The US Department of Homeland Security has introduced a major new immigration rule that could significantly impact applicants filing for H-1B visas, Green Cards and other immigration benefits in the United States.
Under the new regulation, which will take effect from July 10, 2026, United States Citizenship and Immigration Services officials will have the authority to reject or deny applications if an invalid signature is discovered at any stage of processing, even after the application has already been accepted.
One of the biggest concerns for applicants is that there will be no opportunity to correct or “cure” the signature issue once the filing has been submitted. Applicants may lose their filing fees completely and will be forced to submit a brand-new application with a fresh filing date.
The interim rule formally updates immigration regulations under 8 CFR 103.2(a)(7)(ii), giving USCIS officers clearer authority to either reject or deny benefit requests depending on when the signature problem is identified.
A rejection generally means the application and fees are returned, allowing the applicant to refile. However, a denial is more serious, as USCIS retains the filing fee and the applicant is considered ineligible under that filing.
The new rule will apply to all immigration filings submitted on or after July 10, 2026, including employment-based visa petitions, adjustment of status requests and employer-sponsored Green Card applications.
USCIS clarified that acceptable signatures for paper filings include original handwritten signatures, scanned copies of wet-ink signatures, faxed signatures and photocopies of properly signed documents. However, digitally generated signatures, copied-and-pasted signatures, signature stamps and software-created signatures will not be accepted for paper applications.
The agency said it decided to tighten enforcement after witnessing a sharp rise in fraudulent copy-paste signatures across immigration filings in recent years. According to DHS, hundreds of appeals have already involved applications denied due to copied signatures.
Officials also stressed that attorneys, preparers and third parties generally cannot sign immigration forms on behalf of applicants or petitioners.
The rule is currently open for public comments through the federal rulemaking portal, while immigration experts are advising applicants and employers to carefully verify every signature before filing any USCIS application to avoid costly rejections or denials.
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