The US will require online applications for several immigration benefits, including green cards and asylum. Officials say the shift will cut costs, reduce errors and speed up case processing.

WASHINGTON - The Trump administration is moving toward mandatory online filing for green cards, citizenship, asylum and other immigration benefits under a new rule published in the Federal Register on Monday. The interim final rule, which the Department of Homeland Security published, does not immediately make any forms online-only. Instead it would allow U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to require electronic filing for immigration benefit requests once a form has been available online for at least 180 days. It would also establish a process that allows the agency to make forms online-only after providing at least 60 days' notice. The rule could affect a wide range of immigration benefits, including green card applications and renewals, family-based petitions, citizenship requests, asylum claims, employment authorization applications and Temporary Protected Status filings. Many of the forms covered by the rule are already available electronically. As of December 2025, USCIS offered online filing…