USCIS Forms: Leave Blank or Write N/A for Inapplicable Fields?
This article discusses whether to leave fields blank or write N/A on USCIS forms such as I-485. The author notes that the policy of rejecting applications for blank fields was rescinded, but advises that unless instructions permit leaving a field blank, writing N/A is safer. Using Form I-9 as an example, it explains handling different fields and reminds readers to distinguish N/A from None.
Today another reader asked: "I'd like to ask everyone, is there currently a policy that forms should not be left blank? Do places with no answer or that don't need to be filled in also need to be marked N/A or None?"
For immigration forms such as I-485, when an item does not apply, what I have heard is this: there are indeed cases of USCIS finding fault because an item was left blank, while I have not yet heard of cases of USCIS finding fault because N/A was written in. During the Trump era, if an inapplicable item was left blank rather than marked N/A, USCIS might reject the application outright on the ground that it was "incomplete." That policy was reported at the time to target only some forms, and after class action litigation and the new administration taking office, USCIS canceled this harsh policy on 04/01/2021; even so, writing N/A still appears to be the safer practice—unless the form's instructions expressly state that the item may or should be left blank if it is absent or inapplicable.
For example, take Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification, for new employee onboarding:
- For the Social Security number field, USCIS's I-9 Instructions, page 2, explicitly state: if you have a Social Security number, you must provide it; if you have applied for a Social Security number but have not yet received it, you should leave the field blank: "[…] you have applied for, but have not yet received a Social Security number, leave this field blank until you receive a Social Security number." In this situation, you should leave it blank and should not write N/A.
- For the employee's email field, if there is none, it cannot be left blank and N/A must be written (I-9 Instructions, P3): "Providing your e-mail address is optional on Form I-9, but the field cannot be left blank. […] Enter N/A if you do not enter your e-mail address." In this case, you cannot leave it blank and must write N/A.
- In the Form I-9 Resources FAQ updated on 02/12/2021, USCIS stated: "Follow the Form I-9 instructions when determining if a field can be blank or if N/A is required. The instructions state when an employee may use N/A or must use N/A. Required fields must be completed with either the information requested or N/A." That is, for fields that need to be filled in, either provide the requested information or write N/A; although it does not explicitly say "cannot be left blank," in context it is clear that writing N/A is safer than leaving it blank.
There is no perfect answer to this question. Searching on the legal Q&A website AVVO reveals that immigration attorneys' opinions are not uniform. One attorney even said he had seen a report that after an applicant wrote N/A in the middle name field, USCIS's receipt directly treated N/A as his middle name. However, I did not find a report of this case; and after reviewing many attorneys' answers, most still hold the view: try not to leave blanks unless USCIS instructions explicitly say a blank is acceptable; if there is no instruction, it is better to write N/A than to leave it blank.
Some forms are now fillable PDFs that can be filled out directly on a computer. To reduce errors, when USCIS designed these forms, certain fields may restrict the characters that can be entered—for example, apartment and house numbers may only accept digits, or some fields may only allow letters and numbers and not special characters, meaning you cannot enter N/A. If there is enough space, you can enter Not Applicable; alternatively, you can print it out and handwrite N/A.
Finally, please note the difference between N/A and None. Sometimes the two can be used interchangeably, but sometimes None is more appropriate than N/A. For example, if you are asked whether you have children and how many, answering None is more appropriate than N/A when you have none.
In short: first check the form's instructions. If they explicitly state that under certain circumstances you should leave a field blank or should write N/A, then follow the instructions; if the instructions do not say, it is recommended to write N/A rather than leave it blank.
