USCIS New Rules July 2026: Certificate of Non-Existence Collection Extended

On July 1, 2026, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued a Federal Register notice announcing the extension, without change, of its currently approved information collection activity: the Request for a Certificate of Non-Existence. The public comment period for this notice closes on July 31, 2026. A Certificate of Non-Existence is used in immigration proceedings when an applicant must certify that certain civil records—such as birth certificates or marriage documents—simply do not exist in their country of origin's civil registry. This document can be critical for applicants whose home countries have incomplete or destroyed records. For EB-3 applicants and other employment-based immigrants, the ability to submit a Certificate of Non-Existence can be an important alternative when primary civil documentation is unavailable. The extension of this collection without change means current procedures and form requirements remain the same. Interested parties may submit public comments on this notice through July 31, 2026, via Regulations.gov at the docket USCIS-2021-0021-0028. Comments should address the necessity, accuracy, and burden of the information collection.