Filing a G-28 Notice of Entry of Appearance on an outdated edition is a direct path to rejection — but G-28 is one of the few forms where USCIS currently accepts more than one edition, so the check is which editions are on the accepted list, not which single one is newest.
This post covers how to find and verify the current G-28 edition date, what happens if you file the wrong version, what counts as a valid signature under rules that changed in July 2026, and a proposed structural change to the G-28 that legal teams and paralegals need to know about now.
What the G-28 Does — and Why the Edition Date Matters
Form G-28, officially titled Notice of Entry of Appearance as Attorney or Accredited Representative, authorizes a legal representative to appear before U.S. immigration agencies on behalf of an applicant, petitioner, or respondent. An attorney or accredited representative appearing before DHS must file Form G-28 in each case.
USCIS, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will only recognize a properly completed Form G-28 that was signed by the attorney or accredited representative and the client. Without a properly executed G-28 in a given case, USCIS (or other DHS bodies) may refuse to recognize your representation, meaning you might not receive key notices or be allowed to act for your client.
Every USCIS form includes an edition date printed at the bottom of each page. The edition date determines whether the form version is still valid. Filing a form on an outdated edition is a genuine rejection trigger — USCIS treats it as a filing defect and will not process the underlying case on that G-28.
Check the form your G-28 accompanies for the errors USCIS rejects forms for →One error shown in full, free, in about a minute — the field, the problem and the exact fix — plus how many others we found. The full report, with every one of them in that detail, is $39. A scanned PDF longer than 3 pages skips the free preview and goes straight to the paid report.
The Current G-28 Edition Date and How to Verify It
The edition date printed on the current Form G-28 is 09/17/18, and USCIS states on its own G-28 page that it will also continue to accept the 05/23/18 edition — despite the expiration date printed on the form. Both are valid filings today. USCIS has said it will publish a new edition of Form G-28 “soon” but has not announced an edition date or a cutoff, so there is no transition deadline to plan around yet. Re-check uscis.gov/g-28 before you file.
Don't trust a saved PDF on your desktop, a third-party form filler, or a version your office downloaded several months ago. Always download the form fresh from uscis.gov — the USCIS G-28 page was last reviewed on 06/03/2026. The edition date is located at the bottom of the page on both the form and the instructions.
If you complete and print the form to mail it, make sure that the form edition date and page numbers are visible at the bottom of all pages. If any of the form's pages are missing or are from a different form edition, USCIS may reject your form. The edition date must match across all pages, and all pages must be from the same edition. If a page is from a different edition, the form can be rejected.
Edition Date Comparison: What USCIS Accepts in 2026
The table below shows which editions USCIS accepts today for the G-28 and for two forms that make a useful contrast: one with a single current edition, and one part-way through a changeover with a grace period. Each row was verified against that form’s own page on uscis.gov.
| Form | Editions USCIS accepts today | When that changes |
|---|---|---|
| G-28 (Notice of Entry of Appearance) | 09/17/18 and 05/23/18 | No cutoff announced. USCIS says a new edition is coming but has published no date. |
| I-129 (Petition for Nonimmigrant Worker) | 02/27/26 | No successor edition announced. |
| I-589 (Application for Asylum) | 07/28/26 | Changed Aug. 28, 2026 — the prior 01/20/25 edition is no longer accepted. |
Check the form’s own page on uscis.gov before every filing. There is no single site-wide rule: USCIS retires some editions on a hard calendar date with no grace period, gives others a grace window, and — as with the G-28 — sometimes keeps two editions acceptable indefinitely.
Signature Rules for G-28: What Changed July 10, 2026
The G-28 has always required both the representative's and the client's signatures. But a major rule change now dramatically raises the stakes for getting that signature wrong. On May 11, 2026, DHS published an interim final rule (IFR) titled "Signatures on Immigration Benefit Requests." The rule became effective July 10, 2026, and amends 8 C.F.R. § 103.2(a)(7)(ii)(A) to give USCIS adjudicators explicit discretionary authority to either reject or deny a benefit request that the agency later determines was filed without a valid signature, even where the filing cleared intake at the USCIS Lockbox.
Before this rule, a signature problem typically meant rejection and a refund of your filing fee. Now, the outcome can be worse. A rejection means the filing fee is returned and the petitioner may refile the case. A denial means the filing fee is retained, the case is treated as fully adjudicated against the petitioner, and the only path forward is either an appeal on Form I-290B or a new filing with a new fee. Under the new rule, that choice belongs to the USCIS adjudicator. There is no cure mechanism.
For paper-filed G-28s, only a handwritten ink signature — or a scan, photocopy, or fax of one — is valid. For Form G-28, USCIS will consider a photocopied, faxed, or scanned copy of the original handwritten signature valid for filing purposes. Typed names, cursive fonts, signature stamps, and e-signature software output such as DocuSign are not valid for paper filings. Electronic signatures are only valid when captured through a USCIS online account during online filing.
The signature rule changes are reflected in USCIS Policy Manual updates under Volume 7, Part A, Chapter 3 (Filing Instructions) — specifically, DHS published an interim final rule on May 11, 2026 to clarify USCIS procedures relating to the rejection or denial of benefit requests that do not meet regulatory requirements to ensure better enforcement of signature requirements. See 91 FR 25479 (May 11, 2026).
