USCIS Expands Online Filing Options
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that Form N-565, Application for Replacement of Naturalization/Citizenship Document, and Form N-336, Request for a Hearing on a Decision in Naturalization Proceedings (Under Section 336 of the INA), can be filed online.
Applicants use Form N-565 to replace a naturalization certificate, certificate of citizenship, or a repatriation certificate. They may also use it to apply for a special certificate of naturalization as a U.S. citizen to be recognized by a foreign country. Applicants use Form N-336 to request a hearing before an immigration officer if we have denied their application for naturalization.
“USCIS is making the process of applying for immigration benefits more efficient, secure and convenient,” said USCIS director L. Francis Cissna. “We continue to add new forms that applicants can complete online.”
These are the third and fourth forms that applicants can file online through their online account. We introduced the first, Form I-90, Application to Replace Permanent Resident Card, in March 2015. We introduced the second, Form N-400, Application for Naturalization, in Aug. 2016, and began heavily promoting online filing for the form in Dec. 2017. We are using innovation and technology to continually meet the needs of our applicants, employees and stakeholders.
“Our website is one of the most visited of all federal agencies in the U.S. we have approximately 12 million unique visits each month, and we have renewed our website put in online our most solicited services right in the main page,” said USCIS public affairs officer Maria Elena Upson to La Prensa San Diego.
“Visitors now have access to breaking news, for example, if there is a closure in any USCIS office. Visitors can also have access to the most looked up tools like how the citizenship process works.”
The USCIS website offers information available in Spanish, although all filings are in English. There is also a virtual assistant called Emma, available at this federal agency website. Emma is not an officer behind a computer, but it gives out important information and helps answer the most frequented questions.
“Our final goal is to show information in an easy way, and that anyone can see the process of their case,” Upson added. “Migrants now have a lot of access in our website, they don’t need to go to our offices anymore, and it doesn’t mean that our doors are closed for them, it means that they now have more online access.”
Also, the current government shutdown doesn’t affect the fee-for-service activities performed by USCIS. All USCIS offices remain open and all applicants should attend interviews and appointments as scheduled.
For more information on USCIS and its programs, people can visit www.uscis.gov.