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The Ombudsman's Annual Report to Congress

By statute, the Office of the Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman publicly submits an annual report to Congress by June 30 of each calendar year.

The Ombudsman’s annual reports summarize the work of the office during the reporting period and identify systemic issues with the administrative delivery of services at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). After the Ombudsman submits each annual report to congress, USCIS has 90 days by statute to issue a response.

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Annual Report 2012

On June 25, 2012, Acting Ombudsman Debra Rogers submitted the 2012 Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman's Annual Report to Congress.

In her opening message, Acting Ombudsman Rogers writes:

"Our mission is to assist individuals and employers who have encountered problems with the immigration benefits system. We are constantly striving to find new and better ways to perform this function. In this report, we identify some of the difficulties encountered by USCIS' customers and offer potential solutions. The Ombudsman’s Office interacts with a wide array of stakeholders; this report attempts to clearly and effectively capture their concerns and recommendations."

This Annual Report identifies ways of solving some of the serious and pervasive issues that stakeholders experience with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), such as:

  • Highlighting USCIS’ support for our nation’s military and encouraging enhancements to related programs;
  • Calling for agency action on issues, including USCIS Service Requests, Extraordinary Ability Petition Adjudications, Employment Authorization Documents (EADs), Deferred Action Processing, and Special Immigrant Juvenile Adjudications;
  • Improving customer service through a comprehensive policy review that assesses progress and efficiency in current USCIS programs and policies.

The report also highlights new multilingual engagement, expanded public outreach, and USCIS technological advancements – efforts that demonstrate USCIS’ commitment to providing better immigration services and ongoing challenges.

If you have difficulties accessing a file or need assistance, please contact the Ombudsman's Office at 202-357-8100.

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Prior Annual Reports

2011

2010

2009

2008

2007

2006

2005

2004

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Contact the Ombudsman's Office

By mail or phone:
Office of the Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman
Department of Homeland Security
Mail Stop 1225
Washington, D.C. 20528

Phone: 1-855-882-8100 (toll free) or 202-357-8100 (local)
Fax: 202-357-0042

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