USCIS 2026: Electronic Filing Now Required – Mỹ Siết Quy Trình, EB-3 Applicants Must Act

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced on August 10, 2026, that it will require electronic filing for a range of immigration forms, citing national security strengthening as the primary motivation. The shift to mandatory e-filing is part of a broader effort by the Department of Homeland Security to modernize immigration systems and reduce vulnerabilities associated with paper-based submissions. The move toward electronic filing is designed to improve data integrity, accelerate identity verification, and enable real-time fraud detection. By digitizing the submission process, USCIS can cross-reference applicant information against national security databases more efficiently than is possible with paper forms, reducing opportunities for document forgery or incomplete applications. For EB-3 employment-based immigration applicants — including skilled workers, professionals, and unskilled workers — this policy change means that petitions and supporting documentation must now be submitted through USCIS's online portal. Failure to comply with the electronic filing mandate may result in automatic rejection of paper submissions, potentially causing significant delays in already lengthy processing timelines. Employers sponsoring EB-3 workers should coordinate with their immigration attorneys or HR departments to ensure that all future filings — including I-140 Immigrant Petitions and related forms — are submitted electronically. Existing cases already in process under paper filing should not be affected, but any new filings or responses to Requests for Evidence (RFEs) may need to follow the new electronic protocol depending on the specific form type. Applicants and sponsors are advised to create or verify their existing myUSCIS online accounts at uscis.gov in advance of enforcement deadlines. USCIS is expected to publish a phased rollout schedule specifying which forms and filing types are affected and when mandatory e-filing takes effect for each category.