Beginning Jan. 22, 2018, USCIS will email notifications of receipt and approval to H-2A (temporary agricultural worker) petitioners who file Form I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker. Also starting today, USCIS will use pre-paid mailers provided by H-2A petitioners to send requests for evidence (RFE) if issued in a case.
These process changes apply only to H-2A petitions due to their highly time-sensitive nature.
Email Notifications
USCIS will send notifications of receipt and approval to the email address provided by H-2A petitioners in Part 1 of Form I-129 and to any email address provided for their attorney or accredited representative on a valid Form G-28. There is no charge for this service.
In addition to these emailed notifications, USCIS will continue to send receipt and approval notices by postal mail and update Case Status Online.
Pre-Paid Mailers for Requests for Evidence
H-2A petitioners will be able to submit two pre-paid mailers if they want to expedite delivery of both the final decision notice and any RFE issued for the petition.
Service centers normally use pre-paid mailers only for final decision notices. Any pre-paid mailers submitted for H-2A petitions must meet the same requirements as pre-paid mailers used for other forms and classifications.
USCIS will no longer send receipt notices to H-2A petitioners via pre-paid mailer. This is because the emailed receipt notice will include the relevant receipt number.
Summary
For H-2A petitions, USCIS will:
- Use a pre-paid mailer to send an RFE if the petitioner provided only one pre-paid mailer.
- Send the final decision notice (such as a Notice of Approval or Notice of Denial) in a pre-paid mailer only if no RFE was issued or the petitioner provided a second pre-paid mailer.
- Stop using a pre-paid mailer to send receipt notices.
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