Receipting and Acceptance Processing

The procedural steps below pertain to applications and petitions in general. Since all service centers have contractor personnel handling mail, file and data entry, this segment deals with receipting requirements only in very general terms.

(1) Open In-coming Mail & Deposit Fees. Since in-coming mail often contains fees, the in-coming mail room is a secure area, with access limited to specified personnel. Mail should be opened the same day it is received. When this is not possible, arrangements must be made to record the actual date on which the mail is received from the post office or private courier so that the receipt date can later be recorded on the application or petition itself. The receipt date is important to ensure fair, chronological processing and to enable efficient case tracking. Most importantly, the receipt date may be critically important in determining an applicant’s legal eligibility for a particular benefit. It is important that all mail be opened; fees removed, logged and deposited; and initial data entry completed as soon as possible.

(2) Screen for Applications and Petitions Which Must Be Rejected. No application form may be accepted for processing unless it is completed and signed and the proper fee submitted. If, subsequent to receipting, a check submitted for payment is returned as uncollectable, the receipt (priority) date is forfeited. Rejected applications receive an "R" or reject number in the CLAIMS tracking system. Because rejection occurs before completion of CLAIMS data entry, the system maintains only skeletal information concerning rejected applications and petitions. If a rejected application is later resubmitted, process the case as if it had never been submitted.

Although the instructions for each type of application or petition specify where that application or petition is to be submitted, submission to an incorrect office (or incorrect post office box where more than one box is used by a service center to sort cases by application type) is not a reason for rejection. Such cases should be receipted and routed to the appropriate office for processing.

(3) Affix Bar Code. Affix the CLAIMS bar code receipt number on the application and forward the case for data entry and file creation. (This data entry is when the NOA Receipt Notice form I-797 or I-797C is also generated)

The following local office receipt processing steps pertain to applications and petitions in general. Some field offices have contractor personnel who perform some of the receipting functions; in other offices USCIS employees handle all mail, file and receipting activities. This section applies generally to all field offices, but does not supersede the specific written procedures followed by contractor personnel engaged in receipting activities or local procedures in place for USCIS personnel involved in receipting applications and petitions. In field offices cases may be filed either in person at an information counter or drop box, or by mail. Cases which are mailed or left in a drop box are handled in a manner similar to service center cases, as described above. Cases which are filed at an information counter are generally reviewed by an information officer prior to acceptance. The information officer may screen a case more thoroughly, checking for required documentation and basic eligibility, in addition to the basic screening for signature and correct fee.

Note: If a completed application is signed and the fee is attached or waived, but the information officer identifies missing documentation or believes the applicant is ineligible for the benefit sought, the case must be accepted if the applicant insists on filing. The information officer should explain what is missing or why the applicant is ineligible and suggest an appropriate remedy. However, if the applicant remains insistent on filing, the case should be accepted and a note attached for the adjudicator explaining the deficiency.