Citizenship and Immigration Services

Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents Recession Memo ("DAPA")

On June 15, 2017, Department of Homeland Security Secretary John F. Kelly, after consulting with the Attorney General, signed a memorandum rescinding the November 20, 2014 memorandum that created the program known as Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents (“DAPA”) because there is no credible path forward to litigate the currently enjoined policy. 

Electronic Workload Reporting and Tracking System

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is the custodian of the Alien File (A-File) and stores inactive files at the National Records Center (NRC). USCIS, Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) use A-Files in the course of performing their mission and may request A-File content from USCIS NRC. USCIS NRC developed the Electronic Workload Reporting and Tracking System (EWRTS) to accurately record and track A-File requests at the NRC and to record the actions taken to respond to those requests. Information in EWRTS includes contact information of DHS personnel requesting information and the Alien Registration Number (A-number) for subjects of interest. USCIS conducted this PIA to comprehensively discuss the privacy risks and mitigations associated with the use of an electronic database to record and track incoming information requests.

Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman 2015 Annual Report Executive Summary

The Office of the Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman’s (Ombudsman) 2015 Annual Report contains:

• An overview of the Ombudsman’s mission and services;
• A review of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) programmatic and policy achievements during this reporting period; and
• A detailed discussion of pervasive and serious problems, recommendations, and best practices in the family, employment and humanitarian areas, as well as in customer service.

Message from Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman Maria M. Odom in the 2015 Annual Report to Congress

Read Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman Maria M. Odom's message introducing the 2015 Annual Report to Congress.

Ombudsman Recommendation: Employment Authorization for Asylum Applicants

Administration of U.S. immigration laws is a shared responsibility divided among different departments and agencies. There is no doubt that this division sometimes creates challenges for both applicants and immigration officials.  The recommendations in this report address such a challenge: employment authorization for asylum applicants involving what is commonly referred to as the asylum clock.

Enterprise Citizenship and Immigrations Services Centralized Operational Repository (eCISCOR)

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) uses the Enterprise Citizenship and Immigrations Services Centralized Operation Repository (eCISCOR) to streamline access to relevant information necessary to administrate the Immigration and Nationality Act. eCISCOR is a repository that consolidates information collected during the adjudication of applications and petitions for immigration benefits. USCIS updated and reissued this privacy impact assessment (PIA) to clarify eCISCOR’s functionalities, and to discuss all source systems and interconnected systems to eCISCOR. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) uses the Enterprise Citizenship and Immigration Services Centralized Operational Repository (eCISCOR) to streamline access to relevant data necessary to administer the Immigration and Nationality Act and to accomplish mission support-related tasks. Historically, eCISCOR has been used as a data repository that primarily consolidates data collected during the adjudication of applications and petitions for immigration benefits. In 2015, USCIS issued DHS/USCIS/PIA-023(a) eCISCOR to update eCISCOR’s functionalities and add appendices to include all source and interconnected systems.

DHS/USCIS/PIA-013 Fraud Detection and National Security Data System (FDNS-DS)

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) created the Fraud Detection and National Security Directorate (FDNS) to strengthen the integrity of the nation’s immigration system, and to ensure that immigration benefits are not granted to individuals that may pose a threat to national security and/or public safety. In addition, FDNS is responsible for detecting, deterring, and combating immigration benefit fraud.  USCIS is updating and reissuing this Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA), originally published on July 30, 2012 as DHS/USCIS/PIA-013(a), to include FDNS’s sharing with law enforcement agencies, and include the DHS/USCIS/ICE/CBP-001-Alien File, Index and National File Tracking System of Records, published November 21, 3013 at 78 FR 69864 as coverage for initiatives under this PIA.

Ombudsman J-2 Recommendation

International medical graduates in the United States make important contributions in clinical care in underserved areas, as well as research and teaching. These recommendations, issued by the Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman, seek to ensure that spouses of foreign medical doctors accepted into the Conrad State 30 program are able to obtain employment authorization. Under this program, each state may receive up to 30 physicians each year to provide medical services to rural, inner city, and other medically underserved communities. USCIS currently does not permit spouses to change to an employment-authorized nonimmigrant status, even where the dependent independently qualifies for such status.

DHS/USCIS/PIA-040 – Center Adjudication System Electronic Processing (CasePro)

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) developed this Center Adjudication System Electronic Processing (CasePro) system to assist with the adjudication of Temporary Protected Status (TPS), Deferred Enforced Departure (DED), and Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) filings. CasePro electronically organizes and reviews incoming filings, identifies approvable cases, automates the adjudication of some cases which meet filing requirements, and routes filings requiring additional review to the manual resolution process. USCIS conducted this Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA) to describe how CasePro collects, uses, and maintains Personally Identifiable Information (PII).

DHS/USCIS/PIA-040 – Center Adjudication System Electronic Processing (CasePro) Appendix A

DHS/USCIS/PIA-040 – Center Adjudication System Electronic Processing (CasePro) Appendix A