Lockbox Filing Information

The lockbox will assemble your documents in the correct processing order before scanning them. However, we recommend you assemble your package in the following order:

• Check or money order or Form G-1450, Authorization for Credit Card Transactions;
• Form G-1145, Request for e-Notification (if applicable);
• Form G-28 (if applicable);
• The form you are filing; and
• Supporting documentation.

For tips on filing applications with USCIS, please see our Form Filing Tips page.

For information on requesting a fee waiver, please see our Fee Waiver Guidance, which includes a link to Form I-912, Request for Fee Waiver. 

If you mailed your form to an incorrect Lockbox facility, your submission may be forwarded to the correct processing facility. However, if your form is not processed by a Lockbox facility, your package will be returned to the address provided on your forms.

If you believe your package has been lost, please contact your carrier service. If you have questions regarding your submission after 30 business days of processing, you may contact Lockbox Support at lockboxsupport@uscis.dhs.gov for review of your submission.

When staff at the lockbox receive your package, they will:

• Evaluate data from scanned images against acceptance criteria;
• Accept or reject forms and related fees based on current regulations and policies;
• Verify that you submitted the correct fee
• Deposit payments to the U.S. Treasury;
• Send receipt notices for accepted forms to you (and your representative, if applicable);
• Return rejected forms to you (or your representative, if applicable); and
• Send your package to the appropriate USCIS service center or field office for further processing.

Our Case Resolution Units adjudicate fee waiver requests and, whenever possible, resolve issues with form packages before sending them to a USCIS office for further processing.
 

If you or your representative believe a lockbox facility lost all or part of your package, please email Lockbox Support at lockboxsupport@uscis.dhs.gov and we will investigate.

We will reject your form if you do not properly complete the form or include a valid signature, or if you do not submit the correct fee.

In fiscal year 2020, our lockbox facilities processed more than 9.5 million applications and rejected 11% of them. The most common rejection reason is that applicants and petitioners did not submit the correct fees.  Use our Fee Calculator to help you determine the correct fee.

The lockbox facilities accept applications with information that is deemed critical to acceptance of the application. This information is critical because it is used to process our business rules, such as reasons for filing or eligibility categories, and/or it is required by USCIS case management systems.

If we reject your form, we will send you a rejection notice. If you filed your form with a valid Form G-28, Notice of Entry of Appearance as Attorney or Accredited Representative, we will return it to the attorney or representative on file and send a rejection notice to both you and your attorney or representative. 

If your G-28 is not valid (for example, it is missing a signature), we will not honor it and send all correspondence directly to you.

Please see our Filing Your Form G-28 page for additional filing tips.

If we have not responded to an email from your attorney or representative within 30 days of receiving your filing package,  you may email us at lockboxsupport@uscis.dhs.gov and we will answer your email as soon as possible. Please include the form number, receipt number, petitioner and/or applicant name, and mailing address. Do not include Social Security numbers in emails.