USCIS can now require some forms to be filed online
An interim final rule lets USCIS make electronic filing mandatory for certain benefit requests, with a waiver for people who cannot file online.
The Department of Homeland Security published an interim final rule that lets U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services require certain benefit requests to be filed electronically instead of on paper. The rule took effect on the day it was published, August 11, 2026.
The rule itself does not switch any particular form to online-only. What it does is set up the mechanism: it gives USCIS the authority to designate which benefit requests must be e-filed, and it describes the process the agency has to follow when it makes that designation.
If you cannot file online
The rule also creates a waiver. Someone who is unable to file electronically can ask USCIS for permission to file on paper instead, following the process described in the rule.
What this means if you are applying for citizenship
Nothing changes about the civics test or the interview. If you are preparing to file Form N-400, check the form’s page on uscis.gov before you send anything, so you file it the way USCIS currently requires. Filing the wrong way can cost you weeks.
DHS issued this as an interim final rule, which means it is already in force. For the exact scope and the waiver procedure, read the rule itself — it is linked above.
Sources
- Mandatory Electronic Filing (e-Filing) — interim final rule
Federal Register (Department of Homeland Security) · 2026-08-11
This summary is not legal advice. Where it differs from the official document, the official document is what counts.
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