Guide · Formatting mistakes
Common mistakes filling out USCIS forms
Almost no return is about your story. Almost all of them are about the formatting.
PasoLibre editorial team
Reviewed August 21, 2026 · Educational information, not legal advice
A returned packet is almost never about your story
When USCIS returns a packet, most of the time it is not because your case is wrong. It is because a signature is missing, a date is reversed, or a box was left empty. These are formatting mistakes, and they are avoidable.
That also means something reassuring: the part that frightens people most — their story — is almost never what causes the return.
The reversed date
The United States writes dates month/day/year. Most of Latin America writes day/month/year. October 3rd is 10/03/2026 here, not 03/10/2026.
It is the most common mistake and the quietest: both formats look correct. If the day is 12 or lower, nobody notices the date was swapped — including you.
Blank boxes
USCIS expects every box to have something in it. An empty box reads as a question you skipped, not as “does not apply”.
Each form's official instructions say what to write when something does not apply to you or you do not know it. Read them for your specific form: they do not all ask for the same thing.
Your name, in their order
The forms ask for Family Name first, then Given Name. Many people write their full name in the first field out of habit.
If you use two surnames, write them the same way they appear on your passport or certificate. Having your documents and your form match matters more than which version you pick.
The old edition of the form
USCIS updates its forms and only accepts the current edition. The edition date is at the bottom of each page, in small print.
A PDF you downloaded months ago, or that someone passed along, may be an old edition. Always download it from uscis.gov the day you plan to fill it in.
The signature
USCIS wants a handwritten signature, in ink, in the place the instructions indicate. A typed name, a signature pasted as an image, or a photocopy of your signature does not count.
Sign only after reading what you are signing. It is a statement under penalty of perjury: you are saying what is written is true.
That is why the PDF we give you comes unsigned. The signature is yours, and it has to come after you review every page.
Payment and mailing
The government fee is paid directly to USCIS, separately from anything you pay to prepare the form. The current amount and payment method are in the official instructions.
The mailing address depends on the form and sometimes on where you live. Confirm the correct address on uscis.gov the day you mail the envelope — they change from time to time.
What we check for you — and what we don't
PasoLibre transfers your answers onto the official form and runs automated technical checks: date formats, fields left empty, values that disagree with each other.
What we do not do is decide your case. We do not evaluate whether a filing fits you, we do not choose which form you should send, and we do not give legal advice. If your question needs that kind of judgment, we tell you how to find a licensed attorney or a Department of Justice accredited representative.
