Two alert Citizenship News subscribers have just passed along official messages they received when they inquired about the new N-400 (edition Date: 03/04/25): Starting 4/4/25 we will only accept the 01/20/25 edition. Until then, you can also use the prior edition. (Emphasis mine.)
My guess is that the new guidance is in response to this lawsuit:
3/7/25 AILA Doc. No. 25030701.
WASHINGTON D.C. – Today, the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) and Benach Collopy, LLP, brought litigation in the U.S. District Court of the District of Columbia against the Trump Administration for abruptly implementing immediate form changes that will harm tens of thousands of AILA member attorneys and their clients.
On Monday, March 3, and again on Tuesday, March 4, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) abruptly posted multiple forms for immediate use and removed the previous versions, only permitting the submission of the new form editions. No notice was given, no grace period was implemented. Across the country, immigration attorneys and their clients were faced with the reality that potentially tens of thousands of forms that had been submitted properly and in accordance with the law would be rejected even if mailed before the new form was made available. AILA reached out to the agency to request a grace period for acceptance of the new forms, but the agency offered no clear relief or public guidance, thus litigation was required.
AILA Benefits Litigation Attorney Jennifer Coberly stated, “USCIS has arbitrarily and capriciously abused its discretion by failing to provide adequate notice of, or a grace period regarding, the revised forms making it impossible for eligible applicants to apply using the governing forms. This puts AILA and our members in an impossible situation. AILA has emailed USCIS requesting a grace period be applied and other alternative remedies to ease the impact on members. Today, USCIS suggested it may not reject all of the numerous forms at issue but will instead exercise discretion, possibly on a case-by-case basis. This offer is not an appropriate solution to severe APA violations. Therefore, we’ll see them in court.”
Posted: to Citizenship News on Sun, Mar 9, 2025
Updated: Sun, Mar 9, 2025