10.10 Refund of Fees.

When an applicant or petitioner pays a filing fee on an application, he or she is seeking a decision from USCIS regarding the applicant or beneficiary’s eligibility for the benefit(s) being sought. In general, USCIS does not refund a fee or application regardless of the decision on the application. There are only a few exceptions to this rule, such as when USCIS made an error which resulted in the application being filed inappropriately or when an incorrect fee was collected. For example, if USCIS advises an applicant to file a waiver application for a ground of inadmissibility which is inapplicable to that applicant, the fee should be refunded.

If an applicant or petitioner believes that he or she is entitled to a refund of fee, the applicant or petitioner should call the customer service line or submit a written request for a refund to the office having jurisdiction over their application or petition. USCIS will review the request for a refund and either approve or deny the request based on the information at hand. If the adjudicator finds USCIS made an error, then the officer will complete Form G-266, Request for Refund of Fee. The form is av ailable on the USCIS Intranet. Send the completed form to the Burlington Finance Center (BFC), P.O. Box 5000, Williston, VT 05495-5000 or fax it to (802) 288-1230. Retain a copy for office records, following local procedures. Send only the completed form to BFC, retaining any back-up documents, applications, etc. The BFC will notify you of the disposition of the request. Only a single refund may be requested per form. Complete the form in accordance with the following instructions:

Block Number	Explanation of Entry
1	List the office in which the form was prepared
2	Assign a request number for the refund using the FCO-Fiscal Year-Sequential Number format. (For example: LOS-2000-0011 would be the 11 th request submitted by the Los Angeles office during FY 2000.)
3	Enter the requesting office mailing address
4	Enter the area code and telephone number of the person to whom questions regarding the refund may be directed
5	Enter the name and address of the person to whom the refund should be sent. Fee refunds for minors should be sent to a parent or guardian "in behalf of" the child’s name. This information must be displayed in the sequence listed below. Use an additional address line, if necessary - Line 1: First name, middle initial, last name of payee - Line 2: In behalf of ________________ ( if applicable ) - Line 3: Street address or P.O. Box - Line 4: City, state and Zip code
6	Record information necessary to file and retrieve the disposition copy after action by the DMC. (receipt file number, etc, according to local procedures). The requesting office remains responsible for maintaining sufficient information and files for a proper audit trail
7	Use this space to identify (name and phone number) a point of contact in the event The DMC has questions concerning processing of the request
8	Enter the application form number (or "fingerprint fee" if appropriate)
9	Enter applicable section of law, if any
10	Enter the exact amount of the fee to be refunded
11	Circle the reason for the refund: "overpayment", "Service error" or "other". If "other" is circled, there must be a brief explanation. Forms submitted without explanation will be returned by DMC without action
12	Original signature of signatory authority.*
13 - 15	Leave blank – for DMC use only

* If delegated below the office head, the office head must send a memorandum defining the specific delegation. The memorandum must contain the specific authority being delegated (e.g. approval of Fee Refund Requests, Forms G-266), the name, title and signature of each subordinate receiving the delegation and the effective date of the delegation.