Starting June 1, benefit-granting agencies using U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services’ (USCIS) SAVE (Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements) Program can no longer submit paper versions of Form G-845, Verification Request. Previously, agencies submitted paper forms to request immigration status verification and for additional verification requests. Now all agencies must submit their requests and institute additional verification electronically, drastically reducing case processing time.
SAVE provides a fast, secure and efficient service for federal, state and local benefit-granting agencies to verify a benefit applicant’s immigration status.
“Without the use of paper during the verification process, SAVE will improve its efficiencies by reducing mailroom workloads and the time spent receiving and reviewing paper documents,” said Tammy Meckley, associate director of the Immigration Records and Identity Services Directorate (IRIS) at USCIS. “As a result, we will see a faster resolution of cases for both the requesting agency and the intended benefit recipient.”
The SAVE paperless initiative is part of a larger effort by USCIS to eliminate paper-based forms, as the agency transitions to online submission of benefit requests. The SAVE Paperless Initiative will eliminate 170,000 paper form submissions and returned responses annually, reducing resource costs and postal fees. Additionally, the transition to a paperless environment will reduce case completion time from 20 days to less than five days.