DHS has given USCIS the authority to require online filing for immigration benefit requests, but no form is online-only yet. The mandatory e-filing rule took effect August 11, 2026, and public comments are open through October 13.
What the mandatory e-filing rule does
According to the Federal Register notice, the Interim final ruleA rule that takes effect without a prior comment period. The agency accepts public comments after it is published and may revise the rule afterward.See it in the glossary lets USCIS require e-filing of certain benefit requests, sets the process USCIS must follow to do so, and explains how people who cannot file online can ask for a waiver. In its own announcement, USCIS says it may require online filing for any form that has been available for e-filing for at least 180 days.
USCIS also says it will post notice on its website at least 60 days before a form becomes online-only.
What has not changed yet
The rule does not immediately require electronic filing for any particular form. Each designation would come with its own notice and date. You can follow form editions and filing changes in the USCIS Forms Tracker, and other 2026 rule changes in the Policy Tracker.
How online-only filing would work
Once a form is designated, filers must use a USCIS online account. They can complete the form online or upload a PDF of the completed form along with related evidence. USCIS says the shift ends reliance on Treasury Department lockbox services for these filings and speeds the move to electronic fee payments.
The waiver for people who cannot file online
The rule includes a waiver process for people who cannot file electronically. According to one law firm summary, it creates Form I-936, Request for Waiver of E-Filing Requirement, which must be approved before a paper request is submitted. That summary says USCIS will decide waivers case by case, weighing factors such as geographic location, socioeconomic conditions and access to public technology. It adds that unfamiliarity with the online system or lacking a personal internet connection ordinarily will not, by itself, establish undue hardship. The same summary reports that mandatory filing cannot begin until USCIS has an approved waiver process in place.
Comment deadline and what to watch
DHS is accepting comments on the rule through October 13, 2026, under docket USCIS-2026-0232. The next signal to watch is a USCIS website notice naming the first form to be designated, since that notice starts the 60-day clock.