USCIS Confirms Elimination of “Blank Space” Criteria

On April 1, US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) confirmed that “for all forms, it has reverted to the form rejection criteria it applied before October 2019 regarding blank responses.” Consequently, USCIS will no longer reject Form I-589, Application for Asylum and for Withholding of Removal; Form I-612, Application for Waiver of the Foreign Residence Requirement; or Form I-918, Petition for U Nonimmigrant Status, if an applicant leaves a blank space. Nevertheless, USCIS “may reject these forms, or it might create delays in their case, if the applicant [l]eaves required spaces blank, [f]ails to respond to questions related to filing requirements, or [o]mits any required initial evidence.” Therefore, it remains critical to pay close attention to both the substantive and procedural requirements of all immigration applications.