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ARTICLE · 08 SEPTEMBER 2021

Settlement Agreement Reached In 'No Blank Space Rejection Policy' Case

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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced on August 19, 2021, that it reached a settlement agreement in Vangala v. USCIS.

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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced on August 19, 2021, that it reached a settlement agreement in Vangala v. USCIS. The agreement allows certain individuals to receive updated receipt dates for resubmitted immigration benefit applications or petitions originally rejected under the former "No Blank Space" rejection policy. Under the former policy, USCIS rejected filings with any blank fields or spaces.

The agreement applies to three forms: Form I-589, Application for Asylum and for Withholding of Removal; Form I-918, Petition for U Nonimmigrant Status; and Form I-918, Supplement A, Petition for Qualifying Family Member of U-1 Recipient. Individuals whose forms were rejected under the former policy may resubmit their requests by July 20, 2022, to obtain an updated receipt reflecting the date their rejected request was originally filed. Individuals who had resubmitted these forms before the effective date of this settlement agreement (July 20,

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