. 1578. Validity of electronic signatures (a) Civil cases (1) In general Chapter 9 of title II of the Immigration and Nationality Act ( 8 U.S.C. 1351 et seq.), as amended by section 1126(a), is further amended by adding at the end the following: 296. Validity of signatures (a) In general In any proceeding, adjudication, or any other matter arising under the immigration laws, an individual’s hand written or electronic signature on any petition, application, or any other document executed or provided for any purpose under the immigration laws establishes a rebuttable presumption that the signature executed is that of the individual signing, that the individual is aware of the contents of the document, and intends to sign it. . (b) Record integrity The Secretary shall establish procedures to ensure that when any electronic signature is captured for any petition, application, or other document submitted for purposes of obtaining an immigration benefit, the identity of the person is verified and authenticated, and the record of such identification and verification is preserved for litigation purposes. . (2) Clerical amendment The table of contents in the first section of the Immigration and Nationality Act is amended by inserting after the item relating to section 295, as added by section 1126(a)(2), the following: Sec. 296. Validity of signatures. . (b) Criminal cases (1) In general Chapter 223 of title 18, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following: 3513. Signatures relating to immigration matters In a criminal proceeding in a court of the United States, if an individual’s handwritten or electronic signature appears on a petition, application, or other document executed or provided for any purpose under the immigration laws (as defined in section 101(a)(17) of the Immigration and Nationality Act ( 8 U.S.C. 1101(a)(17) ), the trier of fact may infer that the document was signed by that individual, and that the individual knew the contents of the document and intended to sign the document. .