The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced a 60 day window, between June 10 and August 9, 2021, in which certain petitioners and applicants affected by mailing delays will have relief in the form of filing flexibilities.
The first form of relief pertains to rejected checks. If a person submitted a petition or application between October 1, 2020, and April 1, 2021, and if that petition or application was rejected because the payment submitted expired, the person will be able to resubmit the petition or application and payment. If the USCIS determines that the rejection was because of mailing delays, USCIS will waive the $30 rejected check fee and use the original filing date of the rejected petition or application.
The second form of relief pertains to age. If because of the delay a person ages out of the eligibility of obtaining a certain immigration benefit, USCIS will allow the person to submit evidence showing that they aged out of the category because of the delay. If USCIS determines that the mailing delay caused the person to age out of the category, USCIS will accept the original filing date for purposes of the petition or application.
However, these two benefits only apply to applications and petitions filed at USCIS lockboxes. The flexibilities do not apply to applications and petitions filed at USCIS benefits centers, service centers, or field offices.
If you have any questions regarding this or some other immigration matter, please do not hesitate to contact our Sacramento immigration law firm.