporting documentation must still be physically mailed to the appropriate USCIS center. This supporting documentation must be forwarded with the confirmation receipt from the corresponding online petition/application. Moreover, for those applications which require fingerprinting and photographs, applicants will be required to appear at an Application Support Center for this purpose.
As supporting documentation must still be sent by mail, it is unclear whether online filing will offer any real advantage to employers filing nonimmigrant and immigrant petitions. One possible advantage is that employers will know instantly whether a filing has been accepted for processing. This avoids the situation where an entire application is returned due to a missing filing fee, etc., and the attendant delay that presents.
Please contact Matthew S. Raynes, mraynes@eatonpeabody.com, for further information.
USCIS has expanded online filing to include the more commonly filed employment-based applications, including H-1B and immigrant petitions. The USCIS press release describing this expanded service may be found HERE and the fact sheet HERE.
As with existing online filings, supporting documentation must still be physically mailed to the appropriate USCIS center. This supporting documentation must be forwarded with the confirmation receipt from the corresponding online petition/application. Moreover, for those applications which require fingerprinting and photographs, applicants will be required to appear at an Application Support Center for this purpose.
As supporting documentation must still be sent by mail, it is unclear whether online filing will offer any real advantage to employers filing nonimmigrant and immigrant petitions. One possible advantage is that employers will know instantly whether a filing has been accepted for processing. This avoids the situation where an entire application is returned due to a missing filing fee, etc., and the attendant delay that presents.
Please contact Matthew S. Raynes, mraynes@eatonpeabody.com, for further information.
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