India, May 18 -- A new regulation from the US Department of Homeland Security is poised to alter the processing of immigration applications. Effective July 10, 2026, US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will possess the power to reject or deny requests for immigration benefits, including H-1B petitions and Green Card applications, if an invalid signature is detected at any stage of processing, even after the application has been accepted.

Importantly, applicants who violate this rule may forfeit their filing fees entirely and will be obligated to initiate a new application from scratch. There is no option to rectify a deficient signature once the application has been submitted.

The interim rule revises 8 CFR 103.2(a)(7)(ii) t...