Natural catastrophes and other extreme situations can sometimes affect the processing of your USCIS application, petition, or immigration status. We will do our best to complete our adjudication and issue a decision as quickly as possible.

When requested, the following options may be available to people affected by natural catastrophes and other extreme situations:

Extensions and Changes of Status
When affected by a disaster you may, through no fault of your own, fall out of status. When applying for an extension or change of status due to a disaster, we may consider your request if you show how the disaster affected the expiration of your immigration status. If you do not apply for the extension or change of status before your authorized period of admission expires, we may excuse the delay if it was due to extraordinary circumstances beyond your control.

Fee Waiver
If you are unable to pay the fee for a USCIS service or benefit, you may request that your fee be waived for certain forms by filing Form I-912, Request for Fee Waiver (or a written request).

Employment Authorization
As an academic student, you may need to work off-campus if a disaster has affected your ability to support yourself. The disaster may occur in the United States and prevent you from working on-campus, or the disaster may occur overseas and affect your economic support. If you can demonstrate that you are from an affected country or region and you have been recommended for such employment by the designated school official, you may be eligible to receive employment authorization by filing Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization.

Employers

E-Verify remains available to employers affected by disasters, both directly through the E-Verify web portal and E-Verify employer agents. If you have any questions or issues related to using E-Verify from a remote location, please contact E-Verify Support at 888-464-4218 (for employers) or 888-897-7781 (for employees).

Employees

All Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification requirements remain in place. If your documents were lost, stolen, or damaged, see the list of Form I-9 acceptable documents and receipts for more information on how to complete the Form I-9. You may also visit I-9 Central for more information.

Document Replacement

To replace a/n...	You must file a...
Green Card	Form I-90, Application to Replace Permanent Residence Card, or request interim evidence of permanent residence stamp (I-551 stamp) from a USCIS Field Office. Form I-90 may be filed online.
Form I-94	Form I-102, Application for Replacement/Initial Nonimmigrant Arrival-Departure Document
Employment Authorization Document	Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization

Failure to Appear for an Interview or Biometrics Appointment, or Failure to Respond to a Request for Evidence
If you have not appeared for a scheduled interview or appointment, or did not submit evidence or respond to a notice or request in a timely manner, you may show how the disrupting event affected your ability to appear for interview or submit documents as required.

Expedited Processing
If you need USCIS to consider your request for a service or benefit more quickly, you may make that request when filing or after you file. Read more about expedited processing on our website.

To learn how to request any of the above immigration services, visit the USCIS Contact Center webpage.