Who Can File a G-28 — and the Paralegal Designation Proposal You Need to Know About
Form G-28 is used only by attorneys and accredited representatives as defined in 8 CFR parts 1.2 and 1292. A representative is an attorney or accredited representative — or law student or law graduate supervised by the attorney or accredited representative — designated on a properly executed notice of entry of appearance. Per USCIS Policy Manual Vol. 1, Part D, Chapter 2 (Representation), this is the authoritative framework governing who may appear on a G-28.
Attorneys not licensed to practice law in the United States must use Form G-28I, Notice of Entry of Appearance as Attorney in Matters Outside the Geographical Confines of the United States. Such attorneys may only represent individuals in matters filed and adjudicated in DHS offices outside the United States.
Paralegals are not independently permitted to file Form G-28. However, there's an active structural change in progress that legal teams should monitor: a proposed revision to Form G-28 would remove individuals' ability to designate a paralegal to communicate about their immigration cases. The proposal was published July 25, 2025. USCIS announced an additional thirty days for public comments, with comments accepted until January 12, 2026. As of this writing, USCIS has not published a final rule implementing this removal, but legal teams that rely on the paralegal designation field should watch the USCIS forms-updates page for any new G-28 edition that removes it.
Where to File the G-28 and What Happens After Submission
File Form G-28 with the related application, petition, or appeal. Ensure you file to the same USCIS office that handles the underlying case. If your case is already pending at a certain field office or service center, the G-28 must go to that office. If you file online through myUSCIS, USCIS accepts electronic submission through the myUSCIS account portal, where attorneys and accredited representatives can link their accounts to clients' cases, receive electronic notifications, and upload supporting documentation.
There is no filing fee for Form G-28. USCIS, CBP, and ICE will recognize Form G-28 until the conclusion of the matter for which it is entered, unless otherwise notified. You must file a new Form G-28 with the Administrative Appeals Office if you are filing Form I-290B, Notice of Appeal or Motion. Likewise, for matters before the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA), use Form EOIR-27 instead of Form G-28.
If representation changes mid-case, if you later change representatives, or the attorney's address changes, file a new G-28 or submit a change-of-address for your representation status. USCIS does not automatically update representation — a new G-28 on the current edition is required.
About FormGuard: We help immigrants and sponsors check USCIS forms for filing errors before submission. We publish guides on USCIS forms, edition dates, RFEs, and processing times, updated as USCIS policy changes.
See how many filing issues your USCIS form has — free
Upload your completed form and FormGuard shows you one of its filing errors in full — free, in about a minute: the field, the problem and the exact fix, plus how many others it found. The full report, with every remaining issue in that same detail, is $39. A scanned PDF longer than 3 pages skips the free preview and goes straight to the paid report.
Start a free check →Filing in volume? Immigration practices, legal-aid clinics and accredited representatives use a monthly check allowance instead of paying per form. See firm plans →
Frequently asked questions
Where exactly do I find the edition date on Form G-28?
The edition date is printed at the bottom of every page of the form and its instructions. For the G-28, look in the lower-left or lower-center footer of each page. USCIS currently accepts two editions of Form G-28 — 09/17/18 and 05/23/18 — and says so on uscis.gov/g-28, despite the expiration date printed on the form. All pages you print or submit must show the same edition date — mixing pages from different editions is a rejection trigger. Always download a fresh copy directly from uscis.gov/g-28 rather than reusing a saved file.
Can a paralegal sign or file the G-28 on behalf of the attorney?
No. Form G-28 must be signed by the attorney or accredited representative personally, and also signed by the client. A paralegal cannot independently sign or file a G-28 under 8 CFR parts 1.2 and 1292 — only attorneys and accredited representatives are authorized to do so. A law student or law graduate may be listed on a G-28 filed by a supervising attorney, but that law student or graduate must sign the same form in the designated section. As of early 2026, USCIS also proposed removing the paralegal designation field entirely from future G-28 editions — check uscis.gov/forms/forms-updates for any new edition.
What happens if I use the wrong (outdated) edition of the G-28?
USCIS may reject the G-28 itself, though in some historical cases it accepted the underlying filing while refusing the G-28. Using the wrong edition means USCIS may not recognize the representation on that filing, which can result in notices going to the wrong address and your attorney being locked out of communications. For Form G-28 specifically, USCIS still accepts both the 09/17/18 and the 05/23/18 editions and has announced a new edition without giving a date, so neither of those two is outdated today. Download the current version from uscis.gov/g-28, verify the edition date on every page footer, and confirm all pages match before mailing.
My attorney used DocuSign on the paper G-28. Is that valid after July 10, 2026?
No — DocuSign output and other e-signature software signatures are not valid on paper-filed G-28s under the DHS interim final rule effective July 10, 2026 (8 CFR 103.2(a)(7)(ii)(A), 91 FR 25479). A valid paper signature must be a handwritten ink signature, or a photocopy, scan, or fax of one. If USCIS adjudicators discover an invalid signature after intake, they now have explicit authority to deny — not just reject — the filing, keep the fee, and offer no cure opportunity. Electronic signatures are only valid when captured through a USCIS online account during online filing. Have your attorney re-sign with a wet-ink signature and refile if there's any doubt.