A new USCIS signature policy took effect July 10, 2026, raising the stakes for applicants, petitioners, employers, and representatives who submit immigration benefit requests. The policy applies prospectively to requests filed on or after that date. If USCIS accepts a filing and later concludes that a required signature is invalid, the agency may reject or deny the request. That can cause delay, loss of a filing opportunity, and possible loss of the filing fee.
USCIS generally requires the person making the request to sign personally unless a regulation, form instruction, or other specific authority permits someone else to sign. A photocopy, scan, fax, or similar reproduction of a document that was originally signed by hand remains acceptable unless the applicable form instructions say otherwise. However, a standalone image of a handwritten signature that is pasted or separately affixed to a document is not valid. Typed names, signature stamps, auto-pens, and signatures created with a word processor are also generally unacceptable. Electronic signatures are permitted only through an authorized USCIS process, such as signing when prompted in a USCIS online account.
Before filing, review every form and supplement for all required signatures, confirm that the correct person signed in the correct place, and verify any form-specific instruction. Keep the original hand-signed document because USCIS may request it later. Employers and families using assembled or electronically prepared packets should add a final signature audit before mailing or uploading anything. A preventable signature defect should not be allowed to jeopardize a deadline, status, or benefit request.