USCIS’s New Zero Tolerance Policy

HOUSTON: United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced a new policy change that allows USCIS officers to deny any application, petition or request without issuing a Request for Evidence (RFE) or Notice of Intent to Deny (NOID). This new policy change went into effect on September 11, 2018.

Before this policy change, USCIS officers were allowed to issue RFE’s or NOID’s when the evidence submitted at the time of filing did not establish eligibility for the benefit sought. Under the new policy, if you do not submit all the required evidence along with the initial filing as well as all evidence establishing you are eligible for the relief sought, USCIS will deny your application, petition or request. They will no longer be issuing RFE’s or NOID’s to give you a second chance to submit missing evidence/documents. What does this mean for you? You better be sure you submit all required evidence to USCIS when you initially file your application, petition or request, otherwise you will be getting a big fat denial letter from USCIS in the mail. So, unless you have money to spend on paying for filing fees again or time to waste, do yourself a favor and consult with an experienced immigration lawyer prior to filing any applications, petitions or requests with USCIS to avoid having it be denied for lack of evidence. Trust me, it’s worth it!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

About the Author: Anjali G. Sharma has been practicing immigration law at the Law Offices of Sharma & Associates, since 2008.   Anjali is licensed to practice in the State of Texas.  She is also a member of the Houston Bar Association, Texas Trial Lawyers Association, and Indo American Chamber of Commerce.

This material is available for informational purposes only and not for the purpose of providing legal advice. You should contact an attorney to obtain advice with respect to any particular issue or problem.

If you require advice or assistance, you may contact her at office number 281-893-8644 or by email at bms@sharmalaws.net to schedule a free consultation to discuss your case